Kim Orr

A great test to see if your copy is too formal is the "comma Mary” test. The test comes from Bruce DeSilva, a thriller author and former journalist. The test: put ", Mary" at the end of a statement. Then read it aloud. If it doesn't sound right—namely, too formal—turn the word-choice dial toward less specialized, more conversational until it feels right. Example: “Undergoing regular cancer screenings is the expert-recommended approach to discovering cancer early enough to optimize treatment options and improve health outcomes, Mary." or "Regular cancer screenings help find cancer early, which is why experts recommend them. Treatment works best then and can help patients live longer, Mary." Which one are you most likely to say to a person? Now, it's no silver bullet; you'll want to go deeper and look at your writing decisions—sentence length along with word choice and order. But the "comma Mary" test is a great tool to judge your copy's readability. And to make changes toward making it more human—if that's what it needs, Mary. Alexandra Howson and I talked shop about voice last year. #writing #storytelling #medicalwriting

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A great test to see if your copy is too formal is the "comma Mary” test. The test comes from Bruce DeSilva, a thriller author and former journalist. The test: put ", Mary" at the end of a statement. Then read it aloud. If it doesn't sound right—namely, too formal—turn the word-choice dial toward less specialized, more conversational until it feels right. Example: “Undergoing regular cancer screenings is the expert-recommended approach to discovering cancer early enough to optimize treatment options and improve health outcomes, Mary." or "Regular cancer screenings help find cancer early, which is why experts recommend them. Treatment works best then and can help patients live longer, Mary." Which one are you most likely to say to a person? Now, it's no silver bullet; you'll want to go deeper and look at your writing decisions—sentence length along with word choice and order. But the "comma Mary" test is a great tool to judge your copy's readability. And to make changes toward making it more human—if that's what it needs, Mary. My friend Alexandra and I talked shop about voice last year. #writing #storytelling #healthcare

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I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! A bit late, but it's still Plain & Simple Tuesday over here in the Pacific Northwest. 🗻 This week's topic gets a lift from plainlanguage.gov. 💡 Let’s talk about an important plain language technique – using short sentences. The key here is to have one idea in each sentence. According to plainlanguage.gov, shorter sentences more easily convey complex information. They do this by breaking information into smaller, easier-to-understand pieces. Creating complexity is the opposite of clear communication. Let’s look at an example from plainlanguage.gov: Original: Once the candidate’s goals are established, one or more potential employers are identified. A preliminary proposal for presentation to the employer is developed. The proposal is presented to an employer who agrees to negotiate an individualized job that meets the employment needs of the applicant and real business needs of the employer. After some plain language edits: Once we establish your goals, we identify one or more potential employers. We prepare a preliminary proposal to present to an employer who agrees to negotiate a job that meets both his and your employment needs. You’ll notice that the edit also includes shifting to active tense and using pronouns, other plain language concepts we’ve talked about before! #plainlanguage #copyeditor #lineeditor #clearcommunication

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Deque's Matthew Luken is an inexhaustible fount of knowledge about all things #inclusion and #accessibility, and his new "Accessibility Reads" series has quickly emerged as a brilliant one-stop-shop for the latest and most interesting stories. If you're eager to stay on top of the most compelling news in the space, definitely check out these posts!

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Hey Seattle area friends, writers, actors, improvisers, and people with things to say, this post is for you! If you've followed me for a while, you know how passionate i am about good storytelling...on paper and in person. And one of the best places I know to share a story is Ignite Seattle! This is community storytelling at its informative, entertaining best...but we need YOU and your stories to make it happen. Share your Big Idea with us (a great title and short summary) by August 22 (Thursday!) for our next show, happening October 3 at Town Hall Seattle. Make us laugh, make us cry, but most of all, make us think. (Not sure about public speaking? No problem. We provide lots of hands-on coaching--some of it from me!--support, and the most supportive audience anywhere. This is your chance to stretch yourself!) Find out more in the link in the comments. #publicspeaking #seattle #storytelling #seattleevents #enlightenusbutmakeitquick

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As both a creative and technical writer, I’ve found that one of the hardest parts of writing is overcoming the dreaded writer’s block. To have writer’s block is to lose inspiration and motivation for writing; it’s like hitting a brick wall and being unable to move forward in your writing. I recently faced a major writer’s block with my creative writing capstone piece, and I was left with the age-old question: how do writers work past writer’s block? All writers will deal with writer's block at some point in their career, but the question is usually how they deal with it. While it may be tempting to take a break, it is often not a feasible option. Instead, some writers find inspiration through music, movies, the outdoors, or—like me—they simply power through it until inspiration strikes again. While knowing how other writers deal with writer’s block is beneficial, understanding why you have it is far more important. Check out this article by Abi Wurdeman of Dabble that diagnoses the causes of writer’s block and offers ways that it can be resolved! 

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What happens when you hire me? When you hire me for developmental editing, you won’t just see changes throughout your document that you accept and forget. Instead, you’ll see a conversation develop through the comments I’ve added. I will guide you towards a version of your work that is both more complete and more succinct by asking you challenging questions about the scope of your research question and the limits of your study. I’ll suggest additions and show you where I would trim and build out sections. The first round of edits is just the start of our conversation, and through multiple rounds we’ll arrive at a version of your document that we edited together, and that you feel is still your own. Hire a team member. Your writing deserves to be read. #developmentalediting #amediting #editing #writingcoach

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As a content professional, I'm often asked if I'm worried that AI may someday take my job. I think this article from Michael Iantosca perfectly summarizes why our roles in this field are more vital than ever before. Shout-out to Amber Swope for introducing me to his blog! https://lnkd.in/eESAkw4Q

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Lots and lots and LOTS of weird things happening lately with writers and sources. People committing to interviews and flaking, ghosting writers halfway thru interviews, getting on the phone with writers to talk about a topic and then saying they aren't really up to date on that topic, sources getting mad at writers for asking for follow up quotes... It's been a weird time in the industry - I'm sure on the PR side as well! Sharing these FREE tips on this topic in the hopes that they can help people troubleshoot this with their clients: https://lnkd.in/gJaZ_MHj I tweeted about this and so many writers chimed in and this went viral (more about that in the link). Will also be doing a part 2 next week. #publicrelations #pr

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