How To Write Better with Suzan St Maur
...whatever you need to write
I am the world’s most terrible scribbler.
Are you addicted to scribbling notes?
I hand-write all over everything in my (home) office. I have scribble pads in my living room. Beside my bed. In my bathroom (yes, really.) I write all over those pads during the day and collect up the scraps of paper each morning to see if any of the rantings make sense.
Most don’t, but a few do escape recycling.
But that’s not writing by hand. [Read more…]
Do you groan when you have to address an envelope by hand, or write something in a greeting card? Or do you welcome the chance to express your true self through personally-penned words rather than use the impersonal blandness of a keyboard?
How many of us remember how to write by hand – neatly?
Recently I was chatting to my good friend Sarah Sibley who runs a business offering the most gorgeous personalised stationery, and we got on to the subject of handwriting and how today it has become almost a novelty in a world of text generated by keyboards that make everyone’s written communication look identical.
Much as I love the online environment because it offers so many varied opportunities to communicate via the written word, I can’t help wondering if its sheer “high-tech-ness” isn’t slowly strangling the poetry and romance out of writing that I, like all children born in the Ming Dynasty, experienced when writing before the digital age. [Read more…]
The other day I came across this nice, square infographic and felt I absolutely had to share it with you. I have no idea who the original author/producer is (I found it having been shared, on one of the social media platforms) so if it’s you, please say so and I’ll either take it down or give you full attribution with links. In the meantime, we can all learn from its wisdom, and many thanks to the originator whoever you are:
Much as I love the online environment because it offers so many varied opportunities to communicate via the written word, I can’t help wondering if its sheer “high-tech-ness” isn’t slowly strangling the poetry and romance out of writing as those of us who, like all children of the Ming Dynasty, experienced when writing before the digital age.
I quite like the discipline. Every word and sentence is written by me, from the heart.
The sheer anarchy and textual diarrhoea enabled by keyboards (and by that I mean typewriters, too, although they were rather a half-way house between writing by hand and what we do now) have obviated our need to think first and write later.
With this wonderful technology that allows us to ramble on at 120 words or more per minute we simply whack down whatever comes into our heads and then repent, or at least edit, at leisure. [Read more…]
In this article we shared some ideas on how writing by hand for business messages can be a welcome tonic for customers and prospects who are getting a bit oblivious to endless streams of emails and word-processed printed communications.
But if you’re like me and have handwriting that looks like it has been written by a young chimpanzee with two broken arms, you need to check yours out and work on it a bit. [Read more…]
Who would have thought that writing by hand to your customers and prospects would come back into fashion after more than 100 years?
That’s not as ridiculous as it sounds. [Read more…]
a.k.a. Suze
Welcome! Here on How To Write Better, you'll learn how to improve your writing of...
*Nonfiction
*Fiction
*Poetry
*Humour
*Speeches and Talks
*Wedding Speeches
*Social Writing
*Grammar
*Business
*Marketing
*Blogging
*Social Media
*Video and Audio
*Job Search
*Training
*and much more
... in more than 1,500 articles and tutorials by some of the English language's top writing experts. Find what you need in the SEARCH box top right and check out SUZE'S BOOKSHOP, too (on the tool bar.)
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Potty-mouthed "adult" poems to have you laughing your head off - preferably in the downstairs toilet or bathroom...by yours truly Suzan St Maur.
Amazon bestseller every Holiday Season since 2001! This little book is a firm favourite with horsey families and makes the ideal gift for anyone who loves riding. Compiled by Suzan St Maur.
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The no-bullsh*t guide to writing blogs that boost your brand, business and customer loyalty..."At long last, some common sense writing about how businesses can use blogging effectively." Written by Suzan St Maur.
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Science fiction with a sense of humour - HitchHiker's Guide To The Galaxy, eat your heart out. Brilliant story of love, work, the future and other crazy stuff by award-winning playwright Keith Trezise.
The bittersweet story of a young boy being bullied by his best friend, and how an incredible magic pen makes them see how life really should be. By S. L. Powell. Age group 8-12 yrs.
"This book is by no means all encompassing, but in it author Suzan St Maur has researched and shared several hundred of the most commonly used terms. Not only do we now know what they all mean but, where appropriate, we also learn their origins – some of which are fascinating and very surprising."
Great little book for anyone who enjoys dining out and wants to learn the right issues to write about in reviews for Trip Advisor etc. Written by the late Sam Worthington, superb chef, restaurant critic and bon viveur...
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A useful aide-memoire...
10 SEO Commandments for Content Writers and Copywriters
copywritercollective.com
A content writer and a copywriter do not have to be SEO experts, but it is useful for them to know some SEO basics, no matter if they work alone or in a team.Good advice...
Facebook Ads How to Create Powerful Copy
thelasthurdle.co.uk
Once you have decided on your campaign objectives, identified your audience and set your budget, the next step is to create a powerful ad that stands out and gets people to click to your chosen loc…Interesting article by the intrepid Derek Haines of Just Publishing...
Strong Verbs Can Help You Improve Your Writing
justpublishingadvice.com
Strong verbs in writing help avoid over-using adverbs and adjectives. A powerful verb can describe an action in one word which will tighten your writing.
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