writing and editing Archives - Judy Gregory Writer

Skills and experience rejected by an algorithm

Today I’m feeling the crushing weight of rejection And I’m reasonably confident that the rejection was delivered by an algorithm I recently decided that the time was right for me to register for a freelance job website A colleague had suggested that it would be a good way for me to smooth out the ebbs and flows of consulting Although I’ve resisted freelancers’ websites in the past, I decided that this was a good time for me to register I figure that, while I’m unlikely to pick up...

Why writing is like cooking

I love a good metaphor And in my new life as café-owning writer, I can’t help but see the metaphorical parallels between writing and cooking As a writer, I’m confident in my ability to turn out (reasonably) good copy, on time, every time My confidence comes from my understanding of my writing processes I know how I work and I have a set of techniques that I can apply to any writing task Because I understand the way I work, I know how to begin, how to work through each stage, and how to...

When informality breaks convention

We live in informal times when many of the conventions of the written form are breaking away Emails are more likely to start with 'Hi' than 'Dear' And the sign-off 'Cheers' is now more common than 'Regards' I quite like a chatty, informal email For me, email sits in the space between a formal letter and a phone conversation But what about a printed letter And particularly, what about a printed letter or notification from a bank I received a notification from ANZ last week, attached to...

Ageing driver training facility

A note on why we need punctuation and why stacked adjectives create difficulties: I was listening to the radio news today, and heard a story about an ageing driver training facility in Mt Cotton Radio can't handle this concept neatly Is it an ageing-driver training facility or an ageing, driver-training facility The latter is correct (though the former was my first guess) A radio journalist might be better to unstack the adjectives or choose different words: 'an ageing facility for driver...

Fabulous tools for writers

I've just finished reading the book 'Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer' by Roy Peter ClarkIt's perhaps the best 'toolkit-style' book about writing that I've ever come acrossNo 'correctness' discussions here This book is all about how language works, and how to fine-tune the writing craftMy favourite strategies come from the beginning of the book, in the nuts and bolts section I particularly appreciated the discussions about adverbs (use with care and be sure to avoid...