In the week that the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee took place in the USA, it seems faintly ironic that I’m posting on the decline in spelling and grammar. I regularly spot awful typos and grammatical howlers in both online and offline media and enjoy posting them on Twitter or Facebook, but there’s always a part of me that does […]
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5 golden rules for aspiring journalists
Whether it’s at a careers conference, or via online mentoring services, I’m often asked for tips on how to get into the business that is journalism and writing. It’s a bit of a loaded question because, unlike many more vocational careers, writing for a living doesn’t really come with an easily-defined path. What’s more, different people will tell you different […]
Read moreWhy you need to find your writing voice
When it comes to writing, people often talk about ‘finding your voice’ – it’s a phrase that sounds a bit, well, up its own arse if you’re not someone who enjoys words. Now when Christopher Hitchens writes, I listen. In the June 2011 edition of Vanity Fair, Hitchens examines what is meant by ‘a writer’s voice’ and, as always, manages […]
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