I wouldn’t be much of a writer, especially a writer who tends to work with digital communications, if I didn’t have some understanding of SEO. I do have it. I’ve read books about SEO; I’ve made recommendations to clients about headings, subheadings, meta tags, titles, et cetera, et cetera; and I’ve learned about black and white hat SEO and long-tail keywords.
writing
Remember the Writing Rules
In the past few weeks, I’ve stumbled upon articles that suggest a person forget the basic rules of writing, grammar, and punctuation. The authors suggest that a person should focus on voice at the expense of those rules. I can’t argue against the necessity of voice – it is important – but I can argue against forgetting the basic rules.
Should I Soften the Blow?
I know that most people don’t care about the difference between “hopefully” and “I hope” or “nauseous” and “nauseated.” Such nit-picky things are the realm of grammar snobs and word nerds and perhaps the few people who find my Write Right slant on grammar amusing. They are not the sort of things that draw immediate or plentiful attention.
Remove Yourself from the Equation
In Tron: Legacy, Sam asks his father what Quorra is doing when she allows herself to be captured by Clu and his henchman. Sam’s father responds that Quorra is removing herself from the equation. She puts aside her own desires and fears so that Sam and his father can escape.
Buck Up or Go Home
Maybe I need to work on my people skills, but I’m not overly fond of the “overwhelmed” excuse. It fails to impress. It smacks of whining, and whining was forbidden when I was a child.*
How I Tell a Story
When I write anything – be it a poem, blog post, or research paper – I am writing a story. I am sharing information in my own way. I am sharing it in order to persuade or to educate. I am sharing it based on my perspective. Thus, I highlight some details and neglect others. I’m not lying; I’m merely choosing the elements that are essential to my story.