lesson 16: writing is still a required skill

so this is a hilarious one for me. writing has never been my strength. i know i write this blog (also can we get a better word for blog?), but really i'm more of a verbal communicator. i didn't have the patience to learn all the grammar rules, i over-use commas, and i still rely on i before e except after c. plus, spell-check exists now, so there's that. 

i do have a newfound respect for strong writing skills though. after a few years at Food52, working for and with professional writers, i was reminded of how important this skill is, and how many people don't have it. whether it's internal communications, motivating your team, reaching out to a potential partner, or applying for a job, it matters. 

outside of just writing well, there are ways to write with a stronger voice. there's been a lot published in this area over the past few years, especially towards women. take out qualifiers like "really", "so" and "just". speak your mind and state your reason without a lot of flowery "hope all is well" nonsense. i remember once i sent what i thought was almost a rude email. it was very firm compared to my usual tone and it happened to be to a mostly male audience and when i asked someone on my team for feedback on it - maybe i had gone too far - she told me my email was perfect and was not rude at all, but strong and direct. i mean google even launched a plug-in to help with this...

i say, screw the plug-in (i'm not even linking to it, you can find it yourself if you're inclined). just think. use your brain. know the difference between their and there, i and me, apostrophe rules, comma rules, colon and semicolon rules. i'm not perfect, but writing is something i keep working on and i encourage you to do the same.

a few resources and articles on this topic that i like:
Forbes
Mashable
Smartblogger

photo cred: jackie stauffer @ work