Category Archives for Articles
How To Write Smart Without Dumbing Things Down
Every year, meteorologists have the unenviable—but necessary—job of communicating information to viewers and readers about major weather events like hurricanes and snowstorms. They walk a fine line between taking technical information and putting it in a form people can understand, and doing so in a way that gets people to act in a particular fashion (e.g. evacuating coastal areas).
And they constantly run the risk of “getting it wrong,” even when they have all the correct information and communicate it over and over again.
We see the same thing when talking about whether different types of food are good for you or not. A few years ago, eggs were pretty much a forbidden food; now they’re not only okay to eat, but a critical part of a good diet.
Coffee. Butter. Meat. All these food items have been on the merry-go-round of scientific okayness.
And then there are the controversial subjects: climate change, fossil fuels, pharmaceuticals, medical procedures. Do you really understand everything your doctor tells you? Or what the difference is between climate change and global warming?
But it’s not just the hot-button topics. If you’re writing about anything with a specific lexicon or specialized knowledge—software development, car repair, taxes, being a digital nomad, rocket science—you have to be able to communicate information to an audience that may not be familiar with the language you use.
Healthy Boundaries for Professional Writers and Freelancers
When you love what you do for a living, it’s hard to establish boundaries around your work.
I’ve never had a regular job where I could motivate myself to wake up at five in the morning and get right to work, but being a professional freelancer does it. I want to spend as many waking hours as possible (and sleeping hours, if I could work in my sleep) writing, editing, and brainstorming new pitches and marketing strategies. Hell, I don’t even need coffee that early — my adrenaline kicks in and I’m ready to dive into work.
But recently, I’ve experienced what happens when I don’t put boundaries around my work. When you’re working 60+ hours per week, even if it’s doing something you love, there is a lot to balance.
There’s Only One Solution for Burnout and You’re Not Gonna Like It
As we are now halfway through October, I’d like to think that summer is finally over.
Thank god.
To a kid, summer means three months of ultimate relaxation and fun. It means no more classes, no more school work. Tons of time to chill.
But after you enter adulthood, summer really loses its meaning. Yes, we continue to have — and be affected by — the seasons, but there’s no more vacation mode. No more time to rest and recharge. It’s just another season you have to power through.
This was my first real summer of just “powering through,” and boy did I learn a lot.
Primarily, I learned that burnout is not at all fun and something you should try to avoid at all costs.
Handwriting Versus Typing: The Best Method for Writing
It’s hard to believe that people still handwrite at all these days; we tend to rely on computers to do everything because they make it so easy.
I write articles on my laptop, though I do take a few notes here and there on paper.
And yet, I am a big fan of handwriting. I could be one of its groupies or the president of its fan club.
I remember learning how to write in cursive in elementary school, but I’ve often wondered if “kids these days” still learn that. (Wow, I sound like an old, evil villain from “Scooby-Doo.”)
In fact, the Common Core Curriculum Standards no longer require that students learn cursive handwriting in school, although some states have chosen to continue teaching it.
If typing is so ingrained in our lives, why should we even consider handwriting our content anymore?