Because I’m a writer, people often think that I love grammar and know everything about the English language. They think I lived for the grammar lessons in school.

Well, they’re wrong. I never liked grammar, and I have a difficult time explaining certain things to people. However, there are certain rules that are really basic, and that everyone should know.

• Lose vs. loose. These are two different words with two different meanings and two different pronunciations. You lose your keys. You lose weight. Your pants are loose if you’re losing weight.

• Could of vs. could have. ‘Could of’ is never right. It’s either regional slang or the pronunciation of could’ve, the contraction for could have. If you leave a comment with the correct usage of ‘could of,’ you get a gold star.

• Periods and commas go inside quotation marks.

• It’s not ‘can not.’ It’s ‘cannot.’ (Actually, ‘can not’ is sometimes correct but usually ‘cannot’ is correct, so when in doubt, use ‘cannot.’)

• Its vs. It’s. This is so easy, yet so many people get it wrong! It’s is a contraction for ‘It is” or ‘it has.’ Its is a possessive pronoun. If you’re confused, just read whatever you’re writing. Does “it is” or “it has” make sense? If not, then use ‘its.’

• They’re vs. their vs. there. One is ‘they are’ and one is plural and one is a location.

• Don’t use 12 Noon or 12 Midnight. Just say noon or midnight.

• ATM Machine and PIN Number. When you write it like that, you’re really saying “Automated Teller Machine Machine” and “Personal Identification Number Number.”

• Ending a sentence with a preposition. Your grammar teacher told you not to do this, but in casual writing it’s okay. This rule is fading quickly even for formal writing, and I’m actually okay with this one. It’s annoying, and no one speaks with this rule in mind.

• ‘I’ vs. ‘me.’ Here is an easy way to remember – ‘I’ is the subject of the verb, and ‘me’ is the object of the verb.

There you go, a quick refresher course. Did I miss anything?

This winter 2010 edition features a wrap up of the ninth annual Making a Difference Discovery Day 2009. National, state and local industry experts gathered in Atlanta for the Executive Briefing – Making Accessible Travel and Tourism a Reality in Georgia, presented by GCDD in collaboration with G3ict and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. This year’s theme was different than previous years’ by aiming to make Georgia a model that the rest of the country and world could follow in creating accessible travel situations.

“Atlanta has so much to offer, and has a strong and proud disability community,” Keynote speaker Eric Lipp stated. “Atlanta ranks eighth in top locations to visit in the United States, and in the south Atlanta ranks second only to Orlando.”

Also in this latest issue:

• Parent Protection Act: Employers, Employees Explore Benefits
• Real Communities Initiative Gets Underway
• Be Counted: Census 2010

Published by GCDD, this quarterly magazine can be downloaded here.

I also find it difficult to critique other people’s work at times, but I realize that they are probably just like me and want to strengthen their writing as well.

After the break, learn what steps I use to critique various writing projects.

1. Take care of spelling and grammatical errors. These stand out to me and can be very distracting, so I always go through writing projects once and just focus on those so I can then move on to bigger issues.
2. Ask yourself whether or not the piece fits the purpose. For example, if I’m writing for a small newspaper advertisement and my copy is three pages long, there is an issue.
3. Make sure the copy fits the brand. Some businesses and brands take on a more serious tone while others are a bit cheeky. Tone is important.
4. Be specific. Writing “awkward” or “too wordy” is not enough. I am very guilty of doing this, but this doesn’t help the writer and can be confusing. If a sentence is “awkward,” explain why. If a sentence is “too wordy” circle what you feel are the unnecessary words.
5. Have a reason for your critiques. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people critique my work and simply say, “I changed this because I like it better this way.” This doesn’t tell me why, other than the person reviewing my work and I have two different styles. Perhaps you’re using more active wording or have shortened the length so the message comes across much more quickly.
6. Make sure you actually read. I’m very guilty of skimming and scanning, but even if you feel like you’ve read a piece two or three times, make sure you go through once to make sure you have caught everything.
7. Make sure nothing is missing. For example, if you’re critiquing copy for an email, make sure a subject line and headline are included. Sometimes I can get so wrapped up in writing body copy that I can forget another aspect of the project. It’s human nature to make mistakes – but that’s why there is a review process.
8. And read it again. Just one more time.
   

