The writebetter course will take you through the most important aspects of researching and compiling reports, press releases and other documents that people are likely to read.

Many writing courses demand attendance over a period of months, but this one will speed you through the basics in a way that will make a big difference to your output.

It will also point you in the direction for further learning, with resource sheets and a copy of Build Content, Build Links, a manual on writing and boosting your websites presence online.

Even if you are unfamiliar with the web, the book will be easy to understand.

The writing elements of the course concentrate on a basic ‘hierarchy of writing’.
These are called:

A Matter of Fact – the sort of things you must get right, such as names, addresses, ages, qualifications and basic grammatical sentences.

A Matter of Opinion – there are as many styles of writing as there are ‘experts’ on the subject. This session will outline a few possible styles and construction. What works best for you and – more importantly – what will work best for those people who are likely to read it.

A Matter for Yourself – if you fancy becoming even more skilled in writing, then we will point you in the right direction. It might be that you have become smitten by the correct use of the possessive gerund, or dangling participles. If so, we can help you take it a stage further.

If not, you get to go home early.

Course details

info@writebetter.co.uk

While you are here, have a look at some of the other contributions, covering aspects of writing – good and bad. Also, you might just spot something wrong; if so, let us know, thank you.

Also if you want help with letters, try www.letterexpert.co.uk

Some are guaranteed ‘door closers’ - incessant phone calls, sending the wrong information to the right person, the right information to the wrong person, and so on. Some are rather less obvious…

Our workshop is designed to take you through this labyrinth and equip you with a bit of 'inside' information – direct from the journalists - so that you can work and write better. And increase your chances of securing that all-important client-pleasing coverage in the publication of choice.

The workshop is particularly geared towards PRs who regularly deal with national newspapers.

It will cover the recommendations of highly experienced journalists who are ready and able to tell you what they really want from a PR. In some areas, what they have to say might contradict conventional wisdom - but it is from the mouths of a lot of horses.

Here are some of the topics:-

The Pitch: How, when and with what information.


The Follow-up: Is it really necessary? If so, how is the best way to go about it? (Not as obvious as you might think)


“Let's do lunch”: One thing journalists on the nationals aren't short of is lunch invitations. Nevertheless, there are good ways of tempting a waist-conscious hack out for a bite. And that invariably leads on to:


Knowing me, knowing you: Face-to-face contacts are invaluable in the industry, but many journalists are ambivalent about them. A few key tips here from those who have been wooed assiduously in the past.


Exclusives. A ‘scoop’ is something you've got that leaves the other papers fuming. Not to be confused with, "You’re the only one who has this."


Pictures: Yes, think pictures. If you want an idea of the power of pictures, particularly in getting the type of coverage that you might not otherwise have received, then look at the business pages of July 31 2006. (Don’t worry we have them) That's the template for this section.


Cliché-watch: Those phrases that pepper press releases and which journos loathe. A, because they are trite and meaningless; B, because, if they ever had some merit, they are certainly devalued now. We also have a list of the 10 most-hated phrases PRs use with journalists.*

Try it out for yourself:-

Price: £225

If you do not wish to pay online using PayPal, please write to us at the email address below. Thank you.

Venue: 38 Bow Street, London EC4M 9AY


Dates: Email for 2008 dates


E-mail: info@writebetter.co.uk


web: www.writebetter.co.uk


Tel: 0208 2759401

*Based on interviews and surveys

Our workshop is designed to take you through this labyrinth and equip you with a bit of 'inside' information – direct from the journalists - so that you can work and write better. And increase your chances of securing that all-important client-pleasing coverage in the publication of choice.

The workshop is particularly geared towards PRs who regularly deal with national newspapers.

It will cover the recommendations of highly experienced journalists who are ready and able to tell you what they really want from a PR. In some areas, what they have to say might contradict conventional wisdom - but it is from the mouths of a lot of horses.

