Writing about writing
From the category archives:
Interruptions kill productivity. But background noise can slow you down in less obvious ways:
Fatigue. Noise makes you tired. Just as shouting over loud music in a bar strains your voice, your brain has to work harder to filter out unwanted information.
Poor concentration. It’s more likely that your brain will latch onto some background noise, [...]
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I’ve just discovered Daytum. It’s mission is to let you “collect, categorize and communicate your everyday data.” What this means in practice is a configurable dashboard that lets you add numerical information and display it using a range of graphs.
Here are some possible uses for writers:
Tracking word count output [...]
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Ambitious journalism student, Alex Cooper, introduces us to Teeline Shorthand with his debut guest post for Bad Language.
In this article I will go through the basic structure of Teeline Shorthand, a brief history and some tips for learning it along the way.
Teeline was invented by James Hill in 1970. It is aimed at a self-taught [...]
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Novelist and geek-hero Charlie Stross writes about the drawbacks of using what-you-see-is-what-you-get word processors to write novels:
Changing file formats
Proprietary file formats
WYSIWYG “conflates document content with presentation”
Heavily marked-up text isn’t suitable for use online
Word mixes inline and style-sheet formatting
His solution is (sometimes) to use hardcore programmer’s editing tools:
Given my general aversion to Word, you probably [...]
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I have written a book – 30 Days to Better Business Writing – and I’m publishing it as a FREE eBook to ensure that it can help as many people as possible.
You can read it online or download a PDF here on this blog.
There’s no catch. The book is completely free.
If you find [...]
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I am the proud owner of a large number of tiny, defunct computers. For example, I have a working HP 95LX handheld that runs DOS, a Toshiba Libretto 70CT which only a tiny-fingered Japanese schoolgirl could type on and an OQO Model 01+ which is as tiny as it is noisy and slow. Each [...]
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This is a great online tool that really forces you to write. It just stops short of delivering electric shocks if you stop work (although that’s a promised future feature!).
Check out Write or Die and Dr. Wicked’s Blog.
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I have updated the writing tools on Articulate’s website and added a new one. They are free to use and I hope people find them helpful. Feedback and suggestions are welcome.
Readability calculator
This is a fantastic tool to calculate readability scores for blocks of text (just cut and paste) or websites (just enter a website address [...]
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I am working on a number of website projects right now. My mission is to banish ‘lorem ipsum’ by working text into page designs before development starts. (To find out why, read my article: Want a good website, on time? Prioritise content)
I wanted to find a tool that would let me create page mockups quickly [...]
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Dropbox is a better way to share files between different users and different computers. It beats FTP for large files and email for pretty much any attachments. I use to exchange videos, graphics and presentations with clients and my subcontractors.
Once everyone is set up on DropBox, it’s like having a file server folder that works [...]
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Matthew Stibbe is Writer in chief at Articulate Marketing and editor of Golf Hotel Whiskey, the free online magazine for pilots. Follow me on Twitter.
Check out my new, free eBook, 30 Days to Better Business Writing, 116 pages of expert tips, advice and help to make you a better writer. Download a PDF or read online - free.