I am proud to say that Erika is also my coffee buddy. Besides her obviously wonderful taste in coffee buddies, I can attest to her industry knowledge and design savvy.

You can register for the class through Dabble

Here are the details:

Ebooks for Authors (and Everyone Else)

When: Thursday, June 27, 2013 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Where:
Enerspace Chicago
412 N. Carpenter
Chicago, IL 60642

Registration Fee: $25

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and copy editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing material, website copy, and blogs.

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With that in mind, here is a brief list of common style guide topics:

• Registration marks with product names: Will the registration mark appear every time a product is mentioned or just the first time?
• Possessive form of company name: Some companies believe that adding an apostrophe s to their name (e.g., GiantCo’s) weakens brand identity. As such, they only show possession through alternative phrasing. For example, the sentence “GiantCo’s profits increased by 73 percent” is rephrased as “GiantCo saw a 73 percent increase in profits.” Please note that rephrasing can occasionally sound awkward or pretentious, so a total ban on the apostrophe s may be counterproductive.
• Number formatting: Will numbers appear as numerals or as words? Will there be separate rules for single and multiple digits?
• The serial comma. I strongly support the serial comma. You may not. Whatever your position on this contentious topic, your documentation will benefit from comma consistency.
• Formal or Casual Language: Will you refer to customers directly (i.e., you, yours) or indirectly (e.g., the customer, the client, the stakeholder)? Is casual language okay? What about slang or text abbreviations?
• Prohibited Words: For legal reasons, some companies compile a list of prohibited words such as always, guarantee, 100 percent, exclusive, and promise.
• Mandatory Words: For legal, marketing, or branding purposes, some companies have a list of mandatory words or phrases that must be used to describe a product or service. For example, a shoe manufacturer may always refer to its products as running shoes rather than tennis shoes.

As mentioned above, style guides are customizable. Here are a few more tips for getting the most out of your guide:

• You’re not limited to one unbendable style. If your product manual is more formal than your corporate blog, consider creating a separate section or individual guide for each platform, although the core styles should remain consistent.
• Formatting is important, too. Some companies include formatting information such as margin widths and page numbering. If you have a lot of formatting styles, consider creating a separate guide just for that purpose.
• View your style from multiple angles. Gain a different perspective by looking at your competition’s publicly available content. This can show you what works—and what doesn’t. You may also want to consult an outside writer or editor to evaluate your existing material. Fresh eyes can offer a clear, unbiased analysis of current progress and future needs.

Don’t miss In-House Style Guides for Small Businesses, Part 1, which includes a brief overview of things to consider before creating your guide.

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and copy editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing material, website copy, and blogs.

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If your small business is feeling a similar pinch, consider creating an in-house style guide that answers your most common grammar, format, and style questions. While this might sound like a complicated process, it is actually quite easy and can save a tremendous amount of time in the long run. In addition, style guides provide several important benefits:

• Consistency. If everyone in the company is following the same guide, documents will maintain consistent language, structure, and tone.
• Simplicity.  Style guides can be as simple or as complex as you want to make them. A one-page Word document can be just as effective as a multi-chapter book formatted in Adobe FrameMaker.  In fact, shorter guides will almost always be the most useful because no one wants to read an epic tome.
• Flexibility. Although style guides are meant to maintain consistency, we don’t need to slavishly adhere to uniformity. You can update your style guide as your business content evolves.

Here are a few things to do before creating your style guide to make the process even easier:

1. Choose your official manual to serve as backup anytime an issue arises that isn’t covered in your style guide. The Chicago Manual of Style is best for general business needs; however, there are several other options including the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (commonly called “APA”) and the Associated Press Stylebook (commonly called “AP”).*

2. Start building a list of topics to include in the guide by asking employees about issues or challenges they have encountered while writing, editing, or reading company documents.

3. Nominate a style guide project manager. Although no one really wants an extra task piled on his or her plate, someone has to be responsible for updating and distributing the guide.  If no one claims ownership for the guide, it will likely languish away in some dusty, forgotten file folder.

In Part 2, we will discuss the specific topics you may—and may not—want to include in your style guide.

* I will explore the differences between Chicago, AP, and APA styles in an upcoming post. So, stay tuned!

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and copy editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing material, website copy, and blogs.

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Why is the ampersand so popular? I don’t have any scientific proof, but I think people like it simply because it looks cool and is fun to write. Unscientific, I know, but sometimes fun and cool are enough to gain adoring fans, right?

Despite the ampersand’s popularity, it suffers from misuse. Within formal communication, it should only appear in acronyms, initials, and professional names (such as corporate and band names), not as shorthand for “and” in general content.

Correct: The dressing room at H&M is always crowded.

Incorrect: My nephew & I went for a walk to the park.

Here are a few more tips for ampersand usage:

1. Spaces aren’t necessary within acronyms or initials.

Example 1: AT&T (not AT & T)

Example 2: A&W Root Beer

2. Spaces are necessary with complete names.

Example 1: Mumford & Sons (not Mumford&Sons)

Example 2: Hall & Oats

3. Serial commas aren’t necessary. (Please note, legal writing includes a few exceptions. If you are writing legal documents, consult legal guidebooks for correct usage.)

Example 1: Sears, Roebuck & Co. (not Sears, Roebuck, & Co.)

Example 2: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

The ampersand frequently appears in titles of creative works such as novels, songs, and albums; however, it shouldn’t be used in formal article or report titles unless it is part of a name, initial, or acronym.

Here are just a few examples of creative works featuring an ampersand:

• Nightmares & Dreamscapes—short story collection by Stephen King

• Fair & Square—album by John Prine

• Lovesick, Broke & Driftin’—album by Hank Williams III

• Diamonds & Dirt—album by Rodney Crowell

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and copy editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing material, website copy, and blogs.

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Nevertheless, written communication will always be more formal than verbal conversation because writing lacks the external context of speech. When we chat in person, we don’t just interpret words: we consciously and subconsciously decode everything from facial expressions to voice inflection while simultaneously relating those observations to the surrounding environment.

For example, when your buddy shouts “can of corn” at the baseball stadium, you know that she is referring to a lazy fly ball that is easy to catch. If that same friend blurts out “can of corn” while shopping for perfume at Ulta, confusion will ensue.  Of course, most conversations consist of more than three-word phrases, so we are constantly deciphering an immeasurable amount of speech and related stimuli, and most of us are pretty darn good at it.

However, text doesn’t come with all of these outside clues. Granted, if we are reading The Onion, we have different expectations than if we’re reading Popular Science. Still, most print and online material relies solely on words and graphics to convey meaning. When written words are the primary messenger, their format and structure are paramount. And that is the simplest definition of grammar: format and structure used to create clear messages.

Now that we’ve defined grammar and tossed around vegetables at the cosmetic store, we can return to the issue of gender-neutral singular pronouns. Recently, the academic language blog Lingua Franca published a post titled Singular “They”: a Footnote. The post was written by a University of Michigan English professor who allows her students to use they and their as singular pronouns if they write footnotes explaining why he or she and his or hers are inadequate.

Big sigh.

Yes, academia needs to push the envelope of the English language’s constant evolution; however, structural language changes can take generations to gain acceptance.  Meanwhile, today’s college students are facing the harsh realities of a competitive workforce—right now.

