|
Home::Copywriting
How to Improve Your Writing Without Writing a Word
Author : Walter Burek
Many an ad, business letter and TV commercial comes into being slowly, even painfully. Maybe because some of us write as if we were still using an IBM Selectric, wite-out and a badly worn Webster's. For that matter, maybe some still are. And that's OK.
But in these digital days, software and the Internet can help a tech-savvy writer be a better writer and make getting the job done easier. While writing every day is still the best practice for improving your writing skills, there are programs and Web sites available today that can really help your writing along.
Here are 18 digital tools you can use to research, brainstorm, organize, compose, communicate and bring out the better writer in you.
Wordsmithing Grammar and Style
Cliché Finder. You've always been told to "avoid clichés like the plague." But sometimes there's no other way to write or talk your way out of a sticky situation. This site lets you search for just the right cliché, by entries that include a specific word. | www.westegg.com/cliche |
Common Errors in English. This is a useful list of words often misused. Plus an interesting list of usages people keep telling you are wrong but which are actually standard in English. Links to other grammar resources as well.
| www.wsu.edu/%7Ebrians/errors/errors.html |
Dictionary of Difficult Words. Do you aim to become a member of the literati, or do you wish to be a savant? Do you want to avoid being verbigerative and be succinct instead? Search this list of over 13,900 difficult words to increase your vocabulary or just find out what those words really mean. | www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/dictionaries/difficultwords |
fun-with-words.com. Everything you want to know about amusing quirks, peculiarities, and oddities of the English language. Stuff like palindromes, spoonerisms, oxymora, and more. | www.fun-with-words.com |
Word Play. A list of links to dictionaries, foreign language translations, word games and wacky sites like The Apostrophe Protection Society, Burma Shave Signs, The Country & Western Song Generator and The Klingon Language
Institute. | www.wolinskyweb.com/word.htm |
The Word Spy. This site is devoted to recently coined words and phrases, old words that are being used in new ways, and existing words that have enjoyed a recent renaissance. | www.wordspy.com |
Word Menu. This software version of Random House's printed Word Menu blends all the best features of a dictionary, thesaurus and encyclopedia into one-easy-to-use reference. Words are organized by subject rather than alphabetically. Windows and Mac. Available from www.wordmenu.com.
WordDog Plain English Editor. Add this program to your Microsoft Word app and it will sniff out ambiguous words, verbose phrases, redundancies and overworked phrases. Windows only. Available from www.worddog.com.
Reference
All Experts. If you can't find the info you need in this enormous archive of free Q&A, send your question to an expert of your choice (also free.)
| www.allexperts.com |
Bartelby.com. The perfect site to search for a Shakespeare quote, fact-check a line from a great classic, or look something up in Gray's Anatomy. Unrestricted access to reference, verse, fiction and nonfiction books.
| www.bartleby.com |
How Stuff Works. Want to know how those traveling lawn sprinklers work? Or how to clone a sheep? Or fix a leaky toilet? This is the site with all the answers. Channels for computers, electronics, home, science and more.
| www.howstuffworks.com |
Library Spot. An easy-to-navigate uber-library that provides answers to question with links to innumerable reference sites, including many other libraries.
| www.libraryspot.com |
Refdesk. An outstanding site filled with fact-finding links and connections to hundreds search engines and research sites. | www.refdesk.com |
Visual Thesaurus. A work of art that is also an excellent thesaurus. Synonyms and definitions unfold on your screen in a beautiful ballet. A slow-loading site, but well worth the wait. | www.visualthesaurus.com |
Creativity
CreativityforLife.com. Explore the creative process in your work and in your personal life. Plus links to many other creativity sites.
| www.creativityforlife.com |
Creativity-Portal. An elegant site that promotes creativity in all areas of life but features a page specific to writing. | www.creativity-portal.com |
The Soul Food Cafe. A soothing site that promotes writing and creative pursuits as a daily practice. Full of tips, techniques, references and encouragement for writers of all kinds. | www.dailywriting.net |
Organization
Tinderbox. This software application stores notes, ideas and plans, mapping them in colors and shapes as they're created. It then scans the notes and links and organizes them by patterns and relationships. It will even gather and update relative info and breaking news from the Internet. Mac only. Available from www.eastgate.com.
© Burek Group 2003
Walter is an professional advertising copywriter who writes, edits and
publishes "WORDS@WORK", a FREE bimonthly newsletter of advice and
about writing that works. To view his award-winning portfolio and to
subscribe, visit http://www.walterburek.com You may also subscribe via
mailto: WordsAtWork@comcast.net .
Thank you for your interest in this article.You may freely publish it in print or
on the Web as long as you include the byline and credits. Also, please advise
me of publication by mailto: walter@walterburek.com
About the Author
Walter Burek is an award-winning copywriter who has been a writer and Creative Director on some of advertising’s most important accounts.
Walter also writes, edits and publishes Words@Work, a free newsletter for marketing communications professionals. Related articles
|
More related feeds |
How+to+Improve+Your+Writing+Without+Writing+a+Wordhttp://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch_feeds?hl=en&q=How+to+Improve+Your+Writing+Without+Writing+a+Word&ui=blg&ie=utf-8&num=10&output=rssHiggaion » Improve your writing: an open letter to students
If you follow this advice (without ignoring other good advice, wherever you may find it, about writing well), you stand a much better chance of turning in excellent writing—and of receiving high marks on your writing assignments, ...Manage Your Writing: This week: Ask "so what?"
Through speaking, training, and executive coaching, Ken helps people and organizations improve their chief value-producing activity: writing. Thousands of knowledge workers have profited from Ken's unique Manage Your Writing® method. ... Mystery Writing is Murder: Creating Suspects for your Mystery Novel
Number of suspects: Try not to bog your reader down with too many suspects. If you're writing a 65000-- 85000 word book, cramming in ten suspects with varying motives, means, and opportunity can make the plot pretty confusing. ... Words of Belief Announces Winners of Holiday Story Writing Contest ...
Remember, always be true to your beliefs, your voice and your style when writing. Improve your writing by listening to others, of course, but don’t try to please everyone, because the best any writer can do is please themselves first. ... Four Steps to Writing Copy That Sells | Wordpreneur.com
Suppose you are writing an article about growing roses. Your goal in writing this article is for the reader to click through a link at the bottom of the article and go to a web site where you sell gardening products. ... Superhero Nation: a superhero writing advice site » Writing Tip of ...
If two characters are interchangeable or perform the same role in your story, removing one is probably wise. Having a smaller cast-size tends to save space, improve characterization and facilitates tighter scenes. ... Are You Concerned With Way To Make Yourself Stand Out? How About ...
Most online classes will have you reading the textbook electronically (usually, it’s included in the cost), preparing writing assignments, and participating in discussion with the rest of the group a couple of times a week. ... The Grammar Guy: SAT Prep — Learning from the PSAT
The information in the PSAT packet lists the type of questions you seemed to have the most difficulty with, and there are suggestions based on your answer pattern that you can follow to improve. Perhaps you need to improve your ... How to Write a Nonfiction Book Query That Gets Attention ...
What would an agent or publisher want to know about you as it pertains to your book? Are you an expert on this subject, and, if so, what makes you one? Here is your chance to explain your qualifications and writing credentials. ... Word Strumpet: When The World, Or Your Scene, Is Flat
Charlotte Rains Dixon is a free-lance writer, novelist, copy writer and creative writing teacher living in Portland, Oregon, with frequent trips to LA and Nashville. For more information, click to read All About....Who Else? Me! ...
|
|
|