Here are some of the topics:-

The Pitch: How, when and with what information.
The Follow-up: Is it really necessary? If so, how is the best way to go about it? (Not as obvious as you might think)
“Let's do lunch”: One thing journalists on the nationals aren't short of is lunch invitations. Nevertheless, there are good ways of tempting a waist-conscious hack out for a bite. And that invariably leads on to:
Knowing me, knowing you: Face-to-face contacts are invaluable in the industry, but many journalists are ambivalent about them. A few key tips here from those who have been wooed assiduously in the past.
Exclusives. A ‘scoop’ is something you've got that leaves the other papers fuming. Not to be confused with, "You’re the only one who has this."
Pictures: Yes, think pictures. If you want an idea of the power of pictures, particularly in getting the type of coverage that you might not otherwise have received, then look at the business pages of July 31 2006. (Don’t worry we have them) That's the template for this section.
Cliché-watch: Those phrases that pepper press releases and which journos loathe. A, because they are trite and meaningless; B, because, if they ever had some merit, they are certainly devalued now. We also have a list of the 10 most-hated phrases PRs use with journalists.*
Try it out for yourself:-

Price: £225
Venue: City of London
Dates: Oct 7, 2008
E-mail: info@writebetter.co.uk
web: www.writebetter.co.uk
Tel: 0208 2759401

*Based on interviews and surveys

If you're not one of the three million-plus people who have a copy, you have probably heard of it. A paean to punctuation written in faux grumpy-old-man style. A good start, but don't stop there; leaves many gaps.

Between You and I, by James Cochrane

The real thing, that is written by a genuine grumpy old man, with an introduction by their patron saint, John Humphrys. Nothing much new here. Avoid, unless given as a present.

Writing for journalists, by Wynford Hicks et al

Whenever you see the name Wynford Hicks, buy the book. Eminently useful and practical. You don't have to want to work in newspapers to benefit from the common sense he exudes on all matters writing. There are other similar books with his imprimatur; some are a bit samey, but always helpful.

Newsman's English, by Harold Evans

Probably out of print, or hard to get, but worth trying. Doyen of newspaper editors before he became Mr Tina Brown and went to New York. Hard to gainsay, though that is not a word he would encourage you to use much.
Has to be done, so might as well be them.

A Practical English Grammar, by two blokes you never heard of

When you need to know about the possessive gerund, these are your men. The rest of the world tootles on nicely without such knowledge, but it's good to know, even to ignore it.

Most of these books and more on the subject of writing can be found on www.amazon.co.uk

Tempting, but probably wide of the mark. Just like the Christmas before, with Schott's Miscellany, seasonal best-sellers tend to be the outcome of desperation (for a small-ish, you're not really family, so a-stocking-filler-type-pressie will do) and that least predictable factor in business: luck.
Friends in the media

Ms Truss also had the benefit of having quite a few friends in the media who helpfully gave the book a plug. Combine that with a fair bit of clever in-store promotion and 600,000 sales later, Ms Truss is said to be in the process of buying a Mediterranean holiday home.

As someone whose sole publication attracted more modest sales, even with a few good plugs and a bit of in-store promotion ("Local author"), I am surprised I am not more bitter at life's injustices. Particularly, with a fair wind and a couple of pedantic friends, punctuation is something I could have a stab at.

However, bitter I am not, though I suspect Ms Truss would have preferred if I had written that as, "however, I am not bitter" (she also does sentence construction).

There is no shortage of books on grammar, punctuation and the like (I've probably read about 25 different ones) and Ms Truss is unlikely to lay claim to be the best, but she is certainly funnier than most of the dull old tomes that proliferate the market.

People who write books on the subject take it very seriously. How could you not if you need to know when to use the possessive gerund? So a tongue-in-cheek look at how it all works will be always first out of the blocks in terms of preference, unless you are Reid Professor of Etymology at Cambridge*.
Phenomenal success

Yet that does not explain her phenomenal success. I suspect that the book was bought largely as a present rather than bought to read by the buyer. We don't know for sure, but I think it is a fair guess. And if that is so, I would think, like many Christmas impulse purchases, is largely unread by the vast majority of the recipients.

So I rather think those who are trying to tie the book's success to the dawn of a new era of literacy might need to think again. So far I have not detected any major improvement in the standard of English on display on that most public of noticeboards, the internet.

Its and it's continue to confuse as do CD's the 90's, never mind St Paddies Day. It would take more than 600,000 sales to address that and not even the redoubtable Ms Truss would think otherwise.
English is a living language

The truth is that the language is purloined for various purposes, most often laziness and, more speciously by some, as the perfect antidote to the dangers of ossification. English is a living language, the latter opine, best taken off dusty bookshelves and injected with some vitality.

Fine, I have no objections to that, but modernity should not excuse the misuse of: there, their, where and were (just for starters), nevermind the more arcane areas. For example how often have you seen the term 'fulsome praise' used correctly? (For the record it means excessive or cloying.)

Okay, call me a pedant, but a lot of people DO know the answers and if they are in a position to give you a business contract, then it might count against you if you do not. The solution - and here comes the hard sell - is to learn to write better, particularly if you write anything that is regularly read by others. There are no big shortcuts, but you can make progress in a day. We run a course that proves it.

