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By Gary, October 29, 2008

I’m pretty good at following directions, I think. My wife could probably judge that better than I, but I really don’t believe I fit that old stereotype of men who are unwilling to ask for or follow directions. In fact, when we’re traveling I generally love to have a map or road atlas along and check it frequently.

But when it comes to writing out directions or step-by-step instructions for anything, I’m a bit more challenged. How about you?

I ask because I know some of you make part of your livelihood as technical writers. I’ve not been trained for technical writing and wouldn’t want to try it as a profession — although I’m open to trying freelance technical writing should it cross my path.

I would assume the ability to think in clear, logical sequence and write out step-by-step directions for a process is crucial to success as a technical writer. As I understand it, most technical writers make the bulk of their living doing just that — simplifying some process and making it “doable” for non-technical people.

Any of you technical writers out there care to leave some comments and explain this to us? I appreciate your comments. We can all learn together.

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By Gary, October 29, 2008

I know some of you have been far more successful at freelance writing than I, and I suspect an important part of your ongoing success has to do with the “branding” you’ve done.

I’m using the term “branding” simply to mean that you have an audience or a basic list of regular clients who recognize your name or your business name or in some other way know you’re the one to turn to for the services you offer and they need. That’s pretty wordy, isn’t it? You understand what I mean, I’m sure.

There was a time when “suitcases” or “luggage” were almost synonymous in most people’s minds with “Samsonite luggage,” or perhaps “American Tourister,” though really, mostly, just “Samsonite.” The Samsonite products were “cutting edge” technology, and for awhile they had some great commercials on television highlighting their sturdy durability. You remember those commercials? Think “gorilla.” They had commercials where their luggage was tossed into a gorilla cage and took considerable beating and battering around by the gorilla — apparently without damage to the luggage.

You may have absolutely nothing to do with writing about luggage or gorillas, but if you’ve done consistently well as a freelance writer, you’ve probably “branded” yourself in some fashion so that people turn to you and pay the price you are asking.

What are you known for as a writer? Have you had success? What part has branding paid in your ongoing success as a writer? Leave a comment and tell us about your experience with branding.

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By Gary, October 28, 2008

As I sit here watching political speeches and ralliess on various cable channels, I am reminded again of the challenges of learning to speak, read, and write the English language effectively. (I also feel a great deal of thanksgiving that I learned it “naturally” as a native speaker — and that the U.S. elections are almost over.)

Elections give us a perfect illustration of some of the challenges of the English language. I’ve referenced it in the title of this post: polls, polls, poles, and polling. Think about how confusing that usage and even spelling would be if you didn’t know American English.

Polls are those opinion surveys political organizations follow closely as they consider their candidate’s chances of election.

Polls are those locations voters go to when they cast their votes.

Poles are those long slender objects from which all candidates who wish to be elected proudly fly the flag. (Poles are also residents of Poland.)

Polling is the process of gathering those opinions in a survey.

Polling is also used as the process of taking or counting votes that were cast at the polls.

Are you confused enough yet? You may not be confused by all this, but think of how easy this is for you if you’re a native English speaker. Then just imagine how challenging it is for someone from a non-European language group trying to gain fluency in the English language.

I love words, and I love thinking about the history and usage of words. I’m limited by really only knowing one language, American English, but I do try to have fun with it.

How about you? What word fun have you got going on today?

Oh, yes, one more thing: Be sure to get out and vote if you are qualified and able. That’ll be the most political I’ll get here. (I have another blog where I do tend to get more political if you’re interested.)