Travel Tips | Writing

Timeless or Time Sensitive?

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There is an important connection between two key writing questions: “Who is the target audience?” and “Should the writing acknowledge the present moment?” This came to mind while I was working on the short piece below, a sample exercise for a particular writing style. In addressing the topic of international vacations, my first inclination was to write about the impact of COVID-19 on American travel. Yet the bounds of the exercise forbid that approach, and I realized with fresh appreciation that mindful writing can be relevant for a current moment without being time sensitive. In this case, by tackling a perennial or timeless question like “How can I prepare for going abroad?” during a time when most people can only prepare and not actually travel.… Read More
Opinions | Writing

When You Text, Think Like a Poet

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I discovered this fascinating New Zealand newspaper article — Using full stops in messages makes you sound ‘angry’, according to linguists — via the excellent online group Editors’ Association of the Earth. It argues that “If you’re the type of person that needs every message to be perfectly grammatically correct, it turns out you might not be putting forward the vibe you think you are. According to linguists, the use of punctuation – specifically full stops – is intimidating to a lot of young people, because it comes off as a sign of ‘anger’ in social media messages.”… Read More