BrandWrite(tm) - Online copy & web content development, tips & assists -

Lessons from the New Yorker caption contest: The creative process
The cartoon caption contest that appears in each issue of the New Yorker magazine has become a habit. It’s fun. It’s challenging. And, the experience is pointing up larger lessons about writing and creativity. Lesson One reaffirms a course I took in grad school taught by Glenn Karowski. Although textured and comprehensive, the main take-away can be summed by the class’s name: “The creative process.” Not creative magic. Not voodoo. … [more]
Dave Mitchell spells it out: Grammar rules matter (video)
Here’s a clip that’d be worth watching just for its novelty value. It’s about grammar in general, spelling in particular, and it’s entertaining. You might even laugh. It also says a few things I’ve been saying over the years, but with a wit—not to mention Brit accent—that makes it more fun to listen to than my flat Midwestern drone. The best points (said better in the clip): How you spell, … [more]
Grammar gaffs as spectator sport
It was oddly reassuring to stumble upon the “blog” of “unnecessary” quotation marks. Kind of like going to a church-basement support group and finding out you’re not suffering alone. Knowing that others share a pet peeve can make it seem less peevey. (Except that the blog’s creator, Bethany Keeler-Jonker, doesn’t consider quotation marks a peeve. “I just think it’s funny to misinterpret them,” she writes on her FAQ, “almost always.”) … [more]

BW.com improves as it grows

Jan 202011

It’s great to think there might be eyeballs here in these, the early days of BrandWrite.com. It’s also unsettling, knowing how incomplete the site is. What kind of first impression might a partial impression make? So, to those exploring this rough-hewn site, an entreaty: Whatever your first impression, please make a point of returning to the site as it achieves some heft. Things should develop quickly, in fact, as I … [more]

Ten no-talent tells (pt. 1)

Jan 192011

The differences between a professional and an amateur writer can be subtle, but I’ve jotted down ten ways amaterus give themselves away. These are goofs I screen for before releasing my work to clients and, even when you can’t hire a writer, you can use this list to give your own drafts a professional sheen. Ellipsis A good rule of thumb: If you’ve never heard “dot, dot, dot” called “elipses” before, you probably shouldn’t use it. Elipsis … [more]

DIY or die

Dec 202010

The question has already been put to me. Why would I help do-it-yourselfers on a site developed to pitch my services as an online copywriter, content developer and SEO writer? It seems unnecesary at best, counter to my interests at worst. Knowing what to do ≠ knowing how A surgeon once described a simple out-patient procedure step-by-step. Details included the length and depth, in millimeters, of the incision, the number of stitches, … [more]

Site ready for visitors, more or less

Dec 202010

BrandWrite.com’s revamp has wrapped up, more or less, and the site is ready to welcome visitors. The three biggest tasks, now-completed: The overriding challenge of content development (determining functionality, taxonomy, information architecture, search engine optimization, site layout, etc.); working out the bugs on a portfolio featuring a dozen previous projects, and; a fourteen-page overview of offline and online capabilities that, despite its title (“The Pitch”), is more client education than hard … [more]

BrandWrite re-launches Jan. 1

Nov 112010

BrandWrite’s revamped site reflects a more recent emphasis on online copywriting, content development and search engine optimization. This is BrandWrite.com’s first refresh—not exactly a bragging point, I know—since claiming the URL a decade ago. While the new site doesn’t officially launch until next year, I plan to leave it live. If you do visit before January 1, expect to see layout tweaks, wordsmithing and other revisions. Features may emerge, drop from sight and maybe even re-emerge. I may use occasional posts to … [more]