Blog
Where I write about writing.
Except that in 2024, I’m writing on Substack.
Verbal Microexpressions
If you’ve studied psychology (or ever watched Lie to Me), you’ll know that microexpressions are split-second facial expressions that we're not aware of making, but which reveal our true feelings about a given conversation. Although most people can’t consciously...
Ditch the Jargon
A friend sent me a job posting from a well-known technology company the other day. The first sentence included the phrase “creates top-of-the-funnel content to drive form completes, engagement and establish thought leadership status.” I nearly broke out in hives. My aversion to corporate jargon is exactly that strong. The position objective was to make the brand more “human, accessible and relatable.” Free advice, superstar tech company: You want to sound human? Be human. Relate to your audience. Ditch the jargon.
The Multitasking Myth
(This post was originally written for Resonance Consultancy in October 2012) Multitasking is more destructive than we think. And the best antidote is a practice we perfected when we were two. We’ve been hearing for a couple of years now that multitasking can reduce...
Killing Your Darlings Painlessly
As writers, we work painstakingly to craft beautiful sentences, paragraphs and stories. And then there comes a time when an editor says we need to cut 1200 words, or a client wants us to “tighten it up,” and the horror of having to delete those beautiful pieces often...