Hello, friend! Welcome to the 46th edition of The Write Fit, a fortnightly newsletter from Sarah Mitchell and Dan Hatch at Typeset. Sarah is tallying up the receipts as the financial year in Australia comes to a close, and she has a burning question to answer.
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“What is it about my writing that's so rotten?”
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If you had asked me last week if writing was the worth the investment, I’d have given a resounding ‘NO’. After working on a project all afternoon, I was certain the extended effort resulted in drivel. And that was the most charitable thing I could say about my work.
I sent it to my long-suffering proofreader, aka Super Grammar writer Wendy Wood, and tried not to think about how much time I’d wasted spent trying to hit the right tone of voice, in the prescribed word count, and still make it informative AND entertaining.
I slept poorly, tortured by what should have been a two-hour investment.
“Mainly it has to do with your choice of words.”
When I opened the proofread document the next morning, I was surprised at the impact a few small changes made. The document was good. The writing was persuasive. I’d nailed the tone. Maybe it was the pre-dawn chill or the promise of a new day but my opinion of the effort changed, too. The writing was worth it.
Most writers I know suffer from a variation of this theme. It’s why I think writing has to be a team sport, if only to save us from ourselves. (Where would Woodward be without Bernstein, right?) In State of Writing 2021 we wanted to sidestep the natural angst that comes with a creative process and get to the bottom of what type of writing is worth it.
Follow the money
When we asked business communicators what they thought was worth the investment, case studies topped the list.
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But what surprised us is less than half (49%) of businesses use customer success stories. We found a similar situation with original research. Only 25% of respondents use it even though most that do (76%) say it’s worth the investment.
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Great case study resources
There’s no doubt, case studies are hard. It can be tough to get permission from a customer to feature them in your marketing. Even when they agree, the approvals process can be difficult. But that investment pays off and can deliver value for years to come.
I’m a big fan of case studies, especially since I read Casey Hibbard’s Stories that Sell. Buy the book, read her blog and sign up for her newsletter. You won’t be sorry.
Where to find help if you want to do your own research
Original research comes with its own challenges, especially because it’s a lengthy project requiring specific expertise. But I agree with our results; it’s definitely worth the investment.
If you’re interested in doing your own research, check out the Data Chronicles newsletter from Michele Linn and Clare McDermott at Mantis Research. It’s chock full of practical advice and tips on how to do your own research project. While you’re there, make sure to visit the blog.
I’ve recovered from the self-inflicted drama of Tuesday night. It’s not lost on me it was a case study that was getting the better of me. Knowing they’re worth the investment made me stick with it. Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward felt the Watergate project was worth it. I hope you do the same with your own writing projects.
Sarah Mitchell
22 June 2021
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The words editor and proofreader are often used interchangeably and most people assume they mean the same thing. But they don’t.
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Ballyhooly about falderal — but not complete balderdash
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My dad has always used strange words. Most of them are colloquialisms, but others are just words he thinks are fun. When our daughter was about 9, she even started a list of “Grandpa’s Silly Sayings”. I ran across a list of 100 Whimsical Words today and immediately thought of dad’s word choices. I’ve put together my own list I think he would find copacetic. And, if you have grandchildren yourself, maybe you’ll find a word or two that will impress the rug rats. Just don’t throw these words around willy-nilly.
alley-oop: an exclamation of encouragement, exhortation, etc., preceding some vigorous action or forceful effort
balderdash: idle, ill-informed talk; rubbish; a senseless jumble of words; nonsense
ballyhooly: commotion; noise
bamboozle: to deceive by trickery; impose upon; to perplex; mystify
brouhaha: an uproar; turmoil; a scuffle; disturbance
cahoots: phrase in cahoots, in partnership; in league
cattywampus: out of kilter; messed up
cockamamie: crazy; ridiculous; muddled
copacetic: extremely satisfactory; fine
do-hickey or doodad: any device or gadget, the name of which is unknown or temporarily forgotten
doozy: something especially remarkable, either good or bad
falderal: mere nonsense
finagle: to get (something) by guile or trickery; wangle
flibbertigibbet: a chattering or flighty person, usually a child
fuddy-duddy: a fussy, stuffy, or old-fashioned person
gallivant: to go from place to place in a rollicking, frivolous or flirtatious manner
gee whiz: an exclamation expressing surprise, admiration, etc.
hokey: sentimental; corny (NZ colloquialism is an expression of surprise; a mild oath)
hoopla: excitement; razzle-dazzle
hootenanny: an informal performance by folk singers, often with audience participation
itsy-bitsy or itty-bitty: small; insubstantial
jeez Louise: an exclamation of protest, exasperation, disappointment, etc.
la-di-da: affectedly pretentious, especially in manner, speech, or bearing
lolligag: to play around foolishly or aimlessly; waste time
lickety-split: at great speed; rapidly
malarkey: meaningless talk
nincompoop: a fool or simpleton
ragamuffin: a ragged, disreputable person; a ragged child
razzamatazz: noisy and showy activity
rigamarole: a long and complicated process
rug rat: a small child, especially one at the crawling stage
scallywag: (often used indulgently of children) a scamp; rascal
shenanigans: silly behaviour
skedaddle: to run away; disperse in flight
thingamabob or thingamajig: an indefinite name for a thing or person which a speaker cannot or does not wish to designate more precisely
upsadaisy or upsy-daisy: used to encourage or reassure a child when being lifted, climbing, or standing up
whirligig: something that whirls, revolves, or goes round
willy-nilly: in random order; in disarray
yahoo: a rough, coarse, or uncouth person
Wendy Wood
Proofreader
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Until next time,
Happy writing!
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