When I was in grade school, we had this small (but disturbingly thick) hardcover grammar book. It was a horrible mustard yellow hue. Even to this day, I still picture this book when I think about grammar. I didn’t like it then and, to be honest, I don’t like it now. But I can recognize that despite my primary method of communication being through visuals, I need to be able to express myself clearly with words as well. I’m attempting to take a cue from the illustrious Cat and do more work on my writing. As a first step, I finally pulled The New Well-Tempered Sentence (A Punctuation Handbook for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed) off of my bookshelf. It’s been there for a while, but I’ve cruelly ignored it until now.

Karen Elizabeth Gordon does an excellent job of laying out the basics of punctuation in this thin, but highly informative book. Starting with the exclamation point and working her way through semicolons, hyphens, italics, and ellipses, the book balances writing rules with bizarrely entertaining examples. (While discussing independent clauses linked by commas, she throws out sentences like “The suspect removed his grimy white gloves, but another pair lurked beneath.” To illustrate a subject having two actions attributed to it, she uses this example: “She always carries bandages with her, but will give them only to bleeding people to whom she has been formally introduced.”)

I doubt that even my most hardcore grammar geek friends have ever laughed out loud while reading about writing properly. (I did while reading this one, and I got some strange looks from people in my vicinity.) It’s a bit difficult to review a book that is both short and full of writing rules, but if you’re looking to brush up on your punctuation and actually enjoy doing it, definitely pick up a copy of The New Well-Tempered Sentence.

Erin Harris | Visual Communication Designer
erinmharris.com | BoDo Author | Erin Reviews

Up until a couple of years ago I considered myself a graphic designer and marketing consultant. As such, I left the copywriting to the copywriters. Sure, I’d whip up a couple of lines of prose here and there, but the main stuff always went out to a bona fided writer. But, writing is an important activity for designers. You’ll be writing proposals, business letters and memos, instructions for vendors and, hopefully, press releases, articles, along with other promotional stuff.

It wasn’t until I was drafted to write the main content for Creative Latitude that I discovered I had a certain flair for the written word. Well … okay … the keystroked work. What was even more surprising was that I enjoyed it and it was pretty easy for me.

Writing has become a core tool in my business marketing toolbox. I write articles that get posted on various sites. Those drive traffic to my site and then I get a requests for proposals coming into my inbox. As a marketing tool, I highly recommend your start writing stuff.

But maybe you were a C- English student, can’t tell a conjunctive adverb from a coordinate adjective and, pardon me, but your modifier’s dangling. The idea of writing is right up there with having a root canal done by Dr. DeSade without any anesthetic.

Well, you could always take the coward’s route and hire a ghostwriter. Lot’s of folks do and there’s really no shame in doing so. A ghostwriter is somebody you pay you put your thoughts and ideas into tangible, written and usually intelligible form. They get the dough and you get your byline on the finished piece. Or, you can suck it up and get to writing your own stuff. If you take things methodically, it’s not all that tough.

If you’re shaky about stringing together a 1500 word ditty, consider starting off small. Tip Sheets are a great start. These are typically a single page of how-tos topics with a descriptive sentence or two. If you’re even remotely good at what you do, these should be easy as pie.

It’s important to remember that things you take for granted about your work and profession aren’t necessarily at the top of your prospects’ minds. You do these tasks day in and day out. Your prospects don’t, so it’s often new information for them.

When writing a Tip Sheet, think along the lines of, “10 Ways to …” or “The Top Hot Tips for …” Then make up your list and simply write a couple of lines or a paragraph about each item. How hard is that? Odds are, you can whip out one of these in less than an hour.

Maybe you start out with “10 Ways,” but can only come up with eight. No big deal. Just change the headline. The point is to get something into written form. You’re not going for a Noble Prize in Literature. You’re simply conveying your expertise.

Next comes that 1500 word monster. No sweat, Hemmingway. All you need to do is take a few related Tip Sheets and put them together. Add in a wee bit ‘o editing and you’re got yourself and article.

Take a couple of articles, put them together and now you’ve got a “report.” Ooooo! String together several reports and you’ve got the makings of a book. Holy smokes! You went from being writing-challenged to a budding author in just a few steps. Boy, you’re good!

I believe in taking a conversational approach to writing and adding in a little humor. I think it makes things more entertaining, digestible and memorable. But that’s just me. The point is, find your own voice. Be yourself in your writing. Renowned adman, David Ogilvy, once wrote, “Never use jargon words like, reconceptualize, demassification, attitudinally. They are the hallmarks of a pretentious ass.”

