It’s the thought that counts. That’s what people say, and sometimes mean. The people in your life who usually mean it the most are those with lots of stuff – people like grandparents. I remember giving my Nana soap, and even at eight years old, noticing her ‘Not another one’ face. And now that I’m […]
jo@thewritecoach.nz
Unlock Your Creativity: Embrace the Power of Writing with Constraints
We’ve all been there—navigating the unspoken rules of writing, whether it’s the mandated tone of a work email or changing your language when texting friends versus your mum about your plans for the night. But what happens when the rules are so tight they feel like a straitjacket? Instead of stifling your creativity, these constraints […]
Decoding the Assignment: A Guide to Reading Between the Lines
One of my senior students once came up with what he called the “Bulls*** Theory.” His idea was simple: if you haven’t studied (and he rarely had), use the question as a springboard to craft the most elegant, formal, and fluent English you can muster, and fool your examiner into thinking you know what you’re […]
Thinking About Blogging? Start Here
Some of us (like me) remember card catalogues. You know, the ones in libraries where you pulled open a long wooden drawer and flicked through cards organised by subject or author. Nowadays, information is just a few keystrokes away – as is everybody’s opinion about everything. Blogs combine the two: information and opinion. A good […]
How to Write an Essay – and Why
You’ve had lots of advice about how to write an essay. You’ve been given templates and organising principles. You’ve seen formulae for the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. The advice has been sensible and specific. So why, when you sit down to write that dreaded essay, does it still feel impossible? WHY write the essay? […]
How should you handle a rude email?
You’re preparing an important Powerpoint in your office (or twirling your chair and throwing rolled up paper at the bin) when a new email pings onto your screen. You open it and have to read it twice before you can believe it. The writer, a client, has stormed past grumpy into outright nasty. You’re shocked. […]
Why Write Your Story?
I’m lucky – I come from a family of people who liked to write. People who didn’t have a lot of formal education, but who kept diaries and wrote memoirs. As a consequence, I have the words of great uncles, grandmothers and my mother. These have become taonga, fleshing out the skeletons provided by certificates […]
How to Write a Wedding Speech
Someone’s getting married! It’s wonderful – you’re celebrating a relationship with a party. There’s just one thing that’s getting in the way of having a good time. That’s right. You’re going to have to (Jaws music please…) deliver a speech, to all to those people you’ve invited. Even thinking about it makes your gorge rise […]
Use the Right Word, not the Fanciest.
Simplicity is beautiful. Or, as Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe said, “Less is More.” Just look at that statement. With 10 letters, in three words, van der Rohe makes a complex assertion, using contrast as a tool: ‘Less’ and ‘more’ are opposites, paired by the strong, assertive ‘is.’ Rather than obscuring his meaning with wordiness, […]
Your Memoir: Getting People on the Page
Actually, writing your own story can be fraught with difficulty – how much do you say? What details will enliven your story and make it richer, without boring your reader? How honest should you be about the bad stuff – and the people in your life who may or may not still be around? I […]