The business world, while very creative, still maintains strict grammatical standards. Proper grammar helps organizations present consistent messaging, conform to industry regulations, and avoid lawsuits. Proper grammar helps employees exude professionalism.

Hopefully this issue will eventually become just a footnote in the history of the English language. Until then, gender-neutral singular pronouns will not be a can of corn. So, heads up!

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and copy editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing material, website copy, and blogs.

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The Art Institute of Chicago

As a resident of downtown Chicago, I occasionally play tour guide for out-of-town family and friends. And I’m no local snob. I am always up for all of the touristy spots: Navy Pier, Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain—yes, yes, yes!

The Chicago Cultural Center (formerly the Chicago Public Library)

As we dart into the Art Institute and the Chicago Cultural Center (formerly the Chicago Public Library), my visitors always ask why the building names have a V carved where the U should be. Rather than continue to answer “I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s not a typo,” I decided to do some digging. I thought Google would make quick work of this research because locals and tourists look at these unusual Vs every day—surely many other writers have already covered this topic. But I was wrong. My Google search was riddled with conjecture and lacked direct references to Chicago’s classical architecture.

The Art Institute of Chicago Modern Wing

Finally I visited the Art Institute’s blog, ARTicle, and found an April, 2012 post explaining that the uppercase U did not exist in Latin until the sixteenth century; therefore, the V pays homage to the Greco-Roman style that influences the building’s design. I assume that this explanation also applies to the Chicago Cultural Center.

Mystery solved! Yet this little adventure has left me wondering whether I may be missing other language tributes scattered across the city.  Are there any Old English or Middle English references hiding in plain sight? What about Old Norse or Gaelic?  

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and copy editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing material, website copy, and blogs.

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Despite my rather eclectic tastes, one genre I have never enjoyed is the competition-based reality show. I don’t watch anything involving competitive singing, dancing, cupcake baking, or fashion modeling. Nothing against these shows, they’re just not for me. This situation may change this fall when AMC debuts Owner’s Manual. This show will challenge two men (both of who are television personalities, not engineers) to operate high-tech, powerful machinery such as locomotives and stunt planes—presumably with the goal of not killing or maiming anyone. The twist is that one participant will use the instruction manual and the other will not.

Admittedly, I don’t have much of an interest in giant machines (although I would not turn down any opportunity to drive a tractor.) What I am interested in is the depiction of the manual user versus the “just do it” guy. Will the manual user be scorned as a nerd for following directions while safely cranking up a mining drill? Will the non-manual user be hailed as a hero for figuring out how to run an industrial wood chipper without losing an eye?

Regardless of the outcome, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I am firmly in the pro-manual camp because properly read manuals can absolutely save limbs…and lives. Manuals also protect manufactures from liability. Not to mention the fact that they can save consumers time and effort. On the other hand, I am hoping that the show will highlight the negative feelings consumers have toward manuals because much of this negativity is based in actuality: some manuals really are poorly written, unorganized, and incomplete.

Perhaps this show will spark a conversation between the business community and technical communicators that will ultimately lead to more effective manuals. Is that too much to ask of a reality show? Most likely! But, I’m still hopeful.

Do you use manuals or toss them out with the packaging? Have you ever suffered through a particularly bad manual or been saved by a helpful one? Please share your thoughts in the comment box below!

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing collateral, website content, and blogs.

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Like most people, I use Google every day for business and personal searches. I also use it as a spell checker by typing in the word to see if the search engine redlines my attempt. If I am wrong, Google nearly always suggests a correct alternative based on a variety of online sources.* This process is much faster than opening a physical dictionary or logging on to a dictionary service.

However, Google occasionally offers a correction that doesn’t account for stylistic variety. For example, the search engine always spells copy editor as two words despite the fact that copyeditor is also a widely accepted format. The American Heritage Dictionary, 5th Edition lists it as one word, while the Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online prefers the two-word version. The Oxford English Dictionary Online subscription site says that it is two words, but the Oxford free site includes both versions.

So, should we follow Google or should we adhere to our established dictionary of choice? For me, the answer comes down to search engine optimization (SEO). When I am working on a print document or formal web copy for a targeted audience, I always consult a physical dictionary because it provides the security of stagnation: I have the actual book to back up my decisions if a concern arises months or even years from now. Google, on the other hand, can (and probably does) change its spell-check function whenever it likes.

Conversely, when I am working on casual or conversational copy for the web, such as a blog post or product description, I turn to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online or the subscription version of the Oxford Dictionary Online. But, I defer to Google when dealing with a potential search term. Why? Because most website visitors will defer to Google. And the web content that most closely matches the search term usually receives the highest position on the search engine results page.

Do you hear that sound growing in the distance? It is the collective grumble of chalky English teachers combined with the worried sighs of Luddite lexicographers…

*I could not locate Google’s official list of spelling guides; however, Google linked my recent spelling queries to the following sources:

Dictionary.com

Answers.com

The Free Dictionary

WordNet

Wikipedia

Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and copy editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing collateral, website copy, and blogs.

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The Field Museum

Last week, I visited the Field Museum’s new exhibit, Scenes from the Stone Age: The Cave Paintings of Lascaux. The exhibit features a replica of French cave art created approximately 20,000 years ago.

I don’t know about you, but just the thought of 20,000 years boggles my mind. Even more mind-boggling is the fact that modern viewers can immediately identify the horses, rhinos, cows, and buffalo represented in the cave paintings. Will the same be said of our tweets, texts, and Facebook memes thousands of years from now?

Of course, we don’t know exactly why our ancestors decided to paint large animals. Maybe the paintings were spiritual. Maybe the paintings simply documented the view outside the cave.

But I have another theory. In my totally unscientific, archaeologically untrained opinion, I think the cave paintings may have been business communication. Yes, business communication. A billboard, of sorts!

The Field Museum Exhibit Banners

This idea struck me as I was reading the exhibit panels explaining that the cave people painted many of the animals they relied on for food and clothing. Because survival was most certainly their business, maybe the cave paintings were a way of saying “we survive, and this is how we do it.”  And twenty millennia later, most marketing messages have the exact same goal:  tell people what you do and how you do it better than the competition.

If you are interested in cave art but can’t visit the Field Museum, I highly recommend the documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams, which explores even older cave paintings in France’s Chauvet Cave. The documentary is currently available on Netflix’s instant queue.

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing collateral, website copy, and blogs.

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Lately I’ve noticed several memes about book hoarding. Reading enthusiasts are portrayed as proud owners of towering bookshelves groaning under the pressure of hundreds, if not thousands, of epic tomes.

As a writer, I am also an enthusiastic reader because there is absolutely no way to be a writer without also being a reader. Well, I have a deep, dark secret to confess: I don’t hoard books. In fact, other than a small stack of reference books I use professionally and a few novels that have been autographed to me by the authors, I don’t keep books at all!

Several years ago I had a sizable collection of both fiction and non-fiction. But, when my husband and I downsized in order to move to the city, the books didn’t make the cut. I thought that I would rebuild my collection once we got settled, but I didn’t. Instead, I discovered Chicago’s wonderful library system. And when I do purchase books, I give them away to friends and family or donate them to the Goodwill—after reading them, of course!

