Why Men With Pens is Written by a Woman. And Why That Matters.
By Tim Berry
Honestly, except for the name itself, I’ve never cared or wondered whether the author of Men With Pens was man or woman. It’s a good blog for writers. I did assume man, of course, because of the name of the blog, and the byline. This isn’t something I think about. But I was shocked to... Read More »
Why Worry About Spelling? Who Cares!
By Tim Berry
I’ve complained before, on this blog, about some common misspellings that get to me like fingernails on a chalkboard. Yesterday Megan tipped me off to 11 Gorgeously Ironic Misspellings In Protest Signs on 11Points.com, by Sam Greenspan. Misspelling is bad, yes, but it’s got to be worse, or at the very least more ironic, when... Read More »
Lots of Words in Italics Meaning I’m Jus’ Sayin’
By Tim Berry
Accents, real speech, figures of speech, colorful speech. Expressions. The way we use language fascinates me. I wonder if technology changes it? I have questions: Why is groovy so hideously and embarrassingly obsolete, but cool is still cool? Am I the only one who still likes Paul Simon’s song, Feelin’ Groovy? Why does just sayin work... Read More »
But Can We Trust the Trust Agents?
By Tim Berry
I was just getting back to the office yesterday, a Monday morning after a week away — 4 days of business, and 3 relaxing and invigorating days in Yosemite, which is really away — when Dan Levine (@schoolmarketer on Twitter) suggested I read The social media country club on Mark Shaeffer’s businessgrow blog. Yes, I’m a sucker for contrary points... Read More »
Maybe Writing Isn’t So Obsolete After All
By Tim Berry
Just a few years ago I was mourning the loss of the printed word in our media-hungry and web-hungry society. Even people I really respect, although most of them much younger than I, were starting to show cavalier disregard for the English language. I’d grimace while reading something that mistook then for than, or they’re... Read More »
Want to Write Well? Cut Mercilessly
By Tim Berry
Back in my distant past I had to learn to live with editing. I was in my twenties. It made me mad. Why change my stuff? But it also made my stuff better. “Berry, you write like a God-damned literature major.” (Norberto Schwarzman) So said the overnight editor at UPI back in 1972. He did... Read More »
Does Twitter Matter? Can It Possibly Last?
By Tim Berry
Yes, I think it does matter. And no, although it won’t last, not like it is now, it is the beginning of something that will last, but will be changing a lot. I could say the same about personal computing, the Web, and blogging. Twitter is all the rage because it hit fertile ground. People... Read More »
I Don’t Have to Show You No Stinkin Labels
By Tim Berry
Labels, and labels. Two days ago I complained here about self-proclaimed “experts” and “gurus.” And today I realize that I do the same thing myself, calling myself an entrepreneur. I ran into this interesting thought: I must admit that when I hear the word (which inundates conversation and — more interestingly– the personal summaries of... Read More »
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