Mary - DAILY WRITING TIPS

Vivid Language Paints a Picture

July 24, 2007July 22, 2007 by Mary

What does it mean to use vivid language in your writing? Language that is vivid paints a picture for your readers, so that they can clearly envision what you are talking about. Vivid language is very important to descriptive writing. Let’s look at the sentence: I took a trip to the mountains. Does this paint … Read more

Clichés Don’t Belong in Professional Writing

June 27, 2007June 24, 2007 by Mary

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Some of the common cliché phrases that we find ourselves using every day do not belong in professional writing. This has become abundantly clear to me as it has become more commonplace for me to work with international clients.

Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful

June 19, 2007June 17, 2007 by Mary

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When it comes to writing, looks matter just as much as substance. Don’t get me wrong, there is no substitute for high quality writing. But great writing poorly presented will be just as ineffective as bad writing.

What’s In It for Me? Not a Job, That’s For Sure!

September 30, 2013June 14, 2007 by Mary

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I spend a great deal of time helping students write resumes designed to help them get entry-level jobs related to the career training program that they are enrolled in. One of the most challenging parts of resume writing is creating an objective.

Concise Writing: The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth

June 13, 2007June 11, 2007 by Mary

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When writing, it is important to keep your messages concise. What does concise mean? To the point. As a reader, I don’t need to have to wade through a four line sentence in order to figure out what you mean.

Careful with Technical Terms

June 12, 2007June 9, 2007 by Mary

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One of the most important things to keep in mind is that your writing must be appropriate for your audience. You have to use terminology that makes sense to your readers.

Big Words Make You Sound Smart, Don’t They?

September 30, 2013June 9, 2007 by Mary

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Many people think that they sound smarter when they use big words. The truth of the matter is that smart communicators use words that (a) they understand and (b) their readers are likely to understand.

Sending an E-mail Without Proofreading is Like Shooting a Gun Without Aiming

June 25, 2018June 6, 2007 by Mary

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For most professionals, communicating by e-mail is a part of daily life. E-mail is a very convenient way to communicate basic information to one or more people. Even though most professionals feel that e-mail makes their lives easier, there are also a number of complications related to e-mail usage.

Accepting Complements

June 25, 2018June 3, 2007 by Mary

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There are a number of words that people have a hard time keeping straight. Usually these words sound alike, but have very different meanings. For instance, should you say “Please accept my complement!” or “Please accept my compliment!”?

Spell Check Isn’t Foolproof!

May 31, 2007May 29, 2007 by Mary

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“But it can’t have spelling mistakes! I ran spell check!” I hear this quite often. While running spell check on your documents is very important, it certainly is not a foolproof means of making sure that your documents are error free.

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