Today,  I have no desire to surround myself with books I have already read. There are just too many books I haven’t read sitting in the local library. As proof  of my bizarre behavior, I am including a picture of the bookshelf that sits in my living room. No books!

The nerd police are going to show up any day now to strip me of my glasses and official “I Heart Homer” badge.

….wait, was that a knock on the door?

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing collateral, website copy, and blogs.

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Last week’s post discussed the slow evolution of pronouns, particularly gendered personal pronouns. As mentioned, past English speakers used he and his to represent a subject of unknown gender; however, as times change, so do our perceptions of politically correct language.

Today, style guides and language handbooks frown upon the use of male pronouns when referencing a potentially female subject. In fact, my favorite style guide, The Chicago Manual of Style, and my favorite handbook, Hodges’ Harbrace Handbook, are both quite clear on the matter: If the subject’s gender is unknown, use he and she or his and her.  Or, rewrite the sentence from a plural perspective:¹

Each student must turn in his or her homework by the end of the day.

Students must turn in their homework by the end of the day.

In addition, Chicago casts an evil eye on “nontraditional gimmicks” such as s/he because these tactics can lower the writer’s credibility.² Although not explicitly stated, I assume that invented pronouns like ze and hir qualify as nontraditional gimmicks.

This brings us to collective pronouns as ad hoc gender-neutral personal pronouns:

Each student must turn in their homework by the end of the day.

Each student is singular, so we know that the sentence is referring to individuals turning in homework independently. But, their is always a collective pronoun.

Let’s be honest, most of us use collective pronouns in conversation because actually verbalizing his or her just sounds stodgy. And, at least in my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with this because conversation will always be more casual than the written word. Yet, using they and their as singular, genderless pronouns is still a grammatical error that should be edited out of formal writing.

So, how should we proceed in this perilous world where potentially sexist pronouns lurk around every corner? The answer—just use common sense. There is no hard-and-fast rule for every occasion. When possible, rewrite the sentence. When rewriting is not an option, use he and she or his and her. This can be awkward, but awkwardness is usually better than offensiveness.

1. University of Chicago Press, The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003), 157.

Cheryl Glenn and Loretta Gray, Hodges’ Harbrace Handbook, 16th ed. (Boston, MA: Thomson, 2007), 275-76.

2. University of Chicago Press, The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003), 233.

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing collateral, website copy, and blogs.

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Keep It Clean–Avoid the Undefined “It” Pronoun

Compound Possessive Pronoun Strings, or Who Owns that Dog, Anyway?

Despite the relative success of these two posts over my other entries, I don’t think pronouns are particularly intriguing to the average person. (Shocking, I know!) Rather, I think these posts are the most-read because pronouns are confusing. And one of the drivers of this confusion is the fact that personal pronouns have generated gender-based conflict for a long, long time.

Although gender-based pronouns have been an occasional concern among academics and social vanguards for centuries, up until the 1960s and 1970s, most English speakers agreed that using he or his was an acceptable way to reference a subject of unknown gender:

Each student must turn in his homework by the end of the day.

However, as the equality movements of the twentieth century matured, inclusivity snuck into our pronouns. Using he and she or his and her, or even just she/ her/hers, became much more common:

Each student must turn in his or her homework by the end of the day.

Each student must turn in her homework by the end of the day.

But, these “politically correct” workarounds can feel cumbersome and overly intentional. In response, many people and organizations have invented new pronouns, such as ze and hir. Well, we English speakers are pretty flexible when it comes to accepting new nouns (e.g., iPad) and even verbs (e.g., text), but we’re far less adaptable to structural changes.

Punctuation, conjunctions, prepositions—and yes, pronouns—allow us to structure nouns and verbs into coherent messages. We don’t like to mess with these elemental building blocks. And thankfully, this stubbornness allows us to read centuries-old texts with relative ease.

In The Slow Evolution of Pronouns, Part 2, we will take a look at the modern usage of collective pronouns (they, their) as ad hock gender neutral stand-ins.

(I bet you didn’t realize anyone could write this many posts about pronouns….Quick, somebody call Guinness!)

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing collateral, blogs, web copy, and instructional content.

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Okay, so maybe we don’t actually dress up as Samuel Johnson…some of us prefer to don costumes of the fifteenth century printing press inventor, Johannes Gutenberg. Okay, okay, so that’s not true either. Most of us just celebrate by telling unsuspecting bystanders that today is National Grammar Day.  And then we crack open a fresh pack of red pens.

To make the day even more memorable, Illinoisans (or at least Illinois children) are celebrating Casimir Pulaski Day. Pulaski was a Revolutionary War hero who has bestowed a day off school to children in the Chicago area since 1977. Granted, Pulaski Day is not as thrilling as National Grammar Day—although, all of the kids playing at home right now instead of sitting at school may disagree with me.

Now, don’t flip your Samuel Johnson wig, but today is also the first anniversary of my blog. Thank you for reading and please let me know if you would like me to cover a specific topic.

Happy Grammar Pulaski Blog Anniversary Day, my friends!

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The Expo features speakers, workshops, and vendors promoting Chicago’s creative community.

Here are the details:

Date: Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2

Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Location: Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street, Chicago, IL 60602

And don’t listen to those pesky poets and playwrights— even copywriters are part of the creative community, so I am planning to stop by!

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing collateral, blogs, web copy, and instructional content.

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This leaves us with the two most common elements in formal business communication: written content and visuals. Visuals include pictures, logos, and illustrations. This category also covers the artistic and functional designs of websites, brochures, postcards, posters, business cards, signs, etc…basically, stuff we look at.

All visuals have one unifying factor—color. While color theory is beyond the scope of this post,  most of us have an innate understanding of how color can make us feel. For example, most people will agree that bright, bold colors can put us on edge but can also remind us of strength or youthfulness. Muted, natural colors can be relaxing but can also be boring.  These feelings impact our interpretation of all messages, including business communication.

If you are having trouble picking colors that will connect with your customers or clients, check out the Adobe Kuler web tool. You can look at popular color palettes (called “themes”) created by other people or generate your own based on a photo or core color you’ve already selected.

The site looks a bit intimidating at first because the user interface is a little awkward, but once you start playing around with the options, it becomes quite addictive! Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Adobe Flash must be installed on your computer.
• You don’t have to own any paid Adobe products to use Kuler, but you have to sign up for a free Adobe account if you want to save your themes.
• Your saved themes are located under the MyKuler tab in the sidebar. (For some reason, this is not obvious.) See Figure 1 below.
• If you want to see the hexadecimal, RGB, or CMYK numbers for the individual colors, select the small button with the slider image on the right side of the screen.  See Figure 1 below.

Figure 1 — Adobe Kuler

Of course, you’re not limited to using Kuler for business communication. You can use it to coordinate paint colors between your kitchen and your living room…use it as inspiration for your next nail polish purchase….or use it to pick out the color of bridesmaids’ dresses.  (Okay, be careful with that last one.)

NOTE: This is not a sponsored post. This is my own opinion, which I am sharing purely for the purpose of furthering business communication.

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing collateral, blogs, web copy, and instructional content.

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As mentioned in my previous post about Black Creek Burning, I’ve never been a fan of romance novels.   However, R.T. Wolfe has certainly opened my eyes to the fact that good—no, great—writing is emerging from the genre.

