Notebook
For writers, notebooks are where ideas come to life. This blog is a space for sharing our news and ideas with you.
-
What the Beaufort scale can teach you about copywriting
Web words , Business words
Using words to paint a picture of wind conditions makes the Beaufort scale a breeze to understand. For copywriters, it’s a great lesson in the benefits of showing, not telling.
-
We are all writers now
Footnote
“We are all writing more than we would have ten years ago. Those who would never write letters (too slow and anachronistic) or postcards (too twee) now send missives with abandon, from long thoughtful memos to brief and clever quips about evening plans.” via More Intelligent Life
-
Put a lid on canned copy
Footnote
“If you absolutely must use static content on a page template that will be re-used, make absolutely sure it fits for every possible content type or topic, or risk losing your credibility and your users. Better yet, think carefully about whether it serves the users’ needs in the first place.” via Brain Traffic
-
Wordnik
Footnote
“Our goal is to show you as much information as possible, as fast as we can find it, for every word in English, and to give you a place where you can make your own opinions about words known.” visit Wordnik
-
The poetry of journalism
Footnote
“Last week, Israel’s oldest newspaper, Haaretz, took a one-off chance, temporarily replacing its workaday reporters with 31 of the country’s leading poets and authors.” via The New York Times
-
Why train travel is hard to sell
Good words
At Polon, we love travelling by train to meet clients. But — as we found out the other week — driving is often quicker, cheaper and easier. And that signals bad news if you want to inspire people to take the train.
-
Our reused paper notebooks
Good words , Words words words
We love our new notebooks (thanks Jen). Made in the UK from reused paper, we think they’re a stylish way to save energy and reduce waste.
-
26 ways to beat writer’s block
Web words , Business words , Words words words
Last week we tweeted our A-Z guide to beating writer’s block. Now we’ve posted it here in full.
-
The joy of exclamation marks!
Footnote
“Exclamation marks used to be frowned upon. Now look what’s happened! We use them all the time! Hurrah!!! But what is it about the age of email that gets people so over-excited?” via guardian.co.uk
-
What’s the Black Death got to do with business writing?
Business words
If it wasn't for events back in the fourteenth century, we could be writing this post in Latin. Matt looks at how everyday English helped bring power to the people (and work for copywriters).