3 tips to write succinctly
Academic writers are often told to ‘write succinctly’…but what makes your writing succinct? Use short, concise words, and short sentences, that’s what!
3 ways to cut the clutter from your writing
Drafts of your manuscripts are bound to have clutter that obscures what you want to get across. That’s perfectly normal. But what exactly is “clutter” and how can you get rid of it?
Plain language for academic & professional writing
Have you heard of the movement to promote “plain language”? Plain language is a beautiful goal and its concepts are useful for all writers, including academics. Get started with these resources.
Some contractions can be harder to read
Do you use contractions (like “it’s” and “don’t”) in your writing? I do! But some kinds of contractions may make it harder for readers to follow. Do you use contractions? …
BOOKS: My favorites!
There are many, many books out there on plain language and writing. Here are my favorites (ones I’ve actually read 😉 ). For each, you’ll find a link to Goodreads …
Writing clear English for diverse audiences
We’re advised to tailor our writing to our audiences. But what if our intended audience is very diverse? What can we do to write as clearly as possible? In today’s …
Different documents need different structures
To write effectively, you need to pick the right structure that matches the purpose of your document. Not all documents should be structured the same. What do I mean by …
Imprecise writing wastes time and money
How does not using plain language cost firms and workers money? I had a first-hand experience with a global firm. A few weeks ago, I did a one-time (non-editing) job …
Latest work (2022 January-April)
The first four months of 2022 passed in a blur for me but here are some highlights. Editing I’m doing the usual copyediting for my regular clients (UNITAR and VoxEU.org) …
PODCAST: How to write effectively & inclusively, on Tandem Nomads
Yikes, I was interviewed on the Tandem Nomads podcast! Like, right here –> Tandem Nomads! Tandem Nomads was founded and is run by Amel Derragui, a business and marketing coach …
Presenting in clear English with diverse audiences (highlights from a mini-webinar)
I had a great response to a 12-minute talk on how to use clear English to communicate with diverse audiences! Here’s what I talked about. Families in Global Transition will …
Why does it matter that your editor belongs to a professional association?
When a freelance editor (or proofreader) belongs to a professional association, it could hint at some of their qualifications. Editors, unlike lawyers or healthcare workers, don’t need a license to …
Key to clearer writing: Know what you want to say
If you want to write clearly, you must know what you want to say. This may seem obvious but it’s surprising how many writers forget this point. As the writer, …