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Try things you’re writing about.
Get an idea of what it feels like to be the customer, before endeavouring to influence them.
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Firing clients.
Are you scared or uncomfortable firing clients? You shouldn’t be. If the relationship doesn’t work, terminate it. Here’s how.
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Email signature trick.
A sneaky way to remind clients of your availability every chance you get. 🙂
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Placebo words.
In writing, they’re unnecessary, imprecise and show the reader that you didn’t put in enough energy editing your work.
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Repetition, not redundancy.
How do you write about the same few ideas over and over without feeling like a broken record?
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Your words know what you’re feeling.
If you’re not confident in your writing, your words will betray you. Here’s how you can overcome that.
Read more — about Your words know what you’re feeling.
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Don’t use words you don’t need.
We often use hyperbolic language for dramatic flair in speech. In writing, it can have the opposite effect.
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Can I post strong opinions on social media?
Will your social media content come to haunt you during your job search? I say yes. And here are somethings to keep in mind.
Read more — about Can I post strong opinions on social media?
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Checking your source.
A lot of writers use stats, findings and quotes in their articles. How do you make sure they’re legit?
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How to give feedback to a writer.
Giving and taking feedback on creative work can be difficult. Here’s a simple trick to make it more seamless.
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Be prepared for ‘Tell me about yourself’.
Ever been in a meeting where you didn’t expect the dreaded ‘tell me about yourself’ question but were asked? Here’s how you can ace the awkwardness.
Read more — about Be prepared for ‘Tell me about yourself’.
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You need a quality control checklist.
Every writer needs a personal quality control checklist. Here’s how you can build yours.
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Ask deep introspective questions at work.
The conversations will help you understand each other better
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Saying no to money.
Misconceptions that freelancers need to clear about ‘deserving’ payments.
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Make your documents look good.
It’s good when design and content go hand in hand
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You don’t always need to begin at the beginning.
Not all stories start with ‘once upon a time’
Read more — about You don’t always need to begin at the beginning.
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Don’t fear repetition.
Sometimes, saying something again and again and again can be a good thing.
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Think from the receiver’s point of view.
An extra minute of your time can makes their lives easier.
Read more — about Think from the receiver’s point of view.
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Update your CV every three months.
It’ll have you ready to send out your CV at a moment’s notice, any time.
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How to get paid on time?
I almost feel guilty for the clickbait of a headline, because you’re not going to find a simple easy answer here. But I do have advice that I believe is good.
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Make time to read your past work.
I often find this an excellent informal review exercise.
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Where do you have your purpose written down?
When you start something, write down your purpose. Not in a word or a sentence, but as elaborately as possible. As a favour to your future self.
Read more — about Where do you have your purpose written down?
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I don’t have a writing ritual. Do you?
Apparently, it’s common for desperate writers — like me — to hope that if they knew how their favourites did it, they’ll be able to replicate the magic too too.
Read more — about I don’t have a writing ritual. Do you?
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Do you have a writing goal?
It seemed rather unsavoury. Unless.
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Leave passive voice to the politicians.
So, the lesson is: If you must use passive voice, do so deliberately and sparingly.
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What is your brand experience?
What does the client want to feel when they contact us? And what can we do to deliver that?
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Accommodating urgent work.
Before deciding to accept or decline the ‘urgent’ work, here’s the checklist I follow.
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Where do I belong?
From ‘emdash belongs to me’ to ‘I belong in emdash’.
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Plan for the long-term.
To be a successful business owner, you need to strike the balance between immediate delivery and institution-building.
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Have you said your thanks yet?
If you have had reasons to be grateful this year, make sure you send in your thanks.
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Year end review.
Looking back at 2020 once and for all.
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Is my work good enough?
Ask yourself this: But in a genuinely introspective way that can help you grow.
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My wish for 2021.
For 2021, I only wish for two things: I want to make the time and energy to read outside of work.
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Are you investing in your growth?
Deliberately build a system for getting better.
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Work library: Your best year ever.
Plan the upcoming year, with some help.
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Understand yourself. Build systems.
Solving problems is easier when you understand them better.
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Kill the generic lede.
Use a unique one to draw your reader in.
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Write case studies.
It’s a different and detailed way of presenting your best work.
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Keep a list of people you want to stay in touch with.
And give them a call, once in a while.
Read more — about Keep a list of people you want to stay in touch with.
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3 rules to be better organised.
Figure out permanent places, boundaries and backup for everything.
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Do you know to use document styles on your word processor?
The moment you get a new laptop or install a word processor, set up your document styles. Make sure you love them. Save time forever.
Read more — about Do you know to use document styles on your word processor?
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Brainstorm like Tina Fey does improv.
Live and let (your ideas also) live.
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How does one get into freelance writing?
Just do the work. Send pitches, apply to gigs, leverage your network. Don’t fuss too much about the *right* way to start.
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How to pitch a story.
Or, how to help your idea grab the boss’s attention.
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How to write an explainer.
An explainer should leave your reader brighter by a point or two.
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Writing for an audience.
Where persuasion matters more than proving a point.
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Write to understand.
Do you know why you write?
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Dear sir / madam, please don’t hire me.
Avoid job application goof-ups that make employers cringe
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Reference your sources properly.
How can you ensure that the information you’re writing is reasonably reliable?
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I have an idea!
An ideas notebook has held me in good stead all these years. Every time I had a brainwave, which always happens at odd times, I recorded it in the ideas notebook.
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First Drafts Are Allowed to Be Shitty.
Don’t be disheartened if you don’t get it first time right
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Mapping your story saves a ton of time!
I outline a story before I write it. Many writers do this. It helps you focus on what you want to write and stick to it throughout the piece.
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Use text-to-speech.
Having someone read out your words to you is a fantastic way to see what you might not while reading.
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Literary devices.
If there is a trick you use in your writing, there’s likely a name for that.
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.,! — We need some space.
I’ve long held that there are two kinds of people in the world — those that use punctuation out of place in texts and those who don’t.
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What would you do differently?
If you don’t like a piece of writing, rewrite it.
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When you’re scared, write on spec.
Sometimes, writing can be scary and paralysing. On those days, try writing on spec. We’ll see.
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Keep a Tab on Your Tabs.
If you open up a lot of tabs as part of your *research*, here are some tricks from Neeru.
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There are two kinds of writers.
Guess which kind of writer is the better one?
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You really shouldn’t take writing advice from me.
But here it is anyway.
Read more — about You really shouldn’t take writing advice from me.