Flying in Shadows is the second book in the Black Creek series. R.T. has once again intertwined fascinating, believable characters in a story brimming with love and danger. But while many authors already sound formulaic by their second effort, R.T. has crafted an exciting, fresh plot that recalls its predecessor without mimicry or repetition.  This skillful effect allows the reader to fall right back into the beautiful landscape of the Northeast while still being surprised at every turn.

Flying in Shadows and Black Creek Burning are both available in eBook format through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Both books are also slated for print publication this spring.

So, I will stand up and admit it: R.T. has done the impossible. She has turned a judgmental literature snob (ahem, me) into a romance novel fan. What’s next, editing in green ink?

___________________

For more information about R.T. Wolfe and the Black Creek series, please visit the links below:

R.T. Wolfe’s Official Website

Flying in Shadows at Amazon

Flying in Shadows at Barnes & Noble

Black Creek Burning at Amazon

Black Creek Burning at Barnes & Noble

Flying in Shadows Official Video Trailer

Black Creek Burning Official Video Trailer

Note: This is not a sponsored post. This is my real opinion, which I am sharing purely for the promotion of good writing, be it technical, instructional, marketing…or even fiction.

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing collateral, blogs, web copy, and instructional content.

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One characteristic that is rarely ever assigned to writers is that of fighter. Sure, we may wield the poison pen from time-to-time, but rarely do we become full-fledged mixed-martial artists. However, there is one contentious topic that will make even the most reclusive wordsmith break out the TapouT® t-shirt and execute a mean flying leg kick: the serial comma.

A serial comma is simply a comma after the second-to-last item in a series of three or more things:

Chicago is known for hot dogs, pizza, and Maxwell Street Polish sausages.

Here is the same example without the serial comma:

Chicago is known for hot dogs, pizza and Maxwell Street Polish sausages.

The anti-serial comma contingent argue that the final comma is unnecessary, while those in favor of the serial comma believe that it prevents ambiguity.

The truth is, there is no right or wrong answer because even current style guides disagree. I personally prefer the serial comma because it’s just a tiny punctuation mark—why shouldn’t we use all available means to prevent confusion like this:

I went to the store with my two nieces, Grandpa Joe and Uncle Bob.

Well, I better get out of the ring now, or my glasses might get broken.

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing collateral, blogs, web copy, and instructional content.

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As both a copywriter and a technical writer, I don’t think so. Copywriting traditionally relates to marketing activities. Think direct mail, advertisements, press releases, and brochures. On the other hand, technical writing typically provides “how-to” or “need-to-know” information in the form of manuals, instructions, proposals, progress reports, etc.

Many projects span both categories. For example, white papers share concrete information on a specific business or technical topic. However, since white papers are published by companies to attract the attention of other companies, there is also a subtle undercurrent of persuasion.

Case studies are similar to white papers but are shorter and usually document a client’s success with a specific product or service. Case studies use more overt marketing language than white papers while still accurately reflecting the client’s experience.

Other types of content that can mix copywriting and technical writing include:

• Websites
• Blogs
• Newsletters
• Trade magazine articles
• Speeches
• Video scripts
• Product or service descriptions

And the list goes on and on… Now, who’s up for a kiwi potato salad?

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing collateral, blogs, web copy, and instructional content.

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Now, I know what you’re thinking: Why would I spend three previous posts (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) extolling the glorious virtues of file naming protocols only to turn around and tell you not to use one? Because safety and privacy should always trump organization and content management.

When we share photos, videos, or documents with other people, be it on a website, social media, or through email, the viewer has access to the file name. Normally this is no big deal; however, your file names may occasionally contain identifying information that you’d rather not share.

For example, let’s say you have a great picture of yourself that you want to use on your company website, but for privacy reasons you don’t want strangers to know that the picture was taken at Starved Rock State Park near Utica, Illinois. Maybe you live nearby but don’t want to advertise that fact. Maybe it’s your favorite relaxation spot and you don’t want it to be overrun by day trippers from Chicago. We can speculate all day long because there are probably a million and one legitimate reasons why an individual or business would want to share a picture—without sharing specific details.

Nevertheless, if the picture is named JaneDoe_StarvedRock_03Nov12.jpg, chances are high that any interested party will figure out that you were at Starved Rock in November. Cover blown!

The easy solution is to re-save the file under a sanitized name, e.g., JaneDoe.jpg. Then use this new, safe version on your website, social networks, or as an email attachment. Of course, you can still keep the original file, with the original name, for content management purposes.

Safety first!

(P.S. Starved Rock is truly a wonderful park, and I know from personal experience that visitors from Chicago and all other nature lovers will receive a friendly Central Illinois welcome. Also, the hot chocolate in the Lodge Cafe is quite tasty!)

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing collateral, blogs, web copy, and instructional content.

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Each February, I download the newest version of my preferred tax software, which then imports the old tax records stored on my computer. The program uses these old files to auto-fill information that doesn’t change from year-to-year, such as social security and bank routing numbers, thereby reducing the chance of introducing mistakes. Having the old files also allows the program to preload questions and forms based on prior needs, which reduces the overall hassle.

Well, several years ago, I decided to rename all of my existing files and folders. My snazzy new protocol allowed me to easily distinguish between personal files and work files. So, when tax time rolled around a few months later, I downloaded the tax software and waiting unconcerned while it attempted to locate the old files—but this nonchalance turned to panic when the software repeatedly told me that the old files no longer existed.

For a brief moment I thought I had lost all of my old tax records. Now, I’m a belt-and-suspenders kind of gal, so of course I keep backups. But still, how could I just lose something that important? Then I remembered that I had renamed the files; however, the software was searching for them under the old names.

While my situation was easily corrected because I was only dealing with a few files stored in two different locations (my computer and an external storage device), things can get mighty hairy if you’re handling  dozens or even hundreds of renamed files stored in multiple locations. So, before changing any file names, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Are the files stored in more than one location? If so, where?
2. Are the files accessed by more than one user/client? If so, who?
3. Do software programs automatically import these files? If so, which programs?
4. Do websites import these files, either automatically or by user request? If so, which sites?

You can then use the answers to these questions as a springboard for creating a renaming plan before actually making any changes. After all, there’s nothing wrong with occasionally wearing a belt, suspenders—and a helmet.

If you missed my prior discussions on file naming, hop on over to Jumpstart the New Year with a File Naming Protocol and The Mechanics of File Naming: No Elbow Grease Necessary.

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing material, blogs, web copy, and instructional content.

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1. Blank spaces are like germs, avoid them. Most of today’s desktop programs allow blank spaces in file names. However, spaces can cause database problems, so if there is any chance at all that your files will be stored outside of your regular computer or laptop, eliminate the spaces.

Also, if your files will be published on the Internet, remember that spaces aren’t permitted in URLs. While most current browsers will automatically convert spaces into other characters, this process isn’t error proof. Why chance annoying your web visitors with the dreaded 404 File Not Found page?

The safest way to represent a space, without actually including one, is to use an underscore ( _ ).

2. Some characters are special, for a reason. So-called “special characters,” such as forward and backward slashes ( / and \), the asterisk (*) , and the question mark (?) should never be used in file names because they have specific functions within various database and server systems.

Luckily, nearly all modern software will prohibit you from using these characters in file names. But, if you are not sure, visit Wikipedia’s Filename page for an extensive list of reserved characters.

