Beyond the Elements of Style

No Double Spaces, Damn It!

Some very smart people hire me to either write for them or to edit what they have written. I call these very smart people “clients,” and I like to think that I provide a valuable service to their businesses. Most of them appear to believe that I do, as I have ongoing contracts with many of them; in several cases, I’ve been writing for the same companies for ten years or more.

And yet I occasionally find that these same smart people do not actually trust the very person … in whom they’ve theoretically put their trust.

It usually has to do with something that they all believe they “know to be true.” In these cases, I apparently play the renegade by trying to change something that everybody “knows” to be correct. And it almost always has to do with the old rule of placing two spaces between sentences. Time and time again I write or edit client copy, placing only one space between sentences, only to have the client gently correct (and, occasionally, admonish) me about it.

I may have pointed you to this site before; if so, bear with me. Read it. Read other articles. Read Robin Williams’ books. You do not have to take it on faith that I’m correct: do your own research.

And then repeat after me: It is incorrect to place two spaces between sentences. In fact, according to a colleague of mine, it has been incorrect in the typesetting world since 1954; if that’s true, then the change in practice is not even due entirely to the advent of computers (and the subsequent demise of monospaced type).

The simple truth is that your eye doesn’t need those two spaces to know that another sentence is about to begin. Your brain is smart enough to sort that out.

So, smart people, unite: learn the rules of usage so that you can write correctly, or — alternately — keep on employing me to do your writing and editing … and trust that I know what I’m doing! And then you’ll be .. beyond the elements of style!

She’s The Spelling Queen

It’s been a lovely Sunday here in Provincetown, center of (my) universe: just warm enough, a breeze coming from the harbor, the Cape Cod Times consumed with lunch at an outdoor café. Sitting there I perused a brochure from a yoga studio that I’m considering attending — a great brochure, nicely designed, and it noted that the studio features an “alter.”

Was it me, or did a cloud just pass in front of the sun?

Now my family, of course, was quick to point out that no-one else in their right mind would have noticed, much less cared that altar is not spelled with an “e.” My spouse quickly envisioned a world in which I’d be the Spelling Queen, sitting on a throne of semicolons and exclamation marks, sentencing to die those who make sloppy mistakes such as those. We all had a good laugh about it.

But the reality is that I’m probably not going to go do yoga at that particular studio, and, yeah, it’s because of the brochure. If someone’s that sloppy about writing/proofing, they may well be sloppy about other things as well. Probably not; but I’m not taking that chance.

When I approach companies about doing marketing communications for them, most people’s first reaction is along the lines of, “I can write; anybody can write; we don’t need you to write.” Well, respectfully, no: many of us have been taught to write (though I’ve seen some of the grammar used by my stepchildren’s teachers and hold out no hope that schools are doing anything to increase correct spelling, usage, and grammar); but that doesn’t mean that we can all do it well. Or even correctly.

That yoga studio just lost a potential client. Can all businesses afford that kind of loss? Paying someone like me to write — or even simply edit — marketing communications is, at the end of the day, a bargain at any price. Those saavy enough to know their limits are the ones who will continue to prosper, even in a recession. And they’ll be … beyond the elements of style!

(Oh, and if you hurry, you can probably still get that brochure out of the rubbish …)

Google Never Forgets

Help! I’m on the run from children’s Christmas ideas!

Let me note right away that I do not have children. What I do have, however, is a search engine optimization business, and not long ago I did a rather thorough evaluation of a website for a company that features children’s clothing, accessories, and furniture. We did not end up working together, but my computer … remembers.

The reason my computer remembers is because of Google. During the time I was doing this research, my ISP, for reasons unknown to anyone but itself, decided to stop sending my emails. I therefore relied on my Gmail account to correspond with the prospect and work on the website evaluation.

And Google, as we all know, Never Forgets.

So now as I meander around the web, pay-per-click advertising for this company is never far away. I check out the TV schedule and it reminds me about kids’ pajamas. I consider purchasing a book online and it’s right there telling me about a special on children’s dressers. I look into a writing contest and it wants me to pay attention to Christmas décor ideas for the kids’ rooms.

Inanely grinning child models are stalking me as I move through the net, haunting my every click. I want to run screaming from them, but they’re actually intruding into the real world, too. When someone mentioned the company name at a recent party I attended, I started looking around for the hidden microphones.

I could draw some political parallels, of course; but this column isn’t about politics, it’s about words. And today’s cautionary word-related tale? Be careful where and how you use your words, because Google Never Forgets. I’m lucky: I only have child-merchandise pursuing me. But the words you leave out there are there forever. It’s a great reason to think before you type.

Do that, and you’ll be … beyond the elements of style!

To Quote, or Not to Quote … (Copywriters: Read This, Please!)

I have to admit it: I have a new favorite blog out there. The marketing world — in which I spend a fair amount of my time — loves loves loves scare quotes. Almost as much as it loves to choose certain random nouns and give them initial caps. Almost as much as it loves choosing words it thinks will drive customers to action and capitalize them completely. And then there are the exclamation marks …

You end up having sentences like these: All of “our” Fine Sports Wear is ON SALE!!!!!!!

Okay, so that’s a slight exaggeration, but honestly –– only slight. Good copywriting isn’t about tossing eye-catching punctuation like errant confetti over your content: good copywriting is supplying good content. Period. And for you SEO mavens out there, all this extraneous stuff is horrible at attracting spiders. Do so at your risk and peril.

But I digress. There are, thankfully, two or three other people in the world who feel as I do, and one of them has a blog! Youpie!

When you’re ready for a slightly different take on the use of scare quotes as we all unhappily see them every day, do go visit The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation marks..

You’ll have a lot of fun: I guarantee it! And you’ll also be … beyond the elements of style!

Doing Well By Doing Good

Well, the word is out … and it’s not just those of us involved in “causes” that are paying attention. According the the new BBMG Conscious Consumer report, nearly nine in ten Americans say that the words “conscious consumer” describe them, and that they’re more likely to buy from companies that manufacture energy-efficient products (90%), promote health and safety benefits (88%), support fair labor and trade practices (87%), and commit to environmentally friendly practices (87%).

Wal*Mart doesn’t have to get worried, yet: the report noted that the above considerations will only cause a consumer to purchase if products are of equal quality and price. There’s that price-point issue again. We’re good at holding fast to values … until they begin to cost us.

The good news? While “convenience” used to be a major consideration for American consumers, it has been edged out by more socially relevant attributes.

Those of us who use words for a living need to be aware of this trend. Even advertising copywriters, possibly the lowest on the rung of writers (and I say this even when I’m wearing my copywriting hat!), need to know that social responsibility ins’t just the right thing to do … it sells, too.

There may be hope for us, after all. And then we’ll be … beyond the elements of style!