The Essential Writer’s Reading List

Photo By JanetMcK

Reading Sonia Simone’s excellent Seven Deadly Sins of Blogging article over at Copyblogger, I was struck by a piece of advice that I’d already taken.

Am I working on cultivating a network of like-minded bloggers, and supporting their work as much as I hope they’ll support mine?

Thanks mainly to Twitter, my RSS feed has gone from showing me pictures of cats with amusing captions to steadily drip-feeding me advice, insights and entertainment from a number of bloggers who I wouldn’t otherwise have come across. With it being Follow Friday, I thought I may as well share some of the blogs I’ve found with you.

If you click on only one more link today, take a look at one of these blogs:

Rob Writes

Rob Writes is the imaginatively titled blog of Rob Wood, a copywriter for The Carphone Warehouse. As a full-timer for an established company, he offers something different to the collection of freelancers and chancers you’ll normally find writing blogs.

My favourite article: What is a Copywriter
If (like me) you’re sick of people asking what on Earth a copywriter does, you’ll do worse than pointing them to this piece.

Text Pixels

Text Pixels is the work of a veritable Swiss Army Knife of a creative, Katy Evans-Bush. Describing herself as a “freelance copywriter, web 2.0 & SEO writer, communications consultant and poet”, Katy’s excellent style single-handedly disabused me of the notions that you can either write poetry or sell. Turns out that if you’re good enough, you can do both.

My favourite article: 9 Top Tips For Really Crap Blog Content

A good list post is one of the best ways of putting your point across, and this is a great list post. If you don’t feel slightly nervous that you’re guilty of one of these crap content no-nos, you’re a better writer than I.

Ben Locker & Associates Copywriting Blog

I should charge Ben for this, because I’m basically advertising his company’s website here (Edit: and he’s advertising a flat in the comments…). Luckily, he’s not charging for this top quality content which balances solid advice with a wonderfully light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek style.

My favourite article: Tips For Dialogue Writing

Anyone who’s ever written a script or fictional conversation will have come up with some turgid, adverb-laden dross. Ben takes that tendency to a ridiculous conclusion and writes the following sentence:

Mary licked her lips, savouring the chocolate that would soon rim them. “Great idea. Stick that on the list too.”

Good Copy Bad Copy

Ok, this one’s another corporate website, but I have to cover my bases in case I find myself back on the job market. Good Copy Bad Copy doesn’t just give you good tips, it shows everyone’s favourite part of the DVD. The bloopers reel. If you like learning from other people’s mistakes, you’ll like this blog.

My favourite article: Thirty words and phrases you need to stop using today

Face it. Nobody really has a passion for competency solutions, so touch base with this article, incorporate the advice into your framework and you’ll be going forward with your new strategy in no time.

So that’s my rundown of the blogs that will help you become a better writer. If you’ve got a favourite blogger or article you’d like to share, get it off your chest in the comments section.