But most of all, make it fun. It you can do that, you’ll soon find the writer lurking within waiting to see the light of day.

Until the next
Marketing Minute
all the best,
nt

Before you start tapping things out on the ‘ole keyboard or [gasp!] penning prose on a pad, consider finding your area of specialty, first. Having a specialty or niche doesn’t necessarily mean that’s all you do. It simply means that’s what you promote.

Face it. You can’t be all things to all people, nor should you try. It’s better to be a master at one or two things, than mediocre at a bunch. You need a niche. What that is depends on your personality and experience, along with what you enjoy doing all the live long day. That last point is important. If you hate doing something, odds are you’ll put it off or not do it at all.

For example, after coming on board in April, 2007, I’ve begun to carve out a niche at Odell Advertising/Marketing, Inc. I looked over our stuff. I talked with the designers and art director, along with other account folks. I yapped with our financial manager. My goal was to find out what the art gang enjoyed doing, which clients were good to work with and what sort of gigs were profitable. As it turns out, we really shine when it comes to packaging and branding. In particular, we’re good (and profitable) when it comes to packaging for the food and beverage industry. On the heels of that is collateral materials for the healthcare industry. The best part is that people need to eat and tend to get sick (hopefully not quickly in that order). So, both are stable and/or growth markets.

Look over what you’ve done or would like to do. Fire up Quickbooks or what ever financial app you use. Do you really make money doing what you enjoy? Is there a leaning toward a particular industry or type of project?

Once you find your niche, it becomes a lot easier to write about and it also helps reporters and editors pigeonhole you. That’s okay. The goal is to position yourself as an expert for a very specific topic.

Writing articles isn’t rocket science. Well, I guess it could be if you happen to actually be a rocket scientist. Writing an article is simply a matter of picking a topic you know something about, then creating an outline with broad based topics. Do a bit of research on the Net or with books and magazines. Find a few relevant quotes to pop in. Add in sub-topics within your outline. The next thing you know, your article has pretty much written itself.

Articles can be published both online and off. Research target publications to learn their style and tone. Also, check the magazine’s site or contact them directly for their writers’ guidelines and editorial calendar. The calendar will help you appropriately time your submissions.

Contact the editors with your story idea. A quick phone call will help you find the right editor and learn their preference for contact. Make sure to get the correct spelling of their name. In your ‘pitch” give the highlights of your article, describe any art, photos or illustrations and how the article will be helpful to their readers.

Never submit an article to more than one print publication at a time. Editors want exclusive material. Only after an idea is rejected are you clear to submit to another editor. As a side note, read the contract’s fine print. Depending on the usage rights you negotiate, you might be able to re-sell your article elsewhere.

Some publications will pay you for your efforts, so writing can become another revenue stream for you. These are usually mainstream consumer pubs or high profile trade publications. Trade journals don’t usually pay, but they will put you right in front of your target audience. They’ll also often include your contact info, site address and/or email address. That exposure to your target audience can be payment enough.

Articles submitted to web sites don’t normally pay, but they have other benefits (read: exposure). There are also syndication sites like e-zinearticles.com and articleworld.net. The neat thing about web-based articles is linking. Most sites will include your site address. That increases the number of sites linking to yours, which can increase your link popularity. That’s a big factor these days in search engine ranking.

In the end, don’t be afraid to write. It’s really not that tough. You have two things going for you. Unless you’re speech-impaired, you can talk. If you can talk (and even if you can’t), you can likely think. If you can talk and think, you can write. Simply write like you talk. Getting over the initial hurdle is the big step. After that, it’s all downhill.

Go ye forth and write your hind quarter off. You’ll do just fine, Hemingway.

Until the next
Marketing Minute
all the best,
nt

In my previous post about press kits, I wrote that press releases are often the anchor of your publicity efforts. To help ensure your potent prose sees the light of day, be sure your releases conform to accepted format standards.

I dusted off one of my older releases to use as an example. First comes the release (and a plug for BoDo bud, Jeff Fisher’s, first book). Next, we’ll look at each element of a release. Get your release writing down and pretty soon you’ll be the media darling you were meant to be.

News Release

Contact:
Neil Tortorella
330.305.1554
[email address here]

December 6, 2004

For Immediate Release

Local Designer Featured in New Graphic Design Book

North Canton, OH: North Canton-based graphic designer, Neil Tortorella of Tortorella Design, is featured in the newly released book, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career, by Jeff Fisher.

