if you're bored, you're not paying attention
Unfinished or quasi-finished prose that hasn’t been published elsewhere
If you’ve been following along the past few weeks, I’ve been going through the stages of the POWERS process for creating and publishing content as a team.
For the most recent stages of the process, check out my pieces on getting started writing and the role of an editor.… Story continues … “Release management for content products”
A few weeks ago, I used an image in this newsletter that I wish I hadn’t.
It was a picture of a little sign on someone’s desk that said, “Write without fear. Edit without mercy.”
I kind of regret using that image because editing without mercy is not my style.… Story continues … “The job of an editor”
If you’ve been following the team-writing process I outlined a couple of weeks ago, you’ll reach a point where you have an assignment brief (however brief it may be) and an outline. Now, you’re ready to write.
In some ways, this part should be the easiest.… Story continues … “How to write — and how to avoid writers’ block”
The heart of a well-organized writing project is an outline.
This is a surprisingly controversial statement. I know many writers hate working with an outline, and for creative projects, their reluctance is understandable.
But for team writing, some kind of outline — even if it’s just a basic set of bullet points — is essential.… Story continues … “Three ways to write an outline — plus one that is better than all the others”
I’ve been doing a lot of freewriting lately, taking inspiration from creativity teachers like Natalie Goldberg, Julia Cameron, and Lynda Barry (Lynda Barry! is! amazing!).
The idea is that you sit down with some blank pages in front of you and just start writing, either for a set amount of time (10 or 15 minutes) or until you’ve filled up a certain number of pages (2 or 3).… Story continues … “How to start a writing project (with a team)”
Most people think of writing as a solitary activity undertaken by lone geniuses operating under various degrees of inspiration and sheer tenacity.
But business writing is not usually the expression of a single individual’s talent — it is generally, and often by definition, the expression of an organization’s collective intention.… Story continues … “The POWERS process for effective writing”
This is a self-portrait I drew in a minute or so with my eyes closed.
I made this a couple of years ago during a group Zoom activity at work. (We were also drawing llamas, and the eyes-closed self-portrait was one of the warmups, if I remember correctly.)… Story continues … “Self-portrait with eyes closed”
Michael De Bonis of WOSU, an NPR affiliate in Columbus, Ohio, interviewed me for this look at the history of CompuServe, a pioneering information service.
De Bonis writes:
… Story continues … “WOSU: 45 years ago CompuServe connected the world before the World Wide Web”Former tech journalist Dylan Tweney covered the industry for decades and was an early Compuserve user.
I’m excited to share my latest project with you: a 24-page ebook on the state of the art in content creation, based on a detailed survey of some of the tech industry’s top content pros.
The respondents represent over 600 years of collective experience in journalism and professional collaborative content creation. … Story continues … “Content creation — the state of the art (e-book)”
In 2005, Princeton University philosopher Harry G. Frankfurt published a book that holds the key to understanding much of what’s going on in the 21st century. On Bullshit pulls no punches, right from its opening line: “One of the salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit.”… Story continues … “Lies, damn lies, and GenAI”