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Writing tips

Hot off the press: our thoughts on what's happening in the world of brand language and business writing. Warning: may contain the occasional rant.

Writing tips

Time to stage an intervention

Our Neil’s spotted some welcome writing advice in an unusual place.

Writing, Learning & development

Writing tips

How to make your writing groundbreaking (and maybe win a Black Pencil)

Last week I shared some of the year’s best ‘Writing for Design’ entries from the D&AD Awards. But not one of them was quite groundbreaking enough to win the ultimate accolade: the Black Pencil.

Writing, Brand & marketing

Writing tips

Why jargon could save your life

Our Padders is here with a few kind words for our old enemy: jargon.

Writing, Customer experience

Writing tips

Some people dangle their participles. Get over it.

Bad Grammar Award? No thanks, says our Harry. There’s more to life than a dangling participle.

Writing, Brand & marketing

Writing tips

Don’t count every word; make every word count

Our man in New York is tired of arguing that good writing doesn't have to mean a lot of writing. And he knows who to blame.

Writing, Brand & marketing

Writing tips

Teal deer get plenty of attention

Our Lewis thinks teal deer might just have the answer to keeping your readers reading till the end.

Writing, Learning & development

Writing tips

The language of love

Our Sarah-Jayne isn’t impressed with the writing skills of New York's eligible bachelors.

Writing, Brand & marketing

Writing tips

Your headlines are dull as ditchwater – and it’s costing you

Businesses could learn a lot from link-sharing site Upworthy, who write 25 headlines for every article to come up with the killer angle. (And it's won them over ten million readers.)

Consulting, Brand & marketing

Writing tips

Our game of Consequences: the results

Our game of Consequences turned out some interesting results...

Consulting, Learning & development

Writing tips

For starters, get them hooked

Our Jan wants writers to take a leaf out of the best Hollywood directors' books, and get to the point.

Writing, Brand & marketing

Writing tips

Three ways to take on Christmas writing

Our Bee takes a look at the different ways brands get involved with the festive season.

Writing, Learning & development

Writing tips

Doctor, doctor, I feel like a pair of curtains*

We all love to hate cracker jokes. But what's the science behind what makes them so popular?

Writing, Learning & development

Writing tips

A corporate carol

Have you managed to decipher our corporate carol yet? Answers this way...

Writing, Brand & marketing

Writing tips

Doing it for the kids

It turns out that young people like brands that keep it short and simple.

Consulting, Brand & marketing

Writing tips

Elmore Leonard's ten rules for writing

Crime writer Elmore Leonard has died. He wrote ten rules for writing, which have long been a Writer bookshelf favourite.

Writing, Learning & development

Writing tips

The 's' word

Find out which jargon LC's ready to bring in from the cold.

Writing, Learning & development

Writing tips

Desperation’s never a good look

Pretty regularly I’ll get an email that makes me chuckle. Other times it’s just something I completely agree with. Whatever it is, I just want to clap the writer on the back and congratulate them on their stellar work.

Writing, Brand & marketing

Writing tips

Keeping your language clean

Brighton is covered in rubbish. The dustmen are on strike, the bins are overflowing; torn open by seagulls and other vermin. And people have stopped caring.

Writing, Brand & marketing

Writing tips

Please don’t go

In an attempt to declutter my inbox, I’ve been unsubscribing from various newsletters I’d signed up for over the years. You know the drill: you squint at the small print at the bottom of their last email until you find the ‘unsubscribe’ link,

Writing, Brand & marketing

Writing tips

A priceless cranny

Sometimes a tiny bit of writing can be inordinately powerful. Us Writer trainers spend quite a lot of time in the air, and I usually fly British Airways (for the points, and the ineffably polite cabin service, occasionally tinged with a note of public-weary sarcasm).

Writing, Brand & marketing