Year in Review

OK, so it's not an entire year in review, since I just started this blog in late September. But, in this busy time of year, it's always nice to take a moment to reflect.

I had my doubts when I started this blog. The usual fear-of-failure stuff. Will I come up with enough ideas of things to write about? Will I have the discipline to keep it going? Will I write often enough for the digital age (heaven forbid mine be one of those sad blogs that you visit and it hasn't been updated in several months)? Will anybody read the damn thing, or will it sit there like rotting crops in a field?

Happily, I've found myself with no shortage of ideas and news to write about. My only block is a shortage of free time. My self-discipline is better than I expected it to be (historically, it has not been my forte). And some people are actually reading it! Hooray!

The experience of blogging has been both enjoyable and instructive. It's made me recall how much I love to write. It's given me a new format to explore and try to get good at. And it's reminded me how discipline is absolutely key. Sometimes you have to sit down and write, even if you're not on fire with a great idea or aren't in the mood. Once you make yourself do it, the words flow.

It's been a good time. Happy holidays, and thanks for reading! See you in 2011.

LinkedIn's List of Resume Cliches

LinkedIn recently published a Top 10 list of overused buzzwords in the resumes and professional profiles posted on its website. They are:

1. Extensive experience
2. Innovative
3. Motivated
4. Results-oriented
5. Dynamic
6. Proven track record
7. Team player
8. Fast-paced
9. Problem solver
10. Entrepreneurial

What do you think of this list?

Editor that I am, I immediately checked my own resume for these culprits. I don't have any of them, except the word "experience" as a section header. My LinkedIn profile doesn't have any either. I'm sort of surprised to see that.

Which Came First?

While I find this list of buzzwords amusing, I think this is not about job seekers being appallingly uncreative. Job ads contain those exact same buzzwords in abundance! Who can blame a job seeker for using the same phrases that are in the ads for their desired jobs? If they want the job, they have to talk the talk. If the employer likes these phrases, the employee thinks, then maybe they will like my resume/profile/cover letter if I use these phrases too.

So I think this is a "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" issue. It's not fair to lay all the blame on the job seekers, LinkedIn. Where's your criticism of HR departments and corporate communications drones?

Are Cliches Evil?

Cliche is an interesting concept in writing. Back in high school, I took a creative writing class. I remember my teacher, Mr. Armstrong, hammering home the point that cliches were sinful and to be avoided in quality writing. And he was right. Exceptional writing creates original concepts and phrases, rather than relying on the creations of other writers.

LinkedIn seems to agree. In its article, it says: "With the national unemployment rate well over 9 percent, you might want to consider eradicating these phrases from your own professional documents and profiles next time you’re trying to impress an employer."

I take a live-and-let-live attitude toward cliches. Sure, they're never going to win any awards for creativity. But for every cliche, there's a reason it became so popular. Usually it's because it was an excellent way to phrase a particular concept, and so many people agreed that they used the phrase ad nauseum. It's like when a band writes a great song, and everybody loves it, so every radio station plays it all day long, and suddenly you hate it and start avoiding it.

If a phrase became popular because it was an excellent way to phrase something, then part of me has a hard time rejecting it just because it's popular. I value succinctness, conciseness, and elegant turns of phrase as well as creativity.

I'm sure I have used cliches in business writing and other types of writing. I try not to, but sometimes it happens, especially when you're writing on deadline. There's a big difference between creative writing and bang-it-out-quickly, get-'er-done writing.

When I write creatively, however, I actively try to avoid cliches, taking the word creative literally. Creative writing is a writer's place to shine, to channel that voice that is truly your own, to make something entirely original that you can be proud of. Mr. Armstrong, you taught me well.

What Freelancers Go Through to Get Paid

In an ideal world, freelancers wouldn't have to fight to get paid. But this is far from an ideal world.

New York Times commentator Elizabeth Dwoskin describes this fight explicitly in her article "Begging for Your Pay," published yesterday. Read it here.

Damn It, Jim, I'm A Writer, Not a Debt Collector

Fighting to get paid, unfortunately, is familiar to every freelancer I have ever met. I have only freelanced off and on, with a few months doing it full-time. But when I did, I learned what I needed to know, and fast.

Here's what I learned. It's a rare company that pays a freelancer quickly. Most of them wait until the end date of your invoice before they even think about cutting you a check. In other words, if your invoice says Net 30 Days, you'll most likely be calling them on day 31, and several more times too, before you actually get paid.

Full-time freelancers, I applaud you. Personally, I could never make ends meet when I was constantly chasing after my invoices. It's hard to stay on top of your bills when you have no earthly clue when your paycheck is coming. I'd love to know how you do it, full-timers. Presumably you have excellent clients who pay quickly, a good lawyer, a fat savings account, a spouse as backup, an hourly rate so high that you can wait a while between checks, or all of the above.

