FIND YOUR BOOK'S TOPIC NOW--even if you have no idea what to write!

How to Increase Integrity in Your Writing

When it comes to business, having integrity is critical. If clients donā€™t believe youā€™re true to your word, your business suffers.Ā 

But how does integrity play a role in your writing?Ā 

Hereā€™s my take: If you wouldnā€™t say a particular word when speaking, you shouldnā€™t use it in your writing, either.Ā 

Just as it does in business, a lack of integrity in writing can come back to bite you.Ā 

When I was still teaching at the college, I once participated in a plagiarism case. Iā€™ll never forget the student whose work was examined.Ā 

After reading her essay, our committee was unanimous that it couldnā€™t have been her own work (her regular teacher was very familiar with her in-class writing, and this wasnā€™t it). Still, we gave her the benefit of the doubt.Ā 

As the student sat across the table from us, we each asked a question about the essay. When it was my turn, I said, ā€œIn this sentence, you write: ā€˜the underlying proclivity of the dominant sector highlights the abysmal decrepitude of the s...

Continue Reading...

An Important Distinction to Help Your Writing

[Image: Chen on Pixabay]

I remember the first time I was asked to speak at a conference. My immediate thought was, ā€œBut Iā€™m a writer, not a speaker! Who will want to listen to me? I've got nothing worthwhile to say. . .ā€

Far too many of us fall into this trap of ā€œIā€™m not good enoughā€ when we consider what weā€™ll write, too. The problem is, weā€™re comparing ourselves to the A-listers out there, the famous writers--and we see ourselves falling short.Ā 

For instance, I thought about all the great TEDx talks Iā€™d watched on YouTube and how wonderful those speakers were. Or the keynote speakers Iā€™d observed online, where I listened to big names like Tony Robbins, Brene BrownĀ  or Simon Sinek.Ā 

Well, compare yourself to those guys, and no wonder it's hard to measure up.Ā Ā 

But hereā€™s a different perspective. I learned this from my mentor in university, and have found it really useful over the years.

When I started sending out academic articles for publication as a Masters student, I couldn...

Continue Reading...

Notwithstanding (Why You Must Sound Like You in Your Writing)

I was there as a tourist, so to speak. My roommate was asked to lecture on her area of expertise (set design) to a university class, and I was there to provide feedback and emotional support.Ā 

I was excited to hear her since I loved everything to do with drama and had always dreamed of becoming an actor.

(That dream was shattered once I actually got a bit part in a play and had to repeat the exact same lines four nights in a row. Phantom of the Opera cast, how did you not lose your sanity?!).

I sat in the front row (because thatā€™s what keeners do), ready to take notes.Ā 

My friend appeared, dressed in a knee-length pencil skirt and blouse buttoned up to her neck. She looked like Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.Ā 

Except normally, she wore long, floor-length flowing skirts covered in bright flowers and embroidery, cowboy boots, chunky hand-knit sweaters, hair long and loose.Ā 

The class fell silent. And then, she began.Ā 

ā€œGood afternoon, cla...

Continue Reading...
Close

50% Complete

Two Step

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.