3. Camels are cool. Camel casing is simply the process of putting two or more capitalized words together, thereby creating camel-like humps. Many companies use this technique in their names, such as YouTube, LinkedIn, and PayPal. Camel casing is a good option when you want to indicate different words but don’t want to overuse underscores. For example, you can use underscores to separate sections of a file name and camel casing to indicate individual words within the sections:

• HumanResource_FinalDraft_05Jan13
• ResearchReport_V1_10Feb13
• CaseStudy_JaneDoe_05May13

One word of warning about camel casing: Many systems will convert all of the letters to lowercase or uppercase behind the scenes. Therefore, if you label one file HumanResource_FinalDraft, you will run into trouble if you call another file humanresource_finaldraft. To be on the safe side, consider sticking with camel casing all of the time.

I had planned to talk about renaming existing files; however, this post has grown a little longer than expected, so I will save that topic for next time. After all, file naming is certainly an extraordinarily exhilarating topic, so I might as well keep it rolling, right? (What, it’s not exhilarating? Okay, maybe not. How about mildly interesting? Slightly entertaining? Somewhat not boring?)

 Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in business documents, copywriting, marketing material, blogs, web copy, and instructional content.

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Whether you are creating a protocol for an entire organization or your home office, the trick is to create a standard—and then stick with it. A few examples include:

• Department_Project_Date (e.g., Retail_Menu1_Jan13)
• Project_Author_Date (e.g., Menu1_ErinW_04Jan13)
• Period_Project_Date (e.g., FirstQRT_Tax_01Mar13)

You can also include version information in your file names, such as:

• Retail_Menu1_V1_05Jan13
• Retail Menu1_V2_13Feb13

When including version information, always revise the date, as shown above, otherwise all of the versions will look like they were created at the same time.

Once all of your files are labeled consistently, they will be much easier to organization within individual folders. And, if you do have to use your computer’s search function to hunt for a lost file, having a general idea of the naming structure will expedite the search, even if you don’t remember the exact name.

So, why not begin 2013 with a brand-spankin’ new file naming protocol? But beware, next thing you know, you’ll be organizing that junk draw in the kitchen!

In the next blog post, we’ll delve deeper into the mechanics of file naming  and explore the implications of renaming existing files.

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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I am a huge fan of both The Peanuts and the Museum of Science and Industry, so when the museum opened Charlie Brown and the Great Exhibit, I jumped on the first available train to Hyde Park. And it was worth the trip!

The exhibit provides a broad overview of the life of The Peanuts’ creator, Charles M. Schulz, as well as the evolution of the comic strip and the individual characters. While last year’s Dr. Seuss exhibit focused on statues and paintings, this presentation is driven by text and large-scale wall graphics—although there is a replica of Mr. Schulz’s office and  one giant Charlie Brown statue perfectly placed for photo ops!

But what does the beloved Peanuts gang have to do with writing and editing for business? Well, other than the fact that Lucy is certainly a top-notch entrepreneur, the comic strip medium is another superb example of minimalist communication. Complete stories unfold with sparse dialog and just a few drawings. In fact, some of Mr. Schulz’s strips don’t offer any dialog at all! Yet even without words, we always know when Snoopy was about to fly into battle on his trusty Sopwith Camel.

This exhibit certainly isn’t about business, though. It is a salute to an imaginary world that has become much more than just a daily laugh in the back of the local newspaper. The Peanuts give us a glimpse into the joys and tribulations of our own childhoods…and the fact that happiness is a warm puppy.*

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

*In loving memory of our Cairn Terrier. You’ll always be the Snoopy to my Charlie Brown.

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Nearly all English teachers are (and were) hip to these tricks. In fact, my college professors enforced strict rules concerning margins, font styles, and line spacing. One particularly ornery professor actually measured margins with a wooden ruler before accepting assignments. Cranky! 

Unfortunately, these academic conventions can have a negative effect on our writing later in life. Many employees concentrate on creating long content, rather than good content, because they want to impress the boss with a “big” report or article.

While there are probably a few bosses out there who still believe that bigger is better, page length and word count are not the endgame of business writing. In fact, business-related content should convey the message as effectively and efficiently as possible. And as mentioned in my previous parking lot post, minimalist communication has the potential to maximize results.

Here are a few tips to avoid wordiness:

• When appropriate, use an active voice instead of a passive voice:
  • Passive voice: The car was dented by a meteorite.
  • Active voice:  A meteorite dented the car.
• Cut unnecessary prepositions (e.g., of) and determiners (e.g., the):
  • Original:  The professor suggested that the origin of the artwork was unknown.
  • Edit: The professor suggested that the artwork’s origin was unknown.
• Avoid excessive -ly adverbs with strong adjectives (e.g., awful):
  • Original: The broccoli soup tasted really awful.
  • Edit: The broccoli soup tasted awful.

Of course, if you are writing a term paper, you may want to ignore these tips completely.

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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Graduating from Academic Bloat to Business Brevity appeared first on Erin Wright is Chicago's Freelance Writer and Copy Editor for All Things Business!.

Do you recognize that old school technology in the picture? Video sure has come a long way since VHS! Yesterday, I read a web article touting the importance of Internet-based video within content marketing. While video is certainly a powerful business tool, after reading the article, I had to wonder: Why is a discussion about the importance of video, not presented in video format?

I think the answer is quite simple—the written word is still more convenient than video in many situations.  I realize that some people will argue that video has the edge because you can multitask while watching  a clip on your laptop or mobile device.  And that is certainly true. However, I personally believe that videos are ultimately more time consuming because the average person can read approximately 250 to 300 words per minute,^1,2 while most of us can only verbalize 150 words per minute³ –and obviously, you can’t listen faster than the video presenter is able to speak!

Video can also be cumbersome in certain environments where the audio may cause distraction or be difficult to listen to, such as shared offices or noisy commuter trains. Digging out headphones from the bottom of my purse while riding the Metra is a drag. (Not to mention the fact that wearing headphones in crowded spaces is a safety risk!)

So, when is video most effective? Video is excellent for tutorials and other how-to content because sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words, especially when you’re learning a new piece of software or installing a garbage disposal. Video is also a fantastic medium for sharing product demonstrations: Who doesn’t want to see that fancy widget in action before making a purchase?

In a perfect (communication) world, businesses would pair most of their videos with full-text transcripts or summary articles. This way, the audience has a choice to read or watch—and print, if need be. Also, transcripts and summary articles are a huge help for individuals with cognitive impairments who may have trouble keeping up with closed captioning.

Now, notice I suggested that businesses pair most of their videos with text—maybe you can skip the written summary of that clip featuring the entire office dancing “Gangnam Style.”

1. http://www.ncvs.org/ncvs/tutorials/voiceprod/tutorial/quality.html

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Words_per_minute

3. http://www.slate.com/articles/briefing/articles/2000/02/the_1000word_dash.html

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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As the repaving project came to a close, I happened to notice the construction crew painting the new yellow parking lines. While I watched, I realized that those simple lines are a fantastic form of minimalist communication. Yes, just two simple lines tell us where to put the biggest, most expensive piece of machinery that most of us will ever own. Even more amazingly, most of us will abide by those lines even if there are no other cars around. But without them—there’s a good chance we will end up in the grass.

