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July 2012 – Words into Action, Inc.

http://laurafrench.com/2012/07

Words into Action, Inc. Laura French, Ph.D. Comments Off on BLOT II. Although the BLOT must be the first thing the reader finds in a business document, a clear and cogent BLOT is not likely to be the first thing a writer writes. Writing is a process of discovery that’s why adolescents, and others, keep journals. You aren’t fully aware of what you’re going to say until you’ve said it. Now do two more things:. Speechless but not stumped. How to say “thank you”. 8220;Show, don’t tell”.

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“Show, don’t tell” – Words into Action, Inc.

http://laurafrench.com/show-dont-tell

Words into Action, Inc. Laura French, Ph.D. 8220;Show, don’t tell”. The advice in the headline comes from the late, great Henry James. It is the secret of great fiction: Concrete versus abstract. In non-fiction, the same advice applies, but the reasons are different: The difference between argument and assertion is that the former provides support for a point of view. The latter doesn’t, and the reader is left to take the writer’s word for it. Or not. What he calls a boring list of achievements is what I...

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January 2013 – Words into Action, Inc.

http://laurafrench.com/2013/01

Words into Action, Inc. Laura French, Ph.D. The Desk Drawer Strategy. Comments Off on The Desk Drawer Strategy. I was talking to a former student over the holidays, and guess what piece of advice he cited as most helpful in his business writing? Not the BLOT or the advice about tightening languagenot the Focus Sheet or the insights about audience and purpose. Nope. What he said was, I remember how you told us to walk away from the manuscript for a while. I still do that, and it really works. Allocating t...

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March 2013 – Words into Action, Inc.

http://laurafrench.com/2013/03

Words into Action, Inc. Laura French, Ph.D. How to say “thank you”. Comments Off on How to say “thank you”. An article in a job-seekers newsletter affirmed the value of the written thank-you note as a follow-up to an interview. With so little coming into the office via mail v. email, it’s a pleasure for many business people to actually open an envelope and read a hand written note. It connects in much different way than a typed email., the article said. None of these are reasons not to send a hand-writte...

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Draft Dodging – Words into Action, Inc.

http://laurafrench.com/draft-dodging

Words into Action, Inc. Laura French, Ph.D. Anne Lamott, bless her heart, offers single best piece of writing advice: Writ a really, really sh* *y first draft. Her point, more or less, is that the first draft is going to be dreadful no matter what. You aren’t going to make it better by enabling a bunch of nagging and critical voices inside your head. In writing, you can’t be a writer and an editor at the same time. One activity is spontaneous and messy. The other is analytical and precise. Mo...Calling a...

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BLOT – Words into Action, Inc.

http://laurafrench.com/blot

Words into Action, Inc. Laura French, Ph.D. By the end of the first paragraph of a business document, the reader should know not only what problem, issue or opportunity you’re writing about, but also the proposed solution or action steps you will be advocating. Deborah Dumaine, in her excellent business writing book, Write to the Top, calls this BLOT bottom line on top. There are two reasons for BLOT:. If you put your conclusions at the end of the document, chances are your reader will never get to them.

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Calling all Jewish writers – Words into Action, Inc.

http://laurafrench.com/calling-all-jewish-writers

Words into Action, Inc. Laura French, Ph.D. Calling all Jewish writers. This year’s big movie was. The film about the sixteenth president and his bold bid to pass the Thirteenth Amendment. I went to the film looking forward not only to Steven Spielberg’s directing and the star turns of Daniel Day Lewis and Sally Fields, but most of all to the Tony Kushner screenplay. I have been a die-hard Kushner fan since I saw. Caroline, or Change. In the Guthrie bar. The result was sort of a mess, although not at...

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How to say “thank you” – Words into Action, Inc.

http://laurafrench.com/316

Words into Action, Inc. Laura French, Ph.D. How to say “thank you”. An article in a job-seekers newsletter affirmed the value of the written thank-you note as a follow-up to an interview. With so little coming into the office via mail v. email, it’s a pleasure for many business people to actually open an envelope and read a hand written note. It connects in much different way than a typed email., the article said. None of these are reasons not to send a hand-written note. But they are good reasons to...

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BLOT II – Words into Action, Inc.

http://laurafrench.com/blot-ii

Words into Action, Inc. Laura French, Ph.D. Although the BLOT must be the first thing the reader finds in a business document, a clear and cogent BLOT is not likely to be the first thing a writer writes. Writing is a process of discovery that’s why adolescents, and others, keep journals. You aren’t fully aware of what you’re going to say until you’ve said it. Now do two more things:. Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time. The Desk Drawer Strategy. Speechless but not stumped.

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June 2012 – Words into Action, Inc.

http://laurafrench.com/2012/06

Words into Action, Inc. Laura French, Ph.D. Comments Off on BLOT. By the end of the first paragraph of a business document, the reader should know not only what problem, issue or opportunity you’re writing about, but also the proposed solution or action steps you will be advocating. Deborah Dumaine, in her excellent business writing book, Write to the Top, calls this BLOT bottom line on top. There are two reasons for BLOT:. I simply ruled their conclusions invalid. Speechless but not stumped. Suffusion t...