by Sharon Ernst | Sep 4, 2024 | Business Writing Skills
Originally published June 2020; updated February 2025 How does advice on how to write better paragraphs relate to COVID? Hang on. You’ll see. During the pandemic and people working from home, we all heard about the empty highways and lack of traffic. At my house, I probably heard more about it than most because my husband was commuting each day—and enjoying the easy drive. (He works in aircraft maintenance, so WFH was not an option.) As our stay-at-home order ended and people hit the road once more, my husband’s commute...
by Sharon Ernst | Jul 22, 2024 | Business Writing Skills
What’s the easiest writing tip ever? Don’t start with “we” or “I.” This makes me crazy in copywriting, because any time a marketing piece–be it an email, a web page, a print piece–starts with “we” or “I,” we’ve turned off the potential customer. Why? Because people only care about themselves, and that includes you and me, so I’m not dissin’ on anyone here. We are all only human. But, here’s the deal: This is also a turnoff in business...
by Sharon Ernst | Jun 20, 2024 | Business Writing Skills
Updated June 2024 Successful writing at work requires more than typing a lot of emails. It requires solid writing skills and a focus on clear and concise communications. And it’s harder than it sounds. In part, that’s because you might be lacking the three business writing skills no one taught you, as I’ve said before. But you’re also up against the culture of our time—a culture that worships busy-ness and task saturation. And you know what kind of work writing comes out of a culture like that? Sucky writing that wastes time and...
by Sharon Ernst | Jun 13, 2024 | Uncategorized
The story I’m about to tell is about wine, but it’s also about writing and editing, and your future if you’re freelancing… This story is from a while back, but the message is as pertinent now as then: Years ago, I was visiting friends in Santa Barbara, Calif. They were close friends with winemakers in the area, so I got to see the inner workings of one winery, to learn more about the process. Shipping boxes were piled in the middle of the room full of wine barrels waiting to get branded with labels. The winemaker lamented having to...
by Sharon Ernst | Jun 5, 2024 | Business Writing Skills
I love to read. I always have. I still remember being six years old and the first time I read a whole “chapter” book by myself. It was a library book and I was tucked into bed with it at bedtime. I realize now it was a very short book, but it seemed very grownup to me at the time because it didn’t have any pictures. I was so excited to finish it that I hopped out of bed and ran into my parent’s bedroom to announce my triumph. That is one of my most vivid memories from my childhood. That is the impact reading has always had on me....
