You’ve been writing headlines wrong this whole time! (and other lazy titles)

I’ve noticed a rather odd trend in journalism – titles of articles are getting more and more formulaic. What do I mean by that? Well, let me try and explain. Do you follow any news websites, lifestyle sites or online magazines on social media (and I’m really talking about Twitter more than anything here)? If […]

Let’s get some perspective: taking a step back from celebrity culture

While idly channel-hopping last night, I ended up watching the Jonathan Ross Show on TV. And one of the guests was Russell Brand, comedian, writer and wearer of unfeasibly skinny jeans. Now, I’m totally aware that Russell Brand isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I like the guy. Yes, he does play up to the […]

Keep it simple, stupid! A guide to effective writing

As a writer and editor, I get to see a lot of content written by other people. And it never ceases to amaze me how complicated and overly fussy some of us make our writing. So I’ve come up with my own little maxim for these situations: and that’s ‘Keep it simple, stupid!’. What’s the […]

Procrastination and the allure of social media

Procrastination: the curse of the writer. Sometimes the hardest thing in the world can be sitting with a blank screen in front of you and waiting for divine inspiration to strike. At these moments, absolutely anything seems preferable to actually getting on with the job in hand and starting to type your thoughts onto the […]

Forget the political spin – use the active voice

Politicians are not exactly renowned for giving you the straight facts. Their reputation is one of evasiveness and persuasiveness, mixed with a healthy dollop of self interest to top things off. But recently I’ve noticed more and more examples of how politicians achieve this ability to evade the question. They, or their creative spin doctors […]

Leaving the corporate machine behind – a new job and a change of direction

Yes, I’ve been very lax on the blog front so far this year – note to self: must write more! But I do have an excuse. I’ve changed jobs and have spent the last three weeks moving from being a marketing executive at a massive professional service firm to becoming a writer in the marketing […]

The golden age of swearing – cussing, expletives and potty mouths

Swearing: apparently, it’s not big and it’s not clever. But it can be ****ing funny, in context. And that’s the problem with using the occasional swear word – when is it appropriate? Will your fruity use of cuss words endear you to the person you’re talking to and make them realise how straight-talking and down-to-earth […]

Being stupid isn’t clever – the rise of reality TV stars

We’re all used to TV and film stars playing up the old ‘I’m a bit dim, me’ persona. There’s a rich comic lineage of characters who’ve played on being the least sharp tool in the comedy box: George Formby, Norman Wisdom, Michael Crawford’s Frank Spencer, Harry Enfield’s Tim Nice-but-dim. But these were characters adopted by […]

Somebody pick up the phone – why music shouldn’t be background

As someone who hot-desks in several different offices, and as a regular commuter on trains full of business people, I’m often subjected to other people’s dubious choice of phone ringtone. Now, we all want our ringtone to be individual – there’s nothing worse than a phone ringing and three people around the meeting room table […]

We are sorry for any inconvenience – getting your messaging right

Back on the topic of commuting once again… It’s been a week of trauma so far for Britain’s commuters and the rail companies whose services they use. The ‘UKstorm’, as it was hashtagged on Twitter, managed to wreak havoc on the rail system before it had even arrived. The vast majority of rail companies in […]