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Writing

Beat the NYE rush. Resolve now.

True, most of us are still coming to grips with the fact of Christmas decorations having been up for weeks. But before we know it, Xmas ‘11 will have been and gone and New Year’s Eve will be upon us. Which means only one thing: resolution time again. Now, be honest. Do you remember a [...]

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Two ‘rules’ you need to unlearn – period.

How much have you retained of the grammar you learnt at school? I’m guessing not a lot – at least not in a formal sense. ‘Dominant clauses’, ‘past participles’ and ‘future perfect tense’? If you can define all those you probably don’t need to read on. Strangely, although most of us left a lot of [...]

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Improve your writing in one easy step

After Melbourne author Anh Do won a few prizes recently for his book The Happiest Refugee, there was a bit of media eyebrow-raising when it came to light that Do had had the assistance of a ghostwriter in putting together his book. The unspoken implication seemed to be that perhaps Do’s award-winning credentials should be [...]

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Losing their way in management gobbledegook

Readers who know me personally will know that I am a keen follower of Australian Rules football and the Collingwood Football Club in particular. Tonight my team plays one of our ‘traditional rivals’, Richmond. Unfortunately for the spectacle it’s likely to be a one-sided affair as Collingwood are reigning premiers and Richmond are, well, let’s just [...]

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How a tomato helps me get stuff done

Every writer and self-employed person understands the challenge of focus. How to get things done – to be productive – and avoid the myriad distractions which ceaselessly badger us for our attention. Last year I discovered a simple technique which has made a huge difference to the way I manage my time. It’s so effective [...]

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NAB: if you want to break up, keep it short

Is it only me? Am I the only one who doesn’t get the whole NAB “It’s over between us” thing? Sure, the big bank launched their campaign with a big bang earlier this week, and sure, they have garnered plenty of attention. But what does it all mean? One of the challenges of selling something [...]

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Fine tune your language for better communication

On a recent trip to Vietnam I found myself sitting in a hotel lobby for a few minutes. With nothing else to do, I eavesdropped on the communication taking place between staff and guests at reception. (Beware the bored writer.) As I listened, small misunderstandings seemed to creep into nearly every conversation I heard across [...]

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This year, make your greeting cards meaningful

Seems like we just finished the last one but, yes, the silly season is upon us again. Amongst other things, that means swinging into the December routines around the office. Dusting off the decorations, planning the parties … and composing the greeting cards. Now the greeting card task might sound fairly ho-hum, but it is [...]

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It’s last rites for the book

Five years ago I independently published my first book. I did so largely because I like to play with new technology and publishing a book allowed me to try digital ‘print-on-demand’ technology. ‘POD’ promised to greatly simplify and reduce the cost of book production. I won’t be retiring, or even snacking, on proceeds from the [...]

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‘New Matilda’ finds its billabong – R.I.P.

The problem with blogs is that they have no editorial filter. Everything gets through, no matter how shrill, elongated or irrelevant. Newspapers have the opposite problem. Their editorial filters are increasingly clogged, nothing getting through except what already has before: the same old arguments from the same old writers. Which is why both readers and [...]

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Spin 2.0: When Words become Worthless

There is a Chinese proverb that says “talk does not cook rice”. Very true. But a lot of talk – and writing – takes place between the paddy field and the pot. Words are essential for making ourselves understood, getting things done and, of course, building strong relationships. When words become worthless, confusion reigns. Right [...]

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