Writing Boots

On communication, professional and otherwise.

Peggy, listen to yourself

12.23.2011 by David Murray // Leave a Comment

Former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan—golly that's a long time to brag on a job, but it is the last interesting thing she's ever done—has a kind of review, in today's WSJ, of the new Margaret Thatcher biopic Iron Lady.

I'm concerned that Noonan has slipped the surly bonds of readable prose:

"The leftist intelligentsia of her day, which claimed loyalty to and identification with the poor and marginalized, was shot through with snobs and snobbery. Underneath their egalitarian chatter was (and to some degree still is) a hidden, hungry admiration for and desire to be associated with the well-named and well-connected."

Loyalty to and identification with … admiration for and desire to be associated with—in two consecutive sentences? Peggy, go back to your speechwriting basics and read your stuff out loud before you turn it in.

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Seen on Facebook …

12.22.2011 by David Murray // Leave a Comment

"completely BIZARRE and INAPPROPRIATE but HONEST question: does anyone want to marry me so I can get really good health insurance? i don't need housing, but if i'm going to do this, it's gotta be really, really good health insurance. is that unethical or illegal?"

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If you’re gonna do a little work over the holidays, here’s what you ought to do

12.22.2011 by David Murray // Leave a Comment

Maybe you're wise enough to take some downtime between Christmas and New Year's. But it's hard, not doing any work on a staycation. For one thing, work is your only easy escape from your family. Yet, you don't want to cheat yourself by spending your down time toiling for the man.

So do what you ought to do: Spend some quiet time sifting the work you did this year, and look for the very best stuff you produced. The podcast interview that actually made the CEO sound human. The video that made everybody think differently about what the communication department is capable of. The kick-ass pull-quote that made a strategy story irresisble.

Behold those mini-masterpieces, and pat yourself on the back in a constructive way: Enter the stuff into the Magnum Opus Awards (sponsored by my publisher, McMurry), which "recognizes writers, editors, designers and communication managers who do great work in every area of content-delivery in print, online, in traditional media and social media alike." Mopus_2012

Go ahead, do a little work over the holidays—but make that work work for you.

Categories // Uncategorized Tags // ContentWise, Magnum Opus Awards

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