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Friday Finds: Online Resources for Office Writing

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

Today, I get the chance to return to the classroom. Sort of.

At the day job, a colleague and I–both of whom have writing-intensive positions at our office–have been asked to lead a presentation for some of our co-workers. The subject: writing at/for work.

Between the questions that my co-presenter and I have already received from the participants, and a case study we’ve chosen (an example of an e-mail you would NOT want to send), I think we’re all going to have a good time today. (Plus, there will be food! Yes, I am getting a free lunch today!)

We’ll also share and discuss resources for further consultation. Several of these are online resources, and you’ll notice that some already appear right here on the Practicing Writing sidebar. But they bear re-presentation:

  • Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/) Consult the site map for a detailed list of subtopics. A section on “Workplace Writing” is especially helpful (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/681/01/). For instance, this section includes a full subsection on Memos (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/590/1/).
  • University writing program sites (e.g., the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/business.html)
  • Ask the Editor (http://www.apstylebook.com/?do=view_recent_ask)
  • After Deadline (http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/after-deadline/)

    • Anything else you might recommend? Please do share!

    See you back here on Monday. Have a great weekend!

    The Wednesday Web Browser

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
  • The After Deadline blog deals with numbers in the news.
  • Tayari Jones shares the trauma and ultimate triumph of changing the title of her forthcoming novel.
  • Nova Ren Suma recalls six fateful paragraphs.
  • Book-reviewing advice from Sarah Weinman, Jane Litte, and another Sarah (last name not included).
  • Speaking of book reviewing, here’s my brief take on Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English, a novel by Natasha Solomons.

    • The Practicing Writing blog is grateful for its readership! We’ll be taking a few days off for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Warm wishes to all, and see you back here on Monday.

    Quotation of the Week: Andrew Sanger

    by Erika Dreifus on
    1

    British author and travel writer Andrew Sanger tweeted this a few days ago:

    Good ideas are like dreams. If you don’t write them down at once, they slip away and cannot be found again.

    I think that there’s a great deal of truth to this. I’ve found that it is very important to try to capture worthy ideas (and notable dreams) as quickly as possible. I would add, however, that sometimes, very stubborn ideas do come back…during a jog, in the middle of another dream, or in a variety of unexpected contexts. So don’t despair if you think that you may have “lost” a promising thought. But do try to write it down as soon as you can!

    The Wednesday Web Browser

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
  • Some advice on running a great book event.
  • Tomorrow would have been Kurt Vonnegut’s 88th birthday. Just in time, Ninth Letter takes note, with a “sly tribute” and mention of Friday’s “sneak peek” of the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in Indianapolis.
  • An item that reminds us of the power of poetry.
  • The latest After Deadline column opens with a focus on some especially “inviting” lead paragraphs.
  • A new blog from The Chronicle of Higher Education, Arts & Academe, presents “news and features on campus creativity,” and seems to post a new poem every Monday.