The thread
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The thread

I never write anything without the thread in mind. What is the thread? It is the throughline of any blog post, essay, or book chapter. Start with the end in mind. What is the point? Write the title and the lede based on that. Then, the setup. What is the problem? What is have I…

Information provenance; author focused publishing; RuPaul’s bookstore: Newsletter 6 March 2024
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Information provenance; author focused publishing; RuPaul’s bookstore: Newsletter 6 March 2024

Newsletter 34: Who tells the truth, authors back a new publishing model, Spotify’s audiobook subscription, plus three people to follow, three books to read, and chance to meet other authors in Northern Cal. Says who? Trump advisor Steve Bannon once described his communications strategy this way: “The real opposition is the media. And the way…

If you demonstrate statistical incompetence, why should we trust you?
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If you demonstrate statistical incompetence, why should we trust you?

People making a point tend to cite statistics. And with simple tools like SurveyMonkey, anyone can create a poll. But if you don’t know how statistics really work, you can seem like a fool. I don’t trust people who use statistical tools in a misleading way. Do you? What’s wrong with this poll on LinkedIn?…

Is “data” singular or plural? The Wall Street Journal wants it both ways.

Is “data” singular or plural? The Wall Street Journal wants it both ways.

If you are writing about data, you have a choice to make: singular or plural. Singular: The data is so persuasive that only one conclusion is possible. Plural: The data are so persuasive that only one conclusion is possible. Both are correct, depending on the audience Colloquially, most people speak about “data” as a singular…

How much money was wasted on Super Bowl ads in 2024?
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How much money was wasted on Super Bowl ads in 2024?

With advertisers paying $7 million per 30 seconds, Super Bowl ads are among the most expensive branding opportunities available. But do they work? If you watched the game on Sunday, take the quiz below. Write down your answers on a piece of paper. The point isn’t whether you remembered the ad. The point is, do…

Another Gasper gaffe: an avalanche of alliteration
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Another Gasper gaffe: an avalanche of alliteration

It’s not just the things you should avoid in writing that are a problem. It’s the constant overload of those things. Too much passive voice, too much jargon, too many puns, too many exclamation points. If the reader is saying “Enough!”, the writer has made a mistake. I’ve written in this space before about the…

That photo of Trump and Epstein on a plane? If you really want to believe, it’s probably an AI fake.

That photo of Trump and Epstein on a plane? If you really want to believe, it’s probably an AI fake.

Multiple people on my timeline recently shared the photo of Donald Trump and famous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein on a plane, shown below, which is a fake: How do I know it’s fake? As soon as I saw this, I was suspicious. Why? Because while I’ve seen other photos of Trump and Epstein together — as…