However, if Ms Truss's book has whet your appetite, then it was one stocking filler that did not go to waste. See if you want to go further.

*Post awaiting co-funding quotient (stakeholder opportunities exist).

Copyright, 2004

It was shortly after midday by the time we got to the airport the traffic having been terrible all the way. We went straight to the check-in desk after parking the car in the short-term car park even though we were going to be away for two weeks. But we were afraid that going to the long term car park would take too long because we had to take a bus to get there.

It turned out that the flight was delayed and that we could have parked in the long term car park after all. Simon even considered going back and moving the car but we didn't want to push our luck and decided to go ahead and check in instead.

We asked for and got two aisle seats next to each other as neither of us wanted to be either at the window or definitely not stuck in the middle.

Flying outside of Europe we were able to go to the Duty Free and stock up on some stuff for the long haul trip. We also got the dreaded Benson & Hedges for Rog even though he always says he is giving up.

As it turned out the flight was nearly half empty so there was a lot of seats free and we could of had as many seats as we liked.

Looking out of the window the Alps came into view but most people seemed disinterested in the view. It was only then the drinks trollie came round that they were awoken out of their slumber. Four hours later we landed and the holiday proper begun. Hopefully we will have a good time.

This is called "tightening up", and will form an early part of the course. One might also call it " a second eye". In fact, we will start the day with this piece and that will serve also as an introduction to other elements on the course.

It might be useful to read it again if you are considering coming on the course. The course is very much about improving your writing, so that it reads easily. That often means subtle changes, but they can have a considerable effect.

Here's how the piece might look after a bit of tightening-up:

We got to the airport just after midday because the traffic was terrible. We parked in short term even though we would be gone two weeks, but the long-term car park was too far away.

The flight was delayed and we could have parked in the long term after all. Simon considered moving the car but we didn't want to push our luck and checked in instead.

We got two aisle seats next to each other as neither of us wanted the window or the middle.

We went to the Duty Free and stocked up on some stuff for the long haul trip. We also got the dreaded Benson & Hedges for Rog even though he always says he is giving up.

The flight was half empty and we could have had as many seats as we liked.

Looking out of the window, we saw the Alps came, but most people seemed uninterested. It was only when the drinks trolly came round that they stirred. Four hours later, we landed and the holiday proper began. We hope we will have a good time.

Compare the two pieces: the second, revised version, is a bit shorter, because it has tightened up the words, without omitting the sense or flavour of the original. On closer reading, you may spot some subtle changes to the grammar and the syntax, which we will talk about on the course.

Copyright, 2002

Keep it simple should be the mantra. Forget the over-elaborate words or phrases.

"As a result of ongoing market research with our extensive customer base which identified a gap in current provision, we have decided to address that with the introduction of…"

What's wrong with:

"We are introducing X after customer surveys showed there was demand."

When you have mastered writing simply and clearly, there is another more iniquitous hurdle to jump: grammar and syntax, or roughly put, spelling and punctuation.

There are a plethora of books on the subject but none are comprehensive. However, whatever books you buy, most are likely to say that the last sentence should have read: There IS a plethora of books on the subject but none IS comprehensive.

Few people would be likely to misunderstand the first sentence, but it is grammatically wrong and to write it that way is a hostage to fortune. There are many potential pitfalls like that. How many times have you seen the term 'fulsome praise', yet it is usually used in the wrong context? It actually means excessive or cloying.

Did you know that sentences that end with a question mark (like this one) do not take a full stop?.

These seemingly trivial distinctions are worth preserving. It's not that everyone knows them - in fact it's a reasonable assumption that most people don't - but it helps to give you the edge and will impress those who do.

Readability: Would someone who starts reading it want to finish it?

Hook them in and then reward them for staying with the piece.

That means a good introduction, and when you have managed that, a good second paragraph, and so on.

Don't take liberties with someone's time, so ask yourself why are you writing this report or article? Is it to impress? To sell? To promote?

When you have answered that, then you can think about what and how you write it.

Thinking is important, but jot down your thoughts and then try to assemble some running order for your article. This can be changed, but it is important to have some structure early on. But always think carefully about the introduction. That is the key.

Readership: Who are they and do they want, or expect, your piece to be written in a different way?

Who is your readership? Sounds obvious, but you would be surprised how often the question is ignored.

If it is a peer group, ask one or two colleagues if they understand what you have written. If not, ask which bits they do and don't. Then start again.

Copyright, 2002