Poynter Online http://tc.eserver.org/publisher/Poynter_Online A listing of works published by Poynter Online in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif Poynter Online http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Poynter_Online When It Comes to Homepages, It is Polite to Stare http://tc.eserver.org/33229.html http://tc.eserver.org/33229.html That one webpage bears all the promotional burdens that would typically be spread through an entire printed edition of your newspaper. Your homepage begins to look as though a dozen designers from different departments each built their own piece. Color, Contrast and Design in News Design http://tc.eserver.org/32252.html http://tc.eserver.org/32252.html An online guide that explains color theory and shows how to use it in design through examples and exercises. The Ockham's Razor Principle of Content Management Systems http://tc.eserver.org/27376.html http://tc.eserver.org/27376.html Unless we manage to make Drupal more accessible to new users and to get back to the basics, we'll find the ground shifting beneath our feet. Cut Big, Then Small http://tc.eserver.org/27372.html http://tc.eserver.org/27372.html Precise and concise writing comes from disciplined cutting. Fear Not the Long Sentence http://tc.eserver.org/27365.html http://tc.eserver.org/27365.html Everyone fears the long sentence. Editors fear it. Readers fear it. Most of all, writers fear it. Even I fear it. But... Let It Flow http://tc.eserver.org/27370.html http://tc.eserver.org/27370.html To become a more fluent writer, try these strategies. Parallel Lines http://tc.eserver.org/27369.html http://tc.eserver.org/27369.html Writers shape up their writing by paying attention to parallel structures in their words, phrases, and sentences. Rehearsal http://tc.eserver.org/27371.html http://tc.eserver.org/27371.html Procrastination can be productive. Riffing for Originality http://tc.eserver.org/27366.html http://tc.eserver.org/27366.html Riff is a metaphor from jazz to describe a form of improvisation in which one musician borrows and builds on the musical phrase of another. Write Endings to Lock the Box http://tc.eserver.org/27368.html http://tc.eserver.org/27368.html All writers have a license to end, and there are many ways to do so. Writing Cinematically http://tc.eserver.org/27367.html http://tc.eserver.org/27367.html Authors have long understood how to shift their focus to capture both landscape and character. Back Off or Show Off http://tc.eserver.org/27338.html http://tc.eserver.org/27338.html When the news or topic is most serious, understate. When the topic is least serious, exaggerate. Beware of Adverbs http://tc.eserver.org/27330.html http://tc.eserver.org/27330.html Beware of adverbs. They can dilute the meaning of the verb or repeat it. Branch to the Right http://tc.eserver.org/27328.html http://tc.eserver.org/27328.html Begin sentences with subjects and verbs, letting subordinate elements branch to the right. Even a long, long sentence can be clear and powerful when the subject and verb make meaning early. Control the Pace http://tc.eserver.org/27339.html http://tc.eserver.org/27339.html Control the pace of the story by varying sentence length. Dig for the Concrete and Specific http://tc.eserver.org/27334.html http://tc.eserver.org/27334.html The good writer uses telling details, not only to inform but to persuade. Dig for the concrete and specific. Interesting Names http://tc.eserver.org/27341.html http://tc.eserver.org/27341.html Remember that writers are, by training and disposition, attracted to people and places with interesting names. Internal Cliffhangers http://tc.eserver.org/27345.html http://tc.eserver.org/27345.html What makes a page-turner, an irresistible read, a story or book that you can't put down? Well, lots of things. But one indispensable tool seems to be the internal cliffhanger. Name the Big Parts http://tc.eserver.org/27349.html http://tc.eserver.org/27349.html Seeing the structure of a story is easier if you can identify the main parts. Narrative Opportunities http://tc.eserver.org/27347.html http://tc.eserver.org/27347.html Take advantage of narrative opportunities. The Number of Elements http://tc.eserver.org/27344.html http://tc.eserver.org/27344.html The number of examples you use in a sentence or a story has meaning. Observe Word Territory http://tc.eserver.org/27332.html http://tc.eserver.org/27332.html Observe 'word territory.' Give key words their space. Do not repeat a distinctive word unless you intend a specific effect. Odd and Interesting Things http://tc.eserver.org/27343.html http://tc.eserver.org/27343.html Put odd and interesting things next to each other. Period As a Stop Sign http://tc.eserver.org/27331.html http://tc.eserver.org/27331.html Place strong words at the beginning of sentences and paragraphs, and at the end. The period acts as a stop sign. Any word next to the period says, 'Look at me.' Place Gold Coins Along the Path http://tc.eserver.org/27348.html http://tc.eserver.org/27348.html Learn how to keep your readers interested by placing gold coins throughout your story. Play with Words http://tc.eserver.org/27333.html http://tc.eserver.org/27333.html Play with words, even in serious stories. Choose words the average writer avoids but the average reader understands. Prefer Simple to Technical http://tc.eserver.org/27336.html http://tc.eserver.org/27336.html Prefer the simple to the technical: shorter words and paragraphs at the points of greatest complexity. Recognize the Roots of Stories http://tc.eserver.org/27337.html http://tc.eserver.org/27337.html Recognize the mythic, symbolic, and poetic. Be aware (and beware) that common themes of news writing have deep roots in the culture of storytelling. Repeat http://tc.eserver.org/27350.html http://tc.eserver.org/27350.html Repetition works in stories, but only if you intend it. The repetition of key words, phrases, and story elements creates a rhythm, a pace, a structure, a drumbeat that reinforces the central theme of the work. Reveal Character Traits http://tc.eserver.org/27342.html http://tc.eserver.org/27342.html Reveal character traits to the reader through scenes, details, and dialogue. Seek Original Images http://tc.eserver.org/27335.html http://tc.eserver.org/27335.html Seek original images. Make word lists, free-associate, be surprised by language. Reject cliches and 'first-level creativity.' Show and Tell http://tc.eserver.org/27340.html http://tc.eserver.org/27340.html Good writers move up and down the ladder of abstraction. At the bottom are bloody knives and rosary beads, wedding rings and baseball cards. At the top are words that reach for a higher meaning, words like 'freedom' and 'literacy.' Beware of the middle, the rungs of the ladder where bureaucracy and public policy lurk. In that place, teachers are referred to as 'instructional units.' Tune Your Voice http://tc.eserver.org/27346.html http://tc.eserver.org/27346.html What is voice, and how does the writer tune it? Use Strong Verbs http://tc.eserver.org/27329.html http://tc.eserver.org/27329.html Use verbs in their strongest form, the simple present or past. Strong verbs create action, save words, and reveal the players. Color Forecasting http://tc.eserver.org/22547.html http://tc.eserver.org/22547.html Every year I look forward to the Communication Arts issue that has the color predictions for the coming year. Mostly because I'm fascinated with the subject, but also because I want to see the funny color names they come up with. Doing Illustrations: A Question of Accuracy and Fairness http://tc.eserver.org/22548.html http://tc.eserver.org/22548.html Does the illustration I'm creating, or using, depict that person's race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, abilities, etc. accurately? The Fine Art of Kerning http://tc.eserver.org/20689.html http://tc.eserver.org/20689.html Kerning is the art of adjusting (usually tightening) the space between individual letter pairs. This selective, manual spacing is done to eliminate awkward spaces and to make words easy to recognize. Kerning is also known as letterspacing.