The Battle Can Get Ugly

Some companies seem to feel like they can pay you whenever -- and in whatever amount(s) -- they feel like paying you, or not pay you at all. I took one company to small claims court because they decided they wanted to pay me a sum equal to one-fifth of our agreed-upon amount. Luckily, I had it in writing.

Basically, for freelancers, it comes down to this. To the company, you are not a person. You are a vendor. You are a faceless entity who delivers goods/services and sends invoices. Sure, somebody at the company knows you personally, perhaps has even met you face to face. That person may even care about whether you can pay your rent on time. But it's unlikely that that person works in Accounts Payable or has any sway over the people who do.

The whole thing reminds me of that documentary, The Corporation. Have you seen it? It explains how, in terms of behavior, corporations are psychopaths. In other words, they have no sympathy whatsoever. Which is why it's totally ineffective when freelancers beg and say things like, "I need to pay my bills." The company doesn't care. It only cares about not paying you if there will be consequences. Like getting taken to court.

It's not personal. It's not like the company hates you or wants your credit score to go down the toilet. It's just how companies behave toward vendors. I worked for one company whose accounting department routinely paid vendors' invoices very late, usually because it was waiting on money from its clients.

But Is It Legal?

No federal laws explicitly protect freelancers or provide guidelines for how frequently they should be paid. To the feds, you, the self-employed person, are not a person per se -- you are a business. Businesses don't have the same rights as people.

Some states do have protections. Dwoskin mentions a bill pending in Albany that would enable the cases of independent contractors to be investigated by the state Department of Labor. Organizations such as the Freelancers' Union advocate for more protections.

If you are starting out as a freelancer, I highly recommend researching the labor laws in your state. See what they have to say about freelancers, independent contractors, and self-employment. You may have more (or fewer) rights than you think.

Do You Write Christmas/Holiday Cards?

Around this time each year, my husband and I write and send several dozen holiday cards. But I wonder whether this practice is going the way of the dodo in these modern times.

A Family Tradition?

My mom used to (and, I think, still does) write Christmas cards to a long list of family members and old friends. When I say “write,” I mean that she hand-wrote a personal note to each recipient about the season, the year’s events, etc. Some of these notes were longer, some shorter, depending on who it was. Point is, she took the time. And it took lots of time.

People sent Mom cards, too, from all over the country. We would tape them up on the walls. By the time Christmas rolled around, the walls were covered in cards, a colorful mosaic of photos and pictures.

Sometime after I graduated from college and was living on my own, I felt like I should send my own Christmas cards. So I did. Some friends sent me cards back, and others never did. It was clear that some of my friends came from the same tradition that I grew up with.

I have noticed that it’s usually the woman of the household who writes the Christmas cards. My husband writes quite a few cards himself, but I think he’s an exception to the rule.

Christmas Cards Today

I so enjoy getting Christmas cards in the mail. For one thing, it’s rare nowadays to receive anything in your mailbox other than bills and junk mail. And I do tape them up on the walls to look at throughout the season. I enjoy seeing pictures of friends' children, too, especially the ones who don't post pictures of their kids on Facebook.

I haven’t seen a trend toward e-cards for the holidays, and I hope I never do. Festive? Ugh, I think not. They just can’t compare to a real paper card that you can hold and open with your hands.

Kids These Days…

Many people under 30 don’t even have e-mail accounts—they think e-mail is for old people. With all their phones and devices, it’s hard to imagine them sitting down to write a grocery list, much less a Christmas card.

What do you think? Will holiday-card writing ultimately go the way of the dinosaur? Do you write holiday cards? Do you get as many cards back as you send out? What trends have you seen?

Having an Editor as a Friend

Apparently, once you get to know me, it’s pretty obvious that I’m an editor and proofreader by nature. It’s true. I can’t help myself. An eye for errors is as inborn as eye color.

From time to time, friends will get self-conscious about this. As far back as middle school, I had one friend wondering aloud whether I was looking disparagingly at all the spelling errors in her notes. (Remember notes? Sort of an 80s precursor to text messages.)

So I figured I would set the record straight in case anybody thinks I think less of them because they can’t spell.

Don’t Hate Me for My Typos

Sometimes friends will ask me if their mistakes or typos bother me. Like, in an e-mail that they wrote, or a Facebook post.

Do I notice your mistakes? Yes. Do I care? Not really – it’s an e-mail, not a book or other professional piece (which should be held to higher standards because their publishers, presumably, employ editors).

Would I hold mistakes against a friend? Absolutely not. I firmly believe that editing and proofreading are innate skills. Some people are good at them, and others are not. Would I hate you because you are a lousy actor, or a mediocre cook? Of course not. Same with proofreading.