From a business standpoint, parking lots highlight the importance of minimalism. Sometimes we don’t need to say a lot, we just need to find the simplest way to elicit results.

 
Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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But after setting up their new blogs, many businesses struggle to find their voices. Should they be casual? Serious? Funny? Sarcastic? A little bit of everything? The answer is—I don’t know. What I do know is that your blog should be an authentic dialog with your audience.

If your business is very reserved in everything from dress codes to email formatting, then your blog posts should reflect this sense of formality. However, formality doesn’t have to be boring. You can still present your topics creatively, but you’re probably not going to want to use slang, share bathroom humor, or veer dramatically off-topic to discuss personal issues.

Now, if your business has more of a jeans and t-shirt style, shoot for a looser conversation with your blog readers, although bathroom humor is probably still a no-go.

The trick is to strive for consistency between your real-life business identity, your website identity, and your blog identity. If one of these three is radically different from the other two, your customers or clients will pick up on this disparity and may begin to doubt the sincerity of all of your messaging.

Here are a few suggestions to promote consistency:

• Reread your old blog posts occasionally. Rereading older posts is a great way to maintain a uniform tone or identify ineffective writing that is straying from your goal.
• Ask yourself, “Would I talk about this topic with my client over coffee?” If the answer is “no,” then you obviously want to reevaluate the value of the post.
• Consider hiring a professional writer or editor to help you with your posts. Not only will this save you time, but a new set of eyes can identify areas of improvement and develop fresh ideas within the blog space that you have already created.

Most of all, authentic blogging should be (at least a little bit) fun—because you can’t fake fun!

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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So, in honor of Chicago’s unsung artwork, I thought I would share these pictures of the writing-related statues on the Roosevelt Road bridge between State Street and Clark Street. Each statue is approximately two feet tall and all three feature books. While I do not know the official meaning of the globes, the dinosaurs, the dolphins, or the sundial, I believe they represent the fact that big stuff (yes, “big stuff” is an official term) can be documented by—and emanate from—the written word.

Dinosaurs and (what appears to be) a Woolly Mammoth

Dolphins

Sundial

But who knows, maybe the artist just likes dinosaurs, dolphins, and sundials. That’s cool, too.

*The Bean is officially titled CloudGate.

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in small business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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Normally, I would cringe at such verbose marketing communication; however, The Boring Store’s window display in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood is fantastic. It reads:

The Boring Store is absolutely, positively, unmistakably beyond a shadow of a doubtly, certifiably, fahrenheitally, categorically, conspicuously, trans-fat-freely, quite obviously, prehensilely, indubitably, most certainly NOT A SECRET AGENT STORE.

Deliberately  coy business copy can be dicey because it can easily be  misinterpreted by the intended audience. Yet, I love this sign and think it is a perfect example of breaking the rules with purpose. Once you have read the sign, the urge to actually go in the store is nearly impossible to ignore!  Of course, a few of the spelling choices are a bit suspect, but who wants to chastise a writer wearing a fake moustache disguise?

Best of all, the Boring Store isn’t really a store at all! It is surreptitious cover for 826CHI, a non-profit organization offering  free writing tutoring for students ages six through eighteen.

(For added fun, re-read the sign to yourself using the voice of the world’s greatest secret agent–Maxwell Smart.)

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in small business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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The topic of corporate culture is a favorite talking-point for MBA students, executives, and business journalists. However, the new blog Battered Employee is turning the table on this issue by approaching it from the perspective of a real, live employee!

Follow Lisa as she navigates the funny, challenging, satisfying–and occasionally frustrating– world of work. I particularly enjoyed her recent post Einstein, the Shaving Cream and the Performance Chain, which explores business results through influencers. (Don’t worry, she explains it in a much more entertaining manner than I just did!)

But, what does a business blog have to do with technical writing and editing? Well, nearly everything! While some technical communication is created for academic purposes, the vast majority supports business and government. What we write, and how we write it, has a profound impact on everything from customer satisfaction to accident prevention.

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in small business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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Buckle your seat belts and stash that red pen, we’re taking a wild ride off topic:

Are you a romance novel enthusiast? I have to admit, I am not a fan or even a casual admirer. Now, I enjoy a juicy story just as much as the next girl, but I rarely ever read romance novels because…well…let’s be honest, most of them are not written very well. Hollow dialog, cliché characters, uninspired or unbelievable narratives, and generic landscapes.

However (you knew that however was coming, didn’t you?), I can whole-heartedly recommend the new novel by R.T. Wolfe titled Black Creek Burning. Authentic dialog, genuine characters, suspenseful (but still realistic) narrative, and a beautifully-crafted landscape.

I was privileged to read Black Creek Burning early in its development and am delighted that it is now available in eBook format. If you’re not interested in eBooks, it will soon be available as a traditional book, also. So, why not warm up these chilly autumn days with a skillfully-woven romance? (And yes, it’s a little juicy, too!)

Need a little extra convincing? Watch the official Black Creek Burning trailer on YouTube! Watch Video

Visit R.T. Wolfe’s official website at rtwolfe.com.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. This is my real opinion, which I am sharing purely for the promotion of good writing, be it technical, instructional, marketing…or even fiction.

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in small business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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So, how do we handle a very short document that needs to be delivered right away? My personal trick is to read the entire piece aloud to make sure I’ve included all of the important information. Then, I say each word twice. Why twice? The majority of my own mistakes are not actually misspellings but incorrect words or word endings  (e.g., –s, –ing, –ed), which aren’t flagged by the spellchecker. Therefore, I check overall spelling the first time and endings the second time. If you know your own writing quirks, modify this process to focus on those issues.

As I verbalize each word, I also follow along with my finger on the screen. Physically following my progress prevents me from going too fast or skipping content altogether. (However, touch your computer screen at your own risk!)

The process only requires a couple seconds per word. If you are about to send a 100-word email to a potential client, consider spending 200 seconds on typo prevention–that’s less than three and a half minutes for a little piece of mind…sorry, peace of mind!

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in small business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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Before we investigate this intriguing question of canine custody, let’s review the general rules for regular possession:

Rule 1: If ownership is shared, attach an apostrophe s to the final possessive noun: Bart and Lisa’s little sister Maggie shot Mr. Burns. (Maggie is the sister of both Bart and Lisa.)

Rule 2: If ownership is not shared, attach an apostrophe s to each possessive noun: Puddy fixed Jerry’s and George’s cars. (Jerry and George own separate cars.)

While these rules are applicable to regular nouns, they don’t apply to pronouns because only contracted pronouns (e.g., it’s for it is) end with an apostrophe s. When indicating pronoun ownership, we rely on the possessive forms, such as my, mine, his, her, hers, their, theirs, our, ours, and its. Therefore, we can eliminate Doug and I’s dog as a possible option.

Now we are left with Doug and my dog versus Doug’s and my dog. Although Windy is one dog owned by both Doug and myself, the pronoun my forces us to discard Rule 1 and move to Rule 3:

Rule 3: When combining nouns and pronouns in compound possession, attach an apostrophe s to each noun.

So, Doug’s and my dog is correct. By formatting the possession in this manner, we avoid awkward sentences like “Doug and my dog Windy rolled in the grass,” which could mistakenly be interpreted as “Doug, and a dog named Windy that I own independently, both rolled in the grass.”

