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  • 3 Quick Tips for Checking Your Own Writing

    3 Quick Tips for Checking Your Own Writing

    If you do any amount of writing at your job, then this article is for you. Whether you write emails to clients or reports to document projects, it’s important to do a final check before hitting Send or Print. There is nothing more horrifying than spotting a glaring error right after you have sent off an important email or file.

    Writers should use these quick tips for checking that their writing looks polished before sharing their work with their audience.

    Tip 1: Read your work in a new way

    After you have finished your writing task and typed your last period (or signed off with your name), don’t press send yet. Save your work and take a break, even if it’s for a few minutes.

    When you return, check over your work with fresh eyes. One of the best ways to do this is to read your writing out loud. It’s a great way to realize if a sentence is awkwardly phrased if you trip over your own words. Or, if you nearly pass out while reading, it’s a hint that you may need more commas or shorter sentences.

    Another way to read your writing with fresh eyes is to print out what you’ve written or change the type style or font size. Just changing the appearance of your writing can help you to notice typos or grammar mistakes that you didn’t see before.

    Yet another suggestion for checking your work is to run your grammar check or spell check program if you have one. Some writers use the Read Aloud feature if they are using Word. Hearing another voice read your work aloud can help you find errors you might not have noticed if you only review it silently.

    Tip 1:

    • Read your writing aloud
    • Print out your writing or change the presentation of your writing
    • Run a spell check or grammar check program

    Tip 2: Create a checklist to follow

    A great habit is creating your own checklist to refer to whenever you write something that will be shared with an important audience, such as your boss, client, or customers.

    Do you often get two words mixed up, such as “cite” and “site”? Do you often forget the rules for using commas, or whether a technical term in your industry should be capitalized or spelt a certain way? If you find yourself making the same mistakes over and over again, create a checklist of common errors or confusing writing points. Then make a habit of going through this checklist before you share your writing assignment with your audience.

    Another tip is to keep templates of the types of writing that you do most often. Following the template for an email, report, or presentation saves time and helps you to learn that particular style of writing.

    This repetition creates a habit. Eventually, you will internalize this checklist when you keep repeating it to yourself. It’s one of the best ways to learn how to spell a word, learn a grammar rule, or familiarize yourself with how something is written in your industry or company.

    Tip 2:

    • Create a checklist
    • Use templates
    • Create a habit

    Tip 3: Commit 1 to 5 minutes a day to learning something new

    Each day, commit one to five minutes a day minimum to learning a new writing tip: One minute if you don’t do much writing at work. Five minutes or more if you do a lot of writing daily.

    These quick tips are easily digestible lessons that will help improve your writing over time. No matter if you’re a novice or pro at writing, this tip still applies.

    Refresh your grammar and punctuation rules. Learn how to spell a challenging word correctly. Or improve your plain language or technical writing skills. Even a minute a day, each workday, can add up to a significant amount of time over a year.

    Your lessons can come from grammar and writing books, YouTube videos about writing, a dictionary, or writing style guides specific to your company. Many resources are out there for you to learn from.

    Tip 3:

    • Commit a specific amount of time to improve your writing daily
    • Use different sources, from print to online

    Key Takeaways

    Before you hit the send or publish button after finishing a writing task, take a moment to check over your work. You could save yourself the embarrassment of sending an email with a blatant grammar mistake.

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  • Insights From Famous Writers: Stephen King

    Insights From Famous Writers: Stephen King

  • Business Review: Halloween Museum

    Business Review: Halloween Museum

    Museums that are replicas of villages or towns from another time are intriguing. They waken the imagination, teach us history, and connect the past to the present.

    The 1920s village museum I visited recently is decorated with a spooky yet friendly autumn theme for about a week in October. Unlike previous years, there is no trick-or-treating because of the pandemic. However, this year’s crow and pumpkin themed event was proof that we can still celebrate traditions and enjoy time with friends and family.

    Here are some highlights from the Eerie Illusions event.

    When you first walk in, you hear the voices of two children projected on loudspeakers. They have discovered a spellbook that they want to try out! Lights project onto the field to scarecrows standing guard, and behind them, you see dancing, winking jack-o-lanterns in the trees.

    A crowd stands around in a half-circle to watch the performance. No one seems afraid that the magic that has brought the pumpkins to life will affect the bystanders too.

    All family members, from children to adults, and costumed small and tall people, were transfixed by the attractions. They took photos. They pointed at the displays. One child kept pointing at the house-sized spiders and spider webs but I wasn’t sure what mezmerized him about the webs.

    The village seemed to come alive with a temporary magic in the evening. In the church, two pumpkins were getting married.  Down the street, two other pumpkins are talking to each other and driving their early 1900s car. Like in a Disney movie, the ordinary came to life to do the same activities as any human. And the sights weren’t spooky at all.

    On the main street, museum visitors could get their photo taken by an invisible photographer. You could stand on a marked circle and look at a mirror. Then the photographer’s voice told you that your photo was ready, and in the mirror, you saw yourself, but projected over you was a ghost.

