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Freelance Boost: Help Build Credibility
Part of owning your business is protecting your knowledge and information. But protect it too hard and no one will know you have it. That’s not a successful step in being successful. One of the biggest...
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Story and the Storyteller
The little boy was no older than four. He sat next to his father on a bench in the mall. His father, an earnest hipster around 30 years old, sported the uniform of beard, slightly-too-small trilby, and...
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Creative Stroll, May 15, 2015
When you think “thread and nails,” you might remember the peg knitting kits in which you wind thread around four nails in a spool and create a knit lanyard. This blog post is not about that, although...
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Building Habits
Walking is my daily habit. Except when it’s not. When I travel I often have to tailor my schedule to the hotel’s breakfast time, a cab’s appearance, and the time a client wants me in the classroom. If...
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Creative Hop, May 23, 2015
Palegg (Norwegian) Anything and everything that you can put on a slice of bread. © Marija Tiurina. Marija Tiurina does colorful posters in a wry, simple style. Her posters illustrate words in languages...
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Unique Can Be Dangerous
Over dinner, I was talking to a friend about the obsession with unique viewpoints and products. I made the same mistake when I was writing my last two books–terrified I’d “steal” someone’s idea by...
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Drumming Up Ideas
I signed up for a drumming class. Not rock-style drum kit, but djembe–West African drum. No sticks, just hands. I took it because a friend of mine who teaches chanting suggested it. I’m tone-deaf,...
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Saving it for Good
When I was growing up, we had special tablecloths, china and crystal. We used them so seldom, I don’t remember what they looked like. We had everyday china and table linens, too. Those I remember well,...
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So You Want To Post Your Video?
First, this is not a how-to on videos. I’m not very good at making them. I am very good at watching them, however. And after a lot of video watching, I’d like to give some unasked-for suggestions for...
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Adapt and Thrive
Plants and animals adapt. Those that adapt to suit the changes survive, and pass the genes on to the next generation. The language adapts, too. We invent, change and adjust words. Not too long ago, I...
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Cutting Back: Simplifying Words
Almost everyone in my writing classes believes (maybe in secret) that writing is a task that should not take a lot of time. After all, we all talk easily enough. Why should writing be hard? Writing is...
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Pick Your Word for 2016 (Giveaway)
Sure, a lot of people do this “Word of the Year” thing. And I’m a fan. I’ve loved the idea for years, choosing a word that will help keep you on track or blow up your track and set you free. A word of...
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Poems and Postcards
It’s time for another iHanna postcard swap. (You still have time to sign up.) Alcohol inks are still providing a lot of fun for me, so I thought, “Well, that’s what I’ll do.” But I changed my mind. I...
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Pencil Joy
The package from CW Pencil Enterprise Pencils are a thing of the past. But I’m a fan of the past, and a fan of pencils, too. They no longer have lead, they are filled with graphite. They are portable,...
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Handling Changes After a Training Class
Usually the furrowed brows and frowns come early in my business writing training classes. Maybe it’s when we discuss the convoluted phrases that won’t die, but don’t serve either the business writer or...
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Life Off-Screen, or, Communicating With Life
A tree died, fell, and new trees came out of the fallen trunk. Maybe not as dead as I thought, but unusual. © Quinn McDonald, 2017 Homeless people, travelers, strangers, grocery shoppers–when I write...
View ArticleRunning a Successful Class: Tips for Participants and Instructors
After 20 years of teaching, I have a few suggestions for both participants and trainers. Indulge me, please. Participants, prepare yourself: 1. Bring something to write with and something to write on....
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Habits Run Your Life
You know all the rules already: we need to build good habits and get rid of bad ones. Wait, not so fast! Habits are a lot more subtle than that. Helping dog owners habituate their dogs to using a fire...
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The Crossover Life of Training
Yes, I run training programs in business writing. And in How to Deal With Difficult People. Grammar and punctuation. Technical writing. Monsoon Papers. Wait, what? What does Monsoon Paper mean? And how...
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The Query Letter: Asking to Write for Someone
In the last blog post, you read about mistakes writers make when approaching a prospect to ask for a job. Here are some points that will help you develop interest in your work. You will have to get...
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