The book includes advice on the building blocks of a graphic design career; education options; what designers have learned in the “school of hard knocks;” how to get more than your foot in the door in your quest for clients or a job and various aspects of dealing with clients on projects. Communication issues are covered in some detail, as are establishing a business persona and the nitty-gritty issues of business - pricing, contracts and more.

In addition to Tortorella, the volume also contains anecdotes and career lessons from designers Jack Anderson; Habib Bajrami; Milton Glaser; Art Chantry; Christopher Gee, Von Glitschka, Nigel Gordijk, Chuck Green; Nigel Holmes; Karen Larson, Morgan Mann, John McWade, Clement Mok; Jennifer Morla; Catherine Morley; Ellen Shapiro; Valarie Martin Stuart, Travis Tom; Peleg Top; Petrula Vrontikis and several other industry professionals.

Marketing and promotion is a major topic in the book. In addition, a number of designers relate major career obstacles and how they were overcome - or avoided in the future. There’s also information on doing pro bono work and getting involved in the design community. The book is full of industry-related quotes, business resources and materials to help designers be more successful as business people.

Published by HOW Design Books, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career can be found at most major booksellers both on and offline.

With over 30 years experience in graphic and web design, Neil’s primary focus is helping small businesses effectively communicate with their audiences. He is also the recipient of numerous awards for design excellence and cofounder of CreativeLatitude.com, a popular online resource for both creatives and clients. Tortorella Design’s web site can be found at www.tortorelladesign.com.

###

Let’s take this apart and look at each element.
————————-
Contact:
Neil Tortorella
330.305.1554
[email address]

This is your contact info and should appear at the top of the release. If an editor, reporter or writers has questions, you want them to be able to get in touch with you for clarification.

————————-
December 6, 2004

The date of the release.
————————-
Local Designer Featured in New Graphic Design Book

Here’s your headline. It should immediately tell the editor what the release is all about. This release went out to my local media contacts, so the headline focused on being local, rather than something overly witty.
————————-
North Canton, OH:
Insert the dateline at the beginning of the first paragraph. Ironically, the “dateline” isn’t a date at all. It’s the location of your office or where the news originated.

————————-
North Canton-based graphic designer, Neil Tortorella of Tortorella Design, is featured in the newly released book, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career, by Jeff Fisher.

Lead off with the most important information. Think of the body of your release as an inverted pyramid with less important information lower in the release. Editors tend to cut from the bottom.

When you’re drafting your release, put on your reporter hat. They want to know who, what where, when and why. They also love facts, so give them as many as you can.

————————-
[more] and/or ###

If your release is two or more pages, let the editor know by including [more] at the end of each page. Finally, close your release with either “-30-” or “###,” the customary symbols to say “That’s all folks.”

Until the next
Marketing Minute
all the best,
nt

So maybe you’re not quite ready to jump in and whip up a full blown article to submit to a publication. Perhaps it’s been a bit dry on the news front and there’s nothing to write for a release. Fear not! You still may be able to get your moniker in print.

How? Maybe you’re not a writer yet, but you can read and that’s a good start. Swing over to your favorite magazine seller and pick up some trade press that your clients and prospects are likely perusing. Read any articles in those that yanks your chains? Read something you wholeheartedly agree with? How about something you disagree with or maybe something that’s just plain dead wrong. Fire up that word processor and make your opinion known with a handy dandy Letter to the Editor.

The Letters to the Editor section of many publications has a high readership rate. They’re typically short, sweet and to the point, so you don’t need to worry about laboring over a hot keyboard writing one. Also, you’ve got a ready made topic to tout about.

The trick with Letters to the Editor (and there’s always a trick) is to have a valid point and introduce things with a line about your qualifications to comment. For instance, let’s say you’re writing a letter about an article you just read about low ball logo design (always a hot topic). You might write something like:

As a graphic designer with over 30 years experience in the field, I found your article, “Get a logo for a buck and a quarter” offensive, to say the the least.

Yada, yada, yada. You get the idea. Sign off with your name, company name, title and location. Some pubs will print it all. Others may only print your name and location. But hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Before you start banging things out on the ‘ole keyboard, give your position some quality thought. Be sure what you write is clear, factual and makes sense.

If you write something perspicacious (and don’t use words like that), in favor or against, odds are it will be picked up. Even better than immortalizing your name in print, some prospects might just Google up your site and contact you for more info about how you do that thing you do.

Until the next
Marketing Minute
all the best,
nt

Visuwords is a Stressbuster?

Well, yeah. For those who dig into dictionaries and don’t come out for hours. For the rest of us who like to watch pretty graphics (kidding). For those who have been following the Writers section of the Designers Working With Series. So yup, I guess you indeed could call this a Stressbuster.