Hey, Friend, Will You Proofread My Thesis for Me?

I would be delighted to proofread your resume, Dear John letter, blog entry, writing sample, etc. It makes me happy to use my talents toward making a piece of writing better. Like a cook taking pleasure in making a great meal for someone.

However, a thesis or novel is too long to edit as a favor. Sorry. Even my husband would have to pay me for that.

The Spelling Error Poem

Back in middle school, one of my friends, who knew she wasn’t a good speller, wrote an entire poem poking fun at bad spellers. In the poem, almost every word was misspelled, creating some funny rhymes along the way. It was brilliant.

Pack rat that I am, I may have even saved this poem in a box somewhere. If I ever find it, I’ll post it here to give this friend the kudos she deserves.

What About You?

Are you an editor? How do your friends and family feel about it?

How to Write Great Web Copy

People ask me about this topic a lot. Writing for the web can seem intimidating. But the basic principles of writing great web copy are very simple.

My Advice…

I’ve had two jobs as a web editor, and a third job working on an online educational product. In total, about 4 years of experience.

My bible of writing good web copy is Don’t Make Me Think! A Common Sense Guide to Web Usability by Steve Krug. The book follows its own principle of not making you think too much. It is straight and to the point, easy to read, easy to understand. The dust jacket says the book was meant to be read through on a short airplane flight, and it can be. Actually, you can probably finish it faster if you focus on the parts you need (e.g., web copy instead of interface design).

Keep It Short and Sweet

Here is the main principle to keep in mind for web copy. People do not read web sites like they read books.

They skim. Their eyeballs flicker down the page, grabbing stand-out text. If a page goes on for too long, readers often give up, go back to Google, and search for something shorter.

I see so many web sites with long, wordy copy. It makes me sad. People are just not going to read it. I see three exceptions to this rule:

1. Blogs. If someone is reading your blog, chances are good that they enjoy your writing and will read all of it (or nearly all). This gives you license to be more verbose. It’s also why many great blogs are later turned into books.
   
   Despite what I just said, a blog is still on the web. If a blog entry carries on for screens and screens and screens, even your fans may surf on to something else. The more scrolling you force your readers to do, the more likely they will stop reading and move on.
   
   
2. “About Us,” “Company History,” and similar pages. I’m talking about pages whose express purpose is to provide copious details that a user has specifically requested (by clicking the link). Even here, it’s wise not to go into too much detail. Save the long version for the annual report or the printed brochure.
   
   
3. Tutorials. I have learned a lot from online instruction manuals, from recipes to Photoshop tutorials. As with “About Us” pages, their purpose is to provide abundant detail when there’s an excellent chance the reader actually does want to sit and read it all.

But even these three types of writing can be made more web-friendly. For tips, read on.

How Do I Keep It Short and Sweet?

Several basic tools can make web copy more readable:

• Boldface subheads. When a reader is scanning down a page, it should be as easy as possible for them to spot the parts they want to read. To that end, boldface subheads are gold.
  
  I’m not saying you should precede every single paragraph with a subhead. But I wouldn’t go longer than three or four paragraphs without one, unless it can’t be avoided.
  
  Blog entries might be an exception, depending on the blog. If you write the kind of narrative blog that reads like a short story, subheads may not make sense.
  
  
• Short, concise copy. Generally, the web is not a place to be verbose. After you write a web page, go back over it and see where your copy can be tightened up. Long paragraph? Break it up into two paragraphs. Long sentence? Break it up into two sentences. Long phrase? See if there’s a shorter way to say it.
  
  
• Short paragraphs. I cannot emphasize this enough. When someone skims a page, they do not read whole paragraphs. The shorter a paragraph is, the more likely it will be read.
  
  Think of it as a challenge for your writing skills. How concise CAN you be, when held to the fire? Got a piece of text that you think is nice and short? CAN YOU MAKE IT EVEN SHORTER and still get all your points across? I think you can.
  
  
• Inverted pyramid style. Journalists know this one. The meat and potatoes of the story should come first. Less-important details should be near the bottom. This applies to each paragraph as well as to entire articles.
  
  This is very important on the web. When a reader skims a page, they only see the first line or sentence in a paragraph. That sentence had better contain some meaty information, or else the paragraph is likely to be skipped over.
  
  The phrase “inverted pyramid style” is a visual representation of how the copy should be structured. Picture a pyramid upside down so that the wide part is at the top and the narrow part at the bottom.
  
  
• Bullets. I love bulleted and numbered lists for the web. Why? Bullets make it very easy for a reader to scan and still absorb a lot of information. Make the first part of the bullet boldface, of course.
  
  Now that I’ve written web copy for a while now, my thought process incorporates this automatically. “How can I break up this long copy into bullets?” “This seems like ordered instructions; should I make it a numbered list?”