I gave 25 years of my life to content — and all I have to show for it is this sarcastic little memoir — Published 130 years ago, George Gissing’s New Grub Street is set against the magazine boom of the late-Victorian era, a world dominated by the commoditisation of the written word. Gissing’s cast of writers must adapt to the middlebrow tastes of a mass reading public that is emerging as a commercial…

But I will not Google it. — I do not know what ‘Taco Bell’ is. I know it is important, and that it is an American thing, I think. It feels like something that everyone else knows about, a household concept, something with the cultural heft of spring break or Starbucks or Clorox. Of course, I could…

Get to the point. Don’t apologise. Ignore me. — This piece is not a complete guide to writing a sales email. There are thousands of brilliant resources out there all doing aspects of that job, including this one and this guy. All I hope to do here is offer a few thoughts, from someone who has written literally 1000s…

Some parents are firefighters and soldiers and doctors. And some, er, aren’t. — Hello! My name is Kyle and I am seven years old. Today I’m going to tell you about my mummy’s work. My mummy is a senior seo content producer. She works in an office with lots of other people. She writes lots of things. It’s very busy work. Mummy has…

Wondering what the stars hold in store for you this week? Spoiler: it’s not good. — Taurus (April 20 to May 20) Sometimes life has a way of throwing a challenge your way that’s the very last thing you want. But maybe that’s OK, because there’s nothing more positive than overcoming a long-held phobia, no? With your tough bull’s hide, you could be well equipped to power through. …

100 tips for writing clear, impactful marketing copy & content for online users — OVERVIEW 1. Plans, ideas, stories 2. Structure 3. Signposting and scannability 4. Brand voice 5. Editing and crafting copy 6. Persuasion 7. Working with content stakeholders 8. Further reading PART 1: PLANS, IDEAS, STORIES Planning content and telling your brand story in a reader-focused way. #1: Make it all about ‘you’ (not ‘we’ and ‘us’)

Find inspiration for your next pitch from some of these less-than-obvious sources of ideas — Anyone who pitches articles or writes stories is always on the lookout for more sources of ideas. There are lots of well-trodden sources, but here are a few I use that might be less obvious… Foreign titles Publications from other countries — readily available online — can be a rich source of…

Couldn’t have done it without you guys… — This story, Let’s Go To The Supermarket!, has its roots in a walk I took with my son, Jonny, to get a few bits and pieces from our local store in Bridgely. It was a routine shopping trip except that, at some point on the way back, a tiny light…

War stories from, like, a literal proverb-denier — Hey. Whoa. Just leapt there — and guess what? I did not even look. OK, slightly sprained ankle now, but all in a good cause. Some people chase rainbows. Some tilt at windmills. And some apply lipstick to pigs. I’m here to tackle proverbs head on. I get up at…