    You’ll notice much attention to detail. On one darker side of the street, painted trees glowed in the night. In the bushes, you saw the unblinking neon eyes of owls and other creatures as they watched you. A stuffed raccoon (toy stuffed, not taxidermy stuffed) studied you from next to the base of a tree.  

    At the end of the street, the one-room schoolhouse was closed. The students had gone home, but you could see the shadows of crows fluttering behind the windows. Eerie music played in the background. Would you dare to enter the building? Good thing school was out.

    The farmhouse was one of the best sights at the museum. The full moon next to it was a ball of light with images projected on it. If you watched long enough, you would see the moon change colours and birds flying across its surface. At some point, the moon had closed eyes and a mouth as the moon slept!

    The seasonal harvest was part of the farmhouse display. The bottled jams and corn dollies looked real enough to eat (if you could eat plastic), and no one was in sight. Should you buy the food? Or take it? But maybe a ghost is watching. The glowing jack-o-lanterns definitely had their eyes on you.

    Key Takeaways

    Halloween isn’t just about scaring others or getting scared. In the case of the museum, visitors followed the story of two children who used their magic to bring creatures to life. The village was transformed, and we could see pumpkin people and crows doing what many humans do. These themed events are a great way to bring people to a place that connects the past with the present.

  • Motivation Quotes for Entrepreneurs: Albert Einstein

    Motivation Quotes for Entrepreneurs: Albert Einstein

  • 10 Quick Grammar Tips that Make You Look Smart (Part 2)

    10 Quick Grammar Tips that Make You Look Smart (Part 2)

    Grammar is a tricky subject, wouldn’t you agree? Even if you write every day and love your grammar (maybe), you’ll find that rules change. English is a living language, and what wasn’t correct before can become accepted!

    On the flip side, some mistakes are repeated so often that people think they are correct when they aren’t. Here are ten more quick grammar tips to avoid common slips and make you look smart. You can also check out ten quick grammar tips part one.

    Tip 1: toward/towards

    Which form of the word do you use? Do you use toward or towards, backward or backwards, or afterward or afterwards?

    Here’s the quick rule to remember: American and Canadian English prefer the form without the “s” and British prefer the “s”. Whichever form you choose, stay consistent!

    Tip 2: peak/peek/pique

    These three words all sound the same, so they sometimes get confused when writers write their thoughts in a hurry.

    Peak is the high point or apex, peek means a quick look or glance, and pique describes something arousing interest.

    Tip 3: stationary/stationery

    One of these words is a favourite for writers and editors.

    Something stationary is immobile and stays in one place. It doesn’t go anywhere. Stationery refers to writing materials such as paper, envelopes, and cards.

    Tip 4: between/among

    These two words are easy to mix up and to use incorrectly.

    Between is used for one-to-one relationships. For example, a secret is kept between you and me. It can also refer to multiple one-to-one relationships. For example, trade between countries. Among is for collective relationships. For example, the teacher divided the candy among the children.

    Tip 5: illegible/unreadable

    Have you ever picked up a handwritten note and you had trouble with the handwriting?

    Illegible handwriting or printing is not clear enough for you to read. You can’t figure out what the words are because each letter is a messy scrawl. Writing that is unreadable is hard to understand or boring. You can understand each word, but you can’t make sense of the main point or message.

    Tip 6: sight/site/cite

    A sight is something that you want to see, such as a tourist seeing the sights. Sight can also refer to something that helps you to see, such as the sight of a gun.

    A site is a location or place, such as an archaeological site, or the site where the condo will be constructed. A website also uses this form of the word.

    Cite refers to a citation, or sourcing information. Researchers cite the sources where they got their information.

    Tip 7: anyone/any one

    Anyone is a singular pronoun that means any person. For example, anyone can visit the park.

    Any one refers to a single person or thing in a group and shows emphasis. For example, I don’t know any one of those people in the class.

    Tip 8: loose/lose

    With this example, one letter can make a big difference.

    Loose refers to complete release, or release something from restraints. For example, the loose screw under the table may fall out soon.

    When you lose something, it is taken from you. For example, people don’t like to lose their job, or lose a chance at winning a prize.

    Tip 9: disorganized/unorganized

    You might be thinking: disorganized and unorganized mean the same thing. True, but there are minor differences.

    Disorganized can also mean confused or unable to work together. For example, the campaign was poorly planned and disorganized.

    Tip 10: question whether/question of whether/question as to whether

    Just remember: the shorter the better. If you can get your meaning across with fewer words, always choose the phrasing with fewer words. In this case, all three expressions have the same meaning, but the shortest one is the preferred choice.

    Key Takeaway

    Many common grammar mistakes have made their way into our written communication. Check your hastily written texts and your rushed emails to ensure you’re not guilty of making these mistakes! Follow these ten grammar tips to make your grammar look polished.

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