As a writer, I can say it’s very helpful to come up with a group of core people that you trust and know will provide honest feedback. You don’t necessarily need to correspond with them outside of writing or to even like them that much – but you need to trust and respect them enough to provide honest, helpful feedback.

What advice do you have for someone who is critiquing copy?

However, something is just as, if not more so, important than content, and that would be how you say something. Even in print, tone is important. Are you trying to come across as friendly and open? Professional and corporate? Snotty and arrogant? (Don’t laugh … after all, A Diamond is Forever is a bit arrogant but has been a very successful catchphrase.)

When considering your tone, here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• Who is my audience? Let’s say you are writing a brochure about drug use. Your copy will be very different for a teenage audience than if the brochure is going to be distributed among police.
• What is my product? Is your product fresh and different? For example, the aforementioned Souper Drink uses very fun, tongue-in-cheek copy such as “Good for everybody and every body!” However, your product may be a piece of software to help others write living wills. You will probably want to strike a more somber tone for such a product.
• What is the collateral? Are you writing for a magazine, a Web site or a blog? Magazines typically provide more information, while a Web site should be as to-the-point as possible. Blogs are usually conversational, while a brochure would be more professional.
• Is this copy negative or positive? Always strive for positive copy. For example, don’t say “If you don’t respond by this date, you won’t be able to register for our conference!” Instead, try writing “Respond by [date] to take advantage of our special offers!”

The next time you have to write some copy, concentrate more on the message you want to send by how you write, not by what you write. You’ll be surprised at how much your style of writing may change!

Have you ever read an advertisement where the copy completely missed the mark?

• Get the junk out. Just … write. Yes, it will probably be super bad. It’s OK. No one else will be reading!
• Read. Read any and everything. Newspapers, novels, trashy romance novels, the back of cereal boxes … the more you read, the better writer you will become.

Speaking of reading, there are five specific books about the subject of writing that are all information and inspirational.

• On Writing, Stephen King – Yes, by THAT Stephen King. This book is both a memoir of his life and a primer on how to become a successful writer. King covers some of the finer details of writing as well as what it takes to be a successful writer (if that is your goal.)
• The Elements of Style, William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White – Originally published in 1918, this book covers usage.
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, Lynne Truss – Punctuation that been incorrectly used can range from annoying to downright humorous. The book itself has been widely criticized, but I’ve still found it to be an invaluable guide.
• AP Stylebook, Associated Press – Most newspapers and some Web sites follow AP style. This book is especially important if you’re writing a press release.
• Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, Mignon Fogarty – As Grammar Girl points out, most people have problems with usage rather than grammar. She also a fun Web site.

There are tons of writing resources available, but those would definitely be my top five favorites. And yes, I do sometimes read them just for fun. Do you have any suggestions to add to this list?

1. What are you writing about? This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s important to make sure that you are on the same page (so to speak) as your editor. You can save yourself a lot of time by clearing up any possible confusions at the beginning of the process.

2. Do you have the right contact information? Make sure you know how to get the information needed to complete your story. You can’t blame writer’s block if you have no information to begin with.

3. What are your specifications? Find out how long your article needs to be, as well as make sure that you collect any photos needed.

4. Now what? You have completed your story, but don’t sit back so fast. It is now time to edit. Read through once to make sure that all thoughts and paragraphs flow well together and make sense. Then, read through again to catch any spelling or grammatical errors.

It’s time to turn your story in to your editor. She may turn it right back to you to make some final changes prior to sending to the page designer. And then … you’re done! Enjoy seeing your article in print, and take a much deserved break before the next publication.

While you can’t always control when writer’s block will hit, following the above process can help ensure a quality piece of work.

O’Neill Communications has ample experience in producing quality publications with creative design and informative editorial pieces. For more information, contact us!