Of course, we all know that no one actually owns a dog–dogs own us!

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in small business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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Technically, correct usage is determined by the pronoun’s position as a subject (I) or object (me) in the sentence. However, here is a quick tip: Just eliminate the other person. I know, I know, eliminating people sounds so rude! But don’t worry, we can welcome these poor individuals back into our sentences as soon as we decide if we are an I or a me.

First, let’s look at an example with two pronouns:

1. You and me went to the store.

2. You and I went to the store.

By removing you, Example 2 becomes the obvious choice because “me went to the store” is just terribly wrong–unless you are a caveman character in a really bad movie.

Let’s continue with a new example involving a noun (Mom):

1. Lois sent a postcard to Mom and me.

2. Lois sent a postcard to Mom and I.

After eliminating Mom (so harsh!), we can see that Example 1 is correct because we wouldn’t say “Lois sent a postcard to I.”

In an upcoming post, we will examine I, mine, and my within compound possessive strings. For example, should we write Doug and I’s dog, Doug and my dog, or Doug’s and my dog?

We may not achieve world peace, but at least we can strive for harmony between first person pronouns, right?

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in small business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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To avoid that frustration, here are my top five editing tips:

1. Play the waiting game. I covered this topic in a previous post titled How Many Rounds of Editing are Enough, but it bears repeating: Wait as long as possible between the time you finish writing and the time you start editing. Then, wait again between each review. When you can’t remember exactly what a document says, you will pay more attention to each word and are less likely to skim. Waiting at least a day is optimal, but even ten minutes is better than nothing. And of course, fresh eyes will see things yours missed. So, ask your friend, your neighbor, or your favorite professional editor to take another look at your writing.

2. Have Fun with Color. I am a traditionalist; I wield the wicked red pen upon my own writing. If red ink gives you nightmares about your evil tenth grade English teacher, choose another non-standard color, such as green or bright purple. Avoid blues and blacks because they don’t provide adequate contrast with black printer ink. (However, if you are feeling frisky, you could print your document in red and then use a black pen. Wild times, my friends, wild times!)

When editing a client’s work, I usually rely on the font color, strikethrough, and highlight tools available in Microsoft Word, as shown in the picture above. Whenever possible, I avoid Word’s Track Changes tool because it can become very cumbersome in a heavily altered document–crazy lines and balloons going everywhere. No wonder people are leery of editors!

3. Count Your Rounds. Each time you start a new edit, write the round number on the top of the first page. The goal is to prevent yourself from slipping into an endless review cycle, otherwise known as the document death spiral–okay, I just made that up, but the description fits, right?

4. Don’t Trash the Old Edits. That rewrite you carefully crafted last night might not sound quite as sweet in the cold glare of the morning. As such, you may want to refer to any earlier version before starting anew. Maintaining each iteration of an edit can help you prevent content loss and monitor the document’s overall evolution. Just remember to give each version a distinct file name, such as Cool_ Writing_Edit 1.doc, Cool_Writing_Edit 2.doc, and Cool_Writing_Final.doc.

5. Do the Double-Space Shuffle. If you are editing on paper, double-space the document before printing. This will give you more room to write corrections and will make the whole process feel less congested. Once the edits are finalized, simply convert the document back to its original line spacing.

Now, where is that red pen…?

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in small business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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I visit the Harold Washington Library quite often, so I thought I would share a few pictures of the giant owls perched on the roof.

If you are downtown Chicago and you need a place to read, write, or just relax, consider this library. It is located on the corner of State Street and Van Buren Street. It has many well-lit, quiet places to sit, including ample table space for your laptop or other work material.

If nothing else, at least walk by to see the owls. They’re a hoot!

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in small business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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I generally edit everything four times. I don’t have a formal explanation for this number, other than to say that by the fourth review, I am usually confident that I have thoroughly examined spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and clarity. If I am still making significant changes during the fourth round, I will perform additional edits as necessary.

But, what if you don’t feel confident regardless of the amount of time you spend with that wicked red pen? Stop editing! If you have read a document twenty times, you probably won’t see anything new on the twenty-first time because you are overly familiar with the text. Chances are, you are not truly seeing every word anymore–you are just skimming and remembering what you read before. Instead, grab a new set of eyes, such as a friend, coworker, or freelance editor.  A fresh reader will often identify issues that were previously overlooked because he or she is approaching the document from a different perspective.

In a future post, I will be discussing specific editing tips and tricks. 

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in small business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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Example A: It’s a good idea to collect all of the necessary tools before beginning assembly.

Example B: It is going to take approximately three hours for the glue to dry.

In both of these sentences, it is and it’s mean something along the lines of “in this situation” or “you should know.”  Their purpose is introduce information: the person assembling the chair needs to collect the tools and allow the glue to dry for three hours.

However, the word it is a pronoun, and pronouns stand in for nouns or noun phrases. In the above examples, it doesn’t represent  anything specific. The sentences are much more effective when we eliminate the uncertainty:

Example A Rewrite: You should collect all of the necessary tools before beginning the assembly.

Example B Rewrite:  The glue will take approximately three hours to dry.

Now, it certainly does have a place in business writing, but only when the underlying meaning is clear. For example, “The Generic Store has lost 50 percent of its customers. It will be closing ten retail locations after the holiday season.” In this situation, it represents the Generic Store.

As mentioned above, people use the undefined it all of the time–in conversation, emails, informal writing, etc. And that usage is just fine because it usually doesn’t cause confusion. Yet, many language choices that are acceptable in casual environments can create ambiguity or misunderstandings in business writing. So, keep your pronouns clean. Define it.

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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The reality is that many people still utilize this linguistic criminal on a daily basis. As such, ain’t is occasionally employed in poetic, literary, and musical endeavors. Here is a list of some of my favorite grammatically-incorrect songs:

1. It Ain’t Me, Babe (written and performed by Bob Dylan)
2. The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’ (written by Ronny Scaife and Marty Stuart, performed by Travis Tritt and Marty Stuart)
3. Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad (written by Jim Steinman, performed by Meat Loaf)
4. I Ain’t Ever Satisfied (written and performed by Steve Earle)
5. Ain’t Leavin’ Your Love (written and performed by Townes Van Zandt)

Let’s be honest, the venerable Mr. Dylan might have lost a bit of his raw edge if he had written “No, no, no it is not me, babe. It is not me you’re lookin’ for, babe.”

So, while ain’t will always be wildly unacceptable in formal content, the artistic world remains linguistically unrestrained. And that ain’t bad!

 (Yes, that is a picture of me at three years old, rocking out on my very own guitar.)

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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For example, which looks normal?

1. I skipped breakfast, so I visited the drive-through on my way to work.
2. I skipped breakfast, so I visited the drive-thru on my way to work.

For most of us, the second option appears correct because fast-food restaurants generally use the informal spelling on their signage—now it just looks right.

The “thru” spelling also shows up frequently on street signs because fewer letters mean cheaper signs! Today, when I spot a street sign with the proper “through” spelling like the one pictured above, I think it looks odd, even though I know it is grammatically correct.

So, what should you do within your own business content? My suggestion is to always use “through,” except in reference to fast-food restaurants and when quoting street signs.

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, marketing, blogs, web copy, and instructional material.

