Blog—Welcome to our round table, the antidote to writing in isolation at work
We teach many workshops across many industries, and we notice that writing is too often a solitary act. And not an easy one at that.
Writers can thrive and get stronger with a bit more collaboration
Writers going it alone is harder on writers and produces less clear documents. Let’s change that!
This blog is virtual medicine for writing struggles
It is a gathering place to wonder about and resolve questions together. It brings back the missing elements that
make writing easier—companionship, a chance to talk about it, fresh perspectives, time to reflect. It’s an ongoing
conversation among writers about our work.
We'll be posting all kinds of interesting things here:
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questions you ask and our best answers
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interesting trinkets about writing (we might find 'em or you might find 'em)
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particularly knotty bits of writing, with rewrites and explanations showing how we got from A to B
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guest writers who talk about the writing in their professional context
Send us your knotty examples, insights, struggles, articles, and questions at online@wordsmith.ca
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Plain language in practice
Gems from a recent conference—Access for allWe attended the virtual Access for all: plain language is a civil right conference last month. It brought together people and organizations who are committed to putting plain language into practice (and doing so successfully!).
This article shares our highlights with you, along with some practical tools you can use in your everyday work.
By the Wordsmith team, May 25, 2021
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Game of Signs—Episode 3: oop's!
We collect signs because it’s fun to analyze them—a mini exercise in clarity. It turns out making a clear sign is not so easy.
The problem here is maybe obvious, but it’s a mistake we see more and more in workplace writing. Read the article to see the dos and don’ts (or do’s and don’ts??!) of mixing apostrophes and plurals.
By the Wordsmith team, May 27, 2021
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Clear writing doesn't need to be hard to produce
The change that happens between the before-and-after examples we use in workshops often looks like magic. But we don’t wave our simplification-wizard wand. It is an achievable skill for anyone who is interested in learning it. In this article, we share why it looks like magic, and we give concrete tools to learn to get from point A to B yourself.
By the Wordsmith team, May 25, 2021
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Writing clearly is not just practical, it's ethical
Consider for a moment how much of the world we navigate by reading. Imagine trying to speak up for yourself if you couldn’t understand the guidance documents. From this perspective, clear, accessible documents are essential to upholding fundamental human rights.
Read four examples of this in practice.
By the Wordsmith team, April 27, 2021
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Game of Signs—Episode 2: hunter or hunted?
We collect signs because it’s fun to analyze them—a mini exercise in clarity. It turns out making a clear sign is not so easy. Can you spot the problem with this sign? Read our analysis here.
Keep your eyes peeled
We’ll post ones we find every so often, but send us ones you find too! We can feature them on the next episode.By the Wordsmith team, April 27, 2021
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First up on our series of “Punctuation tidbit” articles is dashes. Have you ever wondered what’s with the long dash and short dash? And when you use them? Find out here.
By the Wordsmith team, March 31, 2021
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Game of Signs—Episode 1: hotel lobby
We collect signs because it's fun to analyze them—a mini exercise in clarity. It turns out making a clear sign is not so easy. Let's sharpen our wits on this one from an unnamed hotel lobby. Read our analysis here.
Keep your eyes peeledWe'll post ones we find every so often, but send us ones your find too! We can feature them on the next episode.
By the Wordsmith team, March 31, 2021
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Let’s change how we evaluate our writing
Most of us assess our writing as if we were our old English teacher. We worry about it, struggle with it, even obsess on it.
There’s an easier standard
Find out what to do instead.By the Wordsmith team, March 31, 2021
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Welcome to our round table blog! The antidote to writing in isolation at work
We notice that writing is too often a solitary act. And not an easy one at that. In this article, we share ways to bring back the ease of writing. The key? Breaking the cycle of writing in isolation. Read more.
Help us build a community to do just that!On this blog, we’ll think about and resolve problems together. Join in the virtual conversation over a cup of coffee. Send us insights, struggles, examples, and questions.
By the Wordsmith team, March 31, 2021