Writing tips
We all have a love-hate relationship with writing.
Don’t give up! I’ve got all kinds of tricks for busting through writer’s block, finding your voice, telling your story, and cleaning up your copy. Get started here:
Be more like Ani Difranco
The first ingredient in writing is play. How easily we forget. We get ambitious. We grow impatient. We try to stuff it in between appointments. And yes, we write. And our writing serves all kinds of practical purposes (like opening doors and repairing staircases). But...
Uber-common and increasingly meaningless words
I don't need to tell you this, but...the online world is multiplying and morphing at a freaking incredible rate. A fresh new catch-phrase or idea debuts on a Tuesday and has spread to every corner of the web by Friday. By then it's all over our newsfeeds and inboxes,...
How to write like you speak (a checklist)
I'm sure you've heard this before: write like you speak, especially online, where copy should conversational. But putting that little gem into practice isn't as easy as it sounds. What does "write like you speak" actually mean? And how can you tell if you're hitting...
How to share your credentials without bragging or being a bore
A common question from clients usually lands in my inbox between sessions. After we’ve outlined and started sculpting an About page, for example, my client will spend some time working on it and then realize… Wait! Where do I put my credentials? My clients are...
My deceptively simple system for tracking blog post ideas
You're at a party with friends, on a bike ride with the wind in your hair, or making dinner with multiple pots boiling and pans sizzling. Then a blog post idea comes to you. Like every good entrepreneur/writer/maker-of-things, you jot it down as soon as you can. In a...
The power of the one-sentence paragraph
There's one last thing I always do before publishing a blog post or sending an email to my subscribers. After everything's written, formatted and edited.... I pause and take a moment to break up my paragraphs. Online, we want 'em short. Give the people what they want....
Stop sounding like everybody else
I've officially hit the saturation point. Two years ago, before I'd officially joined the world of online business, everything felt fresh. I mean, not fresh-out-of-the-garden fresh, but still, pretty crunchy. Every day, it seemed, I encountered something fun. Super...
Four ways to improve your grammar (without boring yourself to tears)
I was tempted to begin this blog post with a truly outrageous statement. I considered, for example, telling you about how I bit into a piece of glass the other night or that I just bought a plane ticket to watch a friend get married on skis—oh, Canada! (Both true, and...
How to blog about your business ups and downs
If you have a blog and a business, this might sound familiar. You're trying to be honest and authentic so you can stand out against the monotonous congealed blob that is the Internet. (Just kidding, I love you, Internet.) But when you start to incorporate your real...
Find the real cause of your resistance
As creative entrepreneurs, we know that dreams and plans are worth very little on their own—creation requires serious action. But something we just don't wanna. We lose our motivation and let our plans languish on our to-do lists for much, much longer than we ever...