I have been reading more social media stuff than usual lately, and I’ve noticed something. A lot of people write posts that are strings of one-sentence paragraphs, one after the other. Some writers, with particularly acute cases of this disease, will write entire posts consisting of nothing but this stuff. Like this: I woke up. …
Category Archives: Strategy
Gee, I Wish I’d Written That
An obituary, from the newspaper in the town where I grew up. Simple, straightforward, beautiful, and timeless. https://www.the-leader.com/obituaries/p0190593
Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste
The current war in Ukraine is an excellent example. For obvious, and horrifying, reasons, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is something everyone is preoccupied with right now. That includes clients of law firms, many of whom are probably wondering what they can or should do about it. A great response was created by the law firm …
This is Exactly What’s Wrong with the World
A friend of mine is sitting out on the porch. I have just read something incredibly well-written, which I want to read to her. It’s the obituary for a farmer in the rural area of upstate New York where I grew up — beautifully written, touching, sincere. I walk out on to the porch, knowing …
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Group Writing Never Works
As I write this, I’m in an amazing meeting. Fifteen-plus people are working on some copy, some of which I wrote. And they’re slowly strangling it. Writing is, in the end (and the beginning) a solitary activity. One person is trying to get another person to feel/understand/think the same thing they do. And for whatever …
Not a bad morning
It’s 7:30 in the morning. I have a cup of coffee, the fire is cranking away, the sun is slowly rising over another day in Carmel Valley, and the weird Buddha statue remains where it always is, out on the porch surveying the scene. The cabin is slowly warming up, which is nice, because this …
To Write Well, Let the Keys Cool Off
One of the most important elements in good writing is exactly what’s depicted in the old Doonesbury cartoon above – letting the keys cool off. In other words, walking away from your writing, and coming back later. Writing takes an enormous amount of concentration and focus. Putting words together, first in your head and then …
A Lawyer’s Farewell
When Ruth Bader Ginsburg was taken to the Supreme Court to lie in repose, her law clerks were both her pallbearers and served as a kind of honor guard, waiting quietly for her on the steps of the Court. I assume she requested this. Although now I make my living as a writer, I am …
How I Write: First Take Care of Head
“But then one day I met a man who came up to me and said“Hard work good and hard work fine but first take care of head.” -“Smoke Two Joints” by the Toyes, played for many years at exactly 5 PM every Friday by radio station KFOG, in San Francisco. I just got off the …
Andy Grove Saw This Coming. So Did Warren Zevon.
Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel, was not known for being a nice guy, or particularly easy to work with. He was, however, known for being tough as nails, fair, brilliant, and someone who got results. And he saw this whole COVID-19 thing coming. More specifically, if you’re running a law firm, he knew something …
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