A Little Toilet Humor

Seen inside a public toilet stall: Toilet out of order. Please use floor below. (My sons do that… and our toilet works.) On a readerboard outside a pre-school: This sign intentionally left blank, just like your child’s mind. (Should parents interpret this as a compliment or an insult?) In an office break room: After tea […]

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New Web-based List-Making Tool: TeuxDeux (Review)

I’m always looking for tools to help business professionals (including myself) stay organized. Discovered a new to-do list-making tool called, appropriately, TeuxDeux. I’ve been testing this free, Web-based tool this week (you just need to create a username and password to use it) and it’s about as simple as they come. The interface is clean […]

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Build a Blog Post Around a Special Event of the Month

  Did you know… …John Lennon was murdered December 8, 1980? … the computer mouse was developed December 9, 1968? … Emily Dickinson’s birthday was December 10, 1830? (a fact every poet should have memorized!) Whenever your blog post idea bank runs dry, consider writing an article that focuses on a historic event, date, or […]

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10 Popular Phrases You Must Immediately Delete From Your Writing

I eagerly downloaded and printed a 30-page Special Report from a well-known blogger. Highlighter pen in hand, I began reading, expecting to find many nuggets. I did do a lot of underlining, but not the things the author hoped I’d highlight.

Instead, I marked 10 words and phrases the author used repeatedly. Here they are, followed by my translation of each:

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Using Gender Labeling to Make Your Brand More Desirable

Products marketed to women can cost up to 50 percent more than similar products for men, according to a new article in Consumer Reports. We’re talking twin products – ones that have identical ingredients yet have different packaging, description, or name. Curious to see if I am falling prey to paying 50 percent more because […]

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The Secret to Writing Great Media Interview Questions

When I was preparing a media kit for an author who’s written a book for addicts, I discovered the following question (which the author intends to be used in a media interview): Your book is over 200 pages long; surely the addict will get bored and roll joints with the pages rather than read them? […]

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10 Good Reasons to Blog

Yesterday we discussed the top 8 reasons why people decide not to blog. Today we’ll chew on the top 10 reasons why people blog. 1.  To make new friends Everyone longs to feel like part of a community. Blogging connects you with a worldwide community of like-minded people with whom you can engage in conversation […]

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8 Reasons NOT to Blog

“Do I need a blog?” Nope. You don’t. You can live a purpose-filled life minus a blog. Don’t let anyone convince you that you have to blog, just for the sake of blogging. But you might want to blog. Whether you’re a small business owner, an author who’s looking to promote your upcoming book, or […]

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TV Ads We Love to Hate (Poll)

I’m not much of a TV watcher. But during the past month I’ve been battling a flu-like bug, and have spent hours slumped in a recliner, flipping channels with the best of them. I’ve watched countless commercials that are so irritating, I’ve vowed never to buy the products. Here are my least favorite commercials, in […]

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Make Your Writing Sing: Add Great Dialogue

In Home to Holly Springs, the latest installment in the best-selling Mitford Series, Jan Karon creates characters so real, you feel as if you’ve known them your whole life. She’s one of the few authors who can—in the course of one page—elicit both laughter and tears from me. Her books harken back to the good […]

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