The final step in my six-part POWERS process for team-oriented content production is to study the results. If you don’t pay attention to the effectiveness of your content, it’s difficult or impossible to improve it. What may be worse is that it’s also impossible to prove that the content was worth the investment.… Story continues…

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…

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…

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’…

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.……

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)…

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…