On Words and Business

This week’s article by Laura Wright in the Worldwide Freelance Writer newsletter- “Is There Another Word for Orange?” tickled me mauve, salmon, coral, magenta, grapefruit, watermelon, and bubble gum! It’s all about being more colorful in one’s writing and it really got me thinking.

You know all about creative color naming if you’ve ever perused a J. Crew catalog, in which items are in colors like sea salt, dark cloud, and sour cherry. Sometimes, depending on the season, the color names are the thing I love the most about reading their catalog.

If you’re not a subscriber, a lot of these articles end up on the Writing 101 section of the site. Stop by and take a look at some great content.

To write or even speak English is not a science but an art. There are no reliable words…. Whoever writes English is involved in a struggle that never lets up even for a sentence. He is struggling against vagueness, against obscurity, against the lure of the decorative adjective, against the encroachment of Latin and Greek, and, above all, against the worn-out phrases and dead metaphors with which the language is cluttered up.

-George Orwell

Thanks once again to Flying Solo for an excellent article.

This one on identifying one’s weaknesses–to either fix or just be aware of and live along side.

Good for sole practioners, but no doubt also true for employees and other types of entrepreneurs and businessfolk.

I identified my weaknesses in the comments section, and now I’m just trying to figure out how to fix ‘em!

What are your weaknesses?

A while back the incredible, edible egg was transformed into an ad delivery vehicle.

Now ads are coming to a watermelon near you (if you live in the Southeast or Midwest).

Creative? Yes.

But is this a self-fulfilling prophecy?

People ignore ads because they are inundated with them in all sorts of places, some new and unexpected. So advertisers place ads in ever more new and unexpected places.

There’s a logical end to this progression, right?

If you’ve been thinking about expanding your services internationally, as I have recently, here’s a great article about some things to think about.

The author has been doing this for a while and he gives some details about getting paid and making yourself available to clients in anothe time zone.

Just the information I’ve been looking for to help me go global. Now if I could just find the article that gives me information about exactly how to get those international clients. In three easy steps!

Are you a small business or freelancer who works internationally? If so…I’d love to hear about how you got started, and how you got your first international clients.

This year I’m finding the entire experience mesmerizing. Not least because of the amazing achievements of every athlete who’s participating.

Read about eight attributes of the Olympic mindset that no doubt helped these athletes get to Beijing this year. And that can help any of us do well in our careers or avocations.

• Determination
• Strength
• Hard work
• Motivation
• Deal with adversity
• Optimism
• Focus
• Tolerance of stress

To what do you attribute your success?