Archive: Editing
Being an Effective Editor: Collaborate with the Writer
Being an effective editor means that you encourage a writer by working collaboratively. One way to do that is to let the writer have a voice. It is a familiar scene: A writer walks into the manager’s office to discuss a draft that the manager has edited, and the...
For Emphasis, Position Strong Words at the End
A simple, direct sentence is powerful, but rearranging a sentence to position important words at the end can achieve greater emphasis. The “final position theory” in linguistics says that you gain greater emphasis by placing significant words at the end of...Structure Sentences for Variety and Emphasis
We are familiar with the subject-verb-object sentence structure, but a series of consecutive sentences constructed that way is boring to read. Add a little variety to make the writing more lively and more emphatic. Part of what distinguishes good writing is that...Where Clear Writing Comes From: Words, Sentence Structure, Punctuation
Clarity is always the preeminent concern when writing, and the most important factors that determine a clear sentence are word choice, sentence structure, and punctuation. People often associate clarity with sentence length, but a 55-word sentence can be immediately...Comma Uncertainty: When to Use it Before “Because”
People frequently are unsure whether to put a comma before “and,” but how about using a comma before such words as because, when, where, and who? Essential clause – Words that are an integral part of the main thought of a sentence form an essential clause, and...By Ken O’Quinn
Focus on Them
Perfect Phrases for Business Letters (McGraw-Hill)
TD at Work — Business Writing for Managers
As a contributing author in this book on leadership, Ken offers insights and tips for managing difficult conversations, providing effective feedback, and being authentic. Order here.
Perfect Phrases for Business Letters (McGraw-Hill)
Provides the right words and phrases for any situation - quickly. The book was reprinted in Japanese because of high-volume sales there.
TD at Work — Business Writing for Managers
The Association for Talent Development invited Ken to write this 22-page booklet for the TD at Work series.
Current Blog Post
Researchers: Reading Bite-Size Bits of Information Hinders Our Thinking
Historically, humans have developed the brain capacity for "deep reading," that is, processing information, relating it to our existing knowledge, …