I remember very vividly the looks I received from a
classroom of eighth graders as a spoke at a career day gathering back when I
was working as a disc jockey at a local radio station. My cousin, the assistant
principal at the school had asked me to come a speak and it was as if I had
grown a second head when I advised the collected students that they should
first and foremost learn how to write well, because it would serve them no
matter what they chose to pursue for a career.
Guess they were hoping to hear how cool it was to get
free CDs and concert tickets. Now many years later, I know my comment to be
more true than ever; the ability to write will set you apart from the others in
the work place, no matter what your chosen field. With the ongoing evolution of
marketing, content and a growing range of platforms the ability to write and
write well is more important than ever.
Ann Handley, the Chief Content Officer for
MarketingProfs and one of the most influential players in the world of content
marketing offers up equal doses of gentle guidance, prodding inspiration and
thoughtful stimulation on the subject of writing in her latest outing, Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to
Creating Ridiculously Good Content.
Handley does offer up straight up thoughts on grammar
and usage, but without turning into the nasty grammar scold. There is an
amazing level of first hand, been there, don that knowledge that Handley brings
to chapters covers content, blogs, and the creative side of the content
equation.
Having left the world of free CDs and concert tickets
behind and moving into the world of marketing to earn my keep, I have found
myself turning with some regularity to the pages of Everybody Writes when I seek clarification and advice on my next
action steps for a wide range of projects. It is that utility that separates
those books that are great from those the just merely good; Everybody Writes is clearly one of those
that will find a prominent place, within easy reach, on my credenza.
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