Have a play? Just for five? Trust me? No?

Ok, how’s this.

Think Thinkmap’s Visual Thesaurus.

But free.

Having fun yet?

From Age-o-matic:
Visuwords™ online graphical dictionary — Look up words to find their meanings and associations with other words and concepts. Produce diagrams reminiscent of a neural net. Learn how words associate.

Found via Speaking Freely

Until the next
Sunday Stressbuster,
cat

Online Writing Courses

The first Resourceful Friday focused on writing dealt with helpful writing books. The second came in with online writing guidelines. This weeks Resourceful Friday deals with online writing courses.

Some of the courses below are free, some with a nominal charge, some require a financial commitment. Some courses are short, others will take a week, most require a time commitment (some considerable).

Absolute Write University

A Free Course in Technical and Business Writing

BBC: Get Writing

Breaking into Print Writing Course

Coffee House for Writers

Copywriting course

Diana Hacker - Rules for Writers companion website

E-WRITE - Writing For Online Readers

Grammar Tutorials, University of Calgary

How to Write: Freelance Writing Courses and Reports (Copywriting)

Lousy Writer

One of Us; Creative Writing Workshop

online-learning.com

‘Round Table’ Creative Writing Group

Suite101.com

Tameri Guide for Writers: The Workshop

The Internet Grammar of English

trAced Links: Writing Courses

UCLA Extension - Lifelong Learning

Write 101: Know how to write well, 5 free writing lessons

Write 101: Online Writing Course

Writer OnLine - Learning Center - Courses

Writers Bootcamp

Writers Online Workshops: Business writing

Writers Weekly

Writers.com: Basic Writing Skills

Writing Classes: Gotham Writers’ Workshop

If you have writing resources to suggest, go ahead and send them on over as I’d love to add them to my stash.

Until the next
Resourceful Friday,
cat

How can a designer improve their skills in your industry?

Derek Powazek’s Calling All Designers: Learn to Write! is, in my opinion, a classic. He ends the article with “Design is about communication, and it takes more than pixels to communicate”. Can’t get any truer than that (and reminds me of the discussion at Errol’s Beyond Graphic).

When it comes to running a business, attaining decent writing skills should be seriously considered. Face it, designers who cannot communicate adequately via the written word will make a dogs breakfast of looking professional.

Running a business involves a great deal of correspondence - emails, lengthly proposals, project agreements, and more. Seems logical that the better you write, the more confidence your clients will have in your business abilities.

Coming from another angle, even if writing skills are not exactly in the professional range, a designer / business owner who can recognise the ins and outs of good writing will be better placed to hire professional writers for future projects.

As before, I put the question on improving skills in the writing industry to writers.

Liz

Every person in my industry could improve by learning to listen and learning what the other jobs that connect to their own jobs entail. Often we face a choice of two ways of doing something. The two ways may not make a difference to us, but often they make a difference to another person in the process. Knowing what each person does can make a designer (or another) a hero. Working in such a way as to make other folks’ workload easier and lighter is highly appreciated. Understanding when I have to change copy, because facts have changed or a mistake was made makes a designer in my life an angel and someone I’ll look forward to working with next time. Helping me find solutions that get the text and design to work together, being a problem solver who sits on the same side of the table as I do, caring about what outcome I am going for, — then offering advice that will get me there — these are the thing that make a designer who feels like a partner in producing outstanding work together.

That designer gets the lighter me. I relax and enjoy the work. We even laugh while we work together. :)

ME (Liz) Strauss | Writer | Career coach | Strategic planner
Successful Blog | Letting Liz Be | Liz Strauss.com | The Blog Herald | Performancing.com | Write With ME

Roy

The designer should learn over time how to speak “writing” without an accent. What does the writer mean by narrative, by voice, by dialogue? The writer needs to know a bit about color, perspective, and white space. In other words, all artists need to be able to speak across the borders of their discipline.

Roy Peter Clark | America’s writing coach
Poynter Online - Writing Tools | Book: Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer

Tom

Writing’s like anything; you get better by reading great writers and writing.

Tom Chandler | copywriting : online/blogging : marketing plans
Chandler Writes. You Profit. | The Copywriter Underground

tom

Keep an open mind.

tom mullen | writer & proprietor
EXIT3A.com | ANONYMOUS, JR

Are you a designer on the lookout for writing resources? If so, and if you’ve missed it, the Resourceful Fridays have been loaded down with links to various writing helps.

Well, this part of the DWW series went rather quickly. Coming on Friday will be the summary of the writers section.

until the next
Designers WW,
cat