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Although there are a few exceptions, apostrophes generally signal possession or ownership. For example, “My dog’s bed,” is the bed that belongs to my dog. I only have one dog, but if I did have multiple dogs who shared one bed, it would become “my dogs’ bed.”

The apostrophe is also an indicator of possession when applied to acronyms. However, the relationship between acronyms and apostrophes is particularly  troublesome, even for large and well-respected food manufacturers. I recently noticed that my Silk soy milk carton says “GMO’s? No thanks!” While I am glad that I am not pouring genetically modified organisms over my morning cereal, the GMOs do not have ownership over anything in this phrase, so the apostrophe is unnecessary.

As mentioned above, apostrophes do have a few other uses. For example, apostrophes are necessary in contractions such as don’t and can’t. And, they DO indicate plurality when referencing a single lowercase letter, such as “cross your t’s.” Otherwise it would be “cross your ts,” and that could become confusing.

Note: Silk changed its packaging soon after this post appeared. The container now refers to “non-GMO ingredients.” I would like to think that I prompted this change, but somehow I doubt it! –Erin, April 27, 2013

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor located in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, including marketing and instructional material for print and the web.

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However, the description on the label is not quite so appetizing. The description says “A deliciously unusual spread reminiscent of gingerbread and made with crushed biscuits.” Now, there is nothing grammatically wrong with this sentence. However, technically correct sentences can still feel awkward, and that awkwardness distracts from the product.

In my opinion, this sentence does not work because the dependent clause “and made with crushed biscuits” feels like an afterthought. Instead of using the coordinating conjunction “and,” I suggest restructuring the sentence to position the description “reminiscent of gingerbread” at the end:

“A deliciously unusual spread made with crushed biscuits, reminiscent of gingerbread.”

Since “gingerbread” is probably the most attractive word in the sentence for hungry consumers, placing the description at the end also gives more attention to the delightful flavor.

Mmmm, gingerbread…where’d that spoon go?

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor located in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, including marketing and instructional material for print and the web.

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As with all creative endeavors, there is no concrete answer. For some organizations, humor may never be an option. However, other businesses can stitch lightheartedness into even the stodgiest documents.

The trick is to maintain a message with a consistent tone and never go over the top. I personally suggest always directing humor towards yourself (as a person or an organization), rather than toward customers, clients, or other outside entities. Self-deprecation is generally accepted as a positive sign of humbleness and openness, while making fun of others can easily be misinterpreted as malevolence.

Almost any writing can include a touch of fun, if handled deftly. The best example I can think of is a headstone I saw in Colorado. It read quite simply, “I told you I was sick.” Brilliant!

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor located in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, including marketing and instructional material for print and the web.

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Rather than worrying about the temporary disruption to my preferred bus route, I have been thinking about acronyms. Yes, acronyms. We see NATO everywhere, and most people probably know that the letters stand for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. However, some of us (okay, maybe just me) are a little behind the times. Until the Summit became daily news, I thought the acronym stood for North American Trade Organization. Embarrassing, but true! Oops.

But, this honest mistake on my part reveals an important tenet in technical and business writing—if you are not certain that your audience will know the meaning of an acronym, spell it out at first mention with the letters in parentheses. For example, “The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will hold its 2012 Summit in Chicago, Illinois May 20 and 21.” Thereafter, you only have to use the acronym.

As with most communication rules, there is an exception. If you are writing for a very specific audience that already knows the meaning behind the acronym, I do not believe you have to spell out the whole name. In fact, in some rare situations you may even offend your readers by spelling out something they are extremely familiar with. This is a judgment call that highlights another important tenant of all nonfiction writing: know your reader.

And now back to rerouting my bus trips for May 20 and 21…

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor located in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, including marketing and instructional material for print and the web.

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If those tips work for you, great! However, when I was writing my Master’s thesis just a couple years ago, I found that the best way to deal with my own writer’s block was to be boring—very, very boring. I got into the habit of writing in the same spot at the same time, day in and day out. I went so far as to make sure I was even sitting in the same chair every day and drinking the same brand of coffee. Crazy, I know! But, this method helped me to research, write, and edit a ninety-eight page thesis on the relationship between small business and social media—in under two months.

I think this method worked for me then, and still works, because it creates a rhythm. When I’m sitting in my writing chair, my brain unconsciously feels the repetition of action and sends a signal to my fingers to start typing. Or, at least that’s my hypothesis!

So, if you are having trouble creating content, try being a bit boring. Your fingers might just feel the rhythm!

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor located in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, including marketing and instructional material for print and the web.

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Bullets are commonly found in resumes, brochures, and on websites.  These are all good locations; however, the use of bullets is sometimes underutilized in lengthier documentation, such as case studies, white papers, and proposals. I suggest using bullets in these situations, also. The trick is to use a bit of restraint and finesse. A set of bullets on every page is probably too much—but, if you are offering multiple number or phrase-based examples, then bullets (or even multiple sets of bullets) on each page may be appropriate.

Here is a brief example from a fictional case study:

In late 2011, the Illinois Coffee Mug Enthusiasts Association (ICME) relocated to their new offices in Java Park. With the help of Big Bean Movers, the ICME transported 1000 porcelain cups, 12000 jumbo mugs, 900 boxes of filters, and three espresso machines. The entire move was completed in just six hours.

Now, if we separate the numbered items into bullets, the paragraph becomes a little easier to read. In addition, the individually numbered items gain visual influence when standing on their own.

In late 2011, the Illinois Coffee Mug Enthusiasts Association (ICME) relocated to their new offices in Java Park. With the help of Big Bean Movers, the ICME transported:

• 1000 porcelain cups
• 12000 jumbo mugs
• 900 boxes of filters
• 3 espresso machines

The entire move was completed in just six hours.

One technical note: You may have noticed that in the original example, the word three is spelled out and in the second example it appears as a numeral 3. Generally, numbers below 100 are spelled out in non-technical writing. However, numbers in bullets are usually displayed as numerals, regardless of the formality of the document. This practice maintains consistency between the bullets and increases the readability of detailed information that may otherwise be overlooked.

Erin Wright is a freelance writer and editor located in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, including marketing and instructional material for print and the web.

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When crafting bullets, remember their purpose: organizing related information for clarity and conciseness. Simply put, bullets should make content easier to read. One tried and true technique to achieve this goal is parallel construction.

But, before we move on to the definition of parallel construction, here is a brief example of what it is not:

A Chicago technical writer should be proficient in the following areas:

• A writer should know where to find great pizza
• Ride the L
• Standing on the Skydeck
• Run under the Bean (a.k.a Cloud Gate)

Now, these bullets sound really awkward because they don’t “match.” The first one is a complete sentence, while the final three are phrases. In addition, they use different verb tenses.

We can eliminate this awkwardness by ensuring that all of the bullets are either a sentence or a phrase (generally preferred), and that each follows the same format:

A Chicago technical writer should be proficient in the following areas:

• Finding great pizza
• Riding the L
• Standing on the Skydeck
• Running under the Bean (a.k.a Cloud Gate)

All of the bullet points are now phrases beginning with –ing  (present participle) action verbs–awkwardness gone!

Erin Wright is a freelance technical writer and editor located in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, including marketing and instructional material for print and the web.

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So, a wickedly happy National Grammar Day to all!

Erin Wright is a technical writer and editor located in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in general business content, including marketing and instructional material for print and the web.

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