“The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say,
but what we are unable to say.”
Anais Nin
“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’
your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”
Mark Twain
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Trisha, @mayobrains on Twitter
“Writers, like teeth,
are divided into incisors and grinders.”
Walter Bagehot
“I have made this longer because
I have not had the time to make it shorter.”
Blaise Pascal
by Patricia Mayo
Did you notice something strange in the last few entries? There’s columns and microposts and strange pictures - oh my!
Photo by Bart
Over the last couple days I have broken my blog more times than I can count - all in the name of improving my writing style. Of course, it helps that it all looks neat and fancy too.
Really I’m just trying to forcibly train myself. Some people write long paragraphs - I write long sentences. Sure it may not seem like a bad habit. However, I believe if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward.
Headlines are the most important part of your post. Write it last. At worst, write something temporary to help you stay on topic, and then go back and really fix it up before you hit publish.
by Patricia Mayo
A couple days ago a good buddy, Mike Davis, said to me, “Trisha, my blog sucks. My blogging sucks. I look at yours and it’s all so cool. How can I be more like you?”
Photo by Dave Dyet
What you see now on GlobalCitizenExperiment.com is the product of about 6 hours of lighthearted work. I didn’t bother taking a “before” screenshot - trust me, it was a real eyesore. There’s still more to do, but we’re already pretty close to that “pretty ‘n pro” look.
by Patricia Mayo
Ever wish you had the time to do X, Y, and Z… and Z-1, Z-2, and Z-300? At any given time, you have a zillion ideas and not a second to spare for you to actually put them to action.
Don’t let all those great ideas go to waste anymore - get yourself a virtual clone!
Photo by Andrew Walsh
I don’t know exactly why 500+ people follow me on Twitter (thank you!), but whenever I talk about my virtual assistant, anywhere between 10 and 25 people chime in all at once.
“What does your virtual assistant do for you?”
More than you think a virtual assistant could do - it’s only limited by your imagination!
“How much does it cost to keep a virtual assistant?”
Per month - less than you earn in one working day. Not kidding!
“How can I impart my knowledge so a virtual assistant can help -me-?”
That… is just a bit more complicated.
Working with a virtual assistant really is simpler and easier than most people want to make it. The key to having great cheap help is, quite simply, superb communication and the right tools.
by Patricia Mayo
“Just say it.”
Yesterday Seth Godin noted two statements he found annoyingly over-used in his own writing - “just” and “sort of.”
While I applaud him for his self-analysis (honestly I think that’s how The Man is still likable and hasn’t let the fame get to his head) - ridding of commonly used phrases in your writing just willy-nilly can be hazardous to your readership.
Pandora Faves