The Tools of the Trade

I'm a sucker for software and apps.

Always have been.

I've had iPhones since the iPhone 3G and love to geek out over iOS beta versions and see what new toys there are to play with.

Even when they break my phone or make it as hot as the sun.

So when the chance to do a live video in my copywriter Facebook group came up, I thought, I’d share my recommendations for the software I use every day to make my life a little easier.

And since I’m all for an easy life, I thought I’d double up and make this the topic of this blog post, too!

So...brace yourself...it’s time to talk tech!

Grammarly

Most writers worth their salt use Grammarly.

My spelling can be attroccious, so it would be career suicide not to run my work through a spell check or two.

But Grammarly is more than just a spell check.

It's on the hunt for a whole range of grammatical issues, too (I mean, the clue is in the name).

It has saved me from writing in the passive voice more times than I’d care to imagine and is great for knowing when a semi-colon should be used (in copywriting, virtually NEVER!) and what on earth a comma splice is.

Had he been alive today, I'm sure Hemingway himself would have used it...

Hemingway

Speaking of Hemingway, my next recommendation has a rather appropriate name.

Hemingway is for you if you have a tendency to waffle on a little….

The old phrase ‘Keep it Simple, Stupid’ springs to mind.

Hemingway colour codes your writing to show when you’ve written difficult to understand sentences and paragraphs and highlights when you’ve used too many flowery adverbs.

And if the passive voice was missed by Grammarly, don't worry. Hemingway has got your back.

It also shows you what grade you’re writing at so you’re not being overly obtuse or obfuscating, which is an instant customer turn-off.

meta…

So those are the writing apps I use, but that writing needs to go somewhere.

Which is where my next recommendation comes in...

ConvertKit

The very tool I use to send my newsletter emails (most) weeks.

You can do amazing things with ConvertKit, from funnels to landing pages, automated Welcome emails, to list segmentation.

It’s a great way to get to know my subscribers better, and make sure I send relevant emails!

When I know what it is you're looking to get out of being on my list, I can focus my efforts into making sure I deliver for you.

And the best way to get to know someone is to have a chat, but it's always a bit of a hassle trying to align calendars.

If only there was a way to do that...

Calendly

I love me some Calendly.

With Calendly, you can see my availability and book time straight into my calendar.

I know, right?

So whether you want my thoughts on your website or welcome email, or you want to kick-off a new copywriting project, you can do it in one click (as long as I’ve remembered to update my calendar of course 🤦🏻‍♂️).

And once that project is complete, there's the...ahem...

....slightly...well...awkward task of...

...settling the bill.

Wise

I work with a number of US and European clients and I was getting a little peeved at PayPal and their less than generous conversion rates.

Thankfully, Wise (formally Transferwise) lets you create ‘virtual’ bank accounts in a whole range of different currencies and countries, and their conversion rates are often the best around.

Admittedly, you need to pay £16 to get account non-UK account details, but it’s only a matter of time before you break even and then you’re quids in 🤑

If you fancy getting yourself a Wise account, click here to sign up.

(Disclosure—this is an affiliate link so I may earn a little commission if you do, but it doesn’t cost you anything.)

So there you have it. A few of the recommended tools of the trade.

Do you have use any you’d recommend?

Add a comment below.

Until next time…

Why the Big, Bad, Wolf is a very naughty boy

Last week I was extolling the virtues of a little linguistic law that we all know, but we don't know we know. You know?

The marvellously named ablaut reduplication (if you missed last week's blog, you can read it here and then post below with your excuse, and I'll consider an appropriate punishment)

(To summarise:

Definition of ablaut: a systematic variation of vowels in the same root or affix or in related roots or affixes, especially in the Indo-European languages that is usually paralleled by differences in use or meaning (as in sing, sang, sung, song)

Definition of reduplication: an act or instance of doubling or reiterating

and it's why we wear flip flops and why the clock tick-tocks.)

But there is another even more fascinating English rule we all follow without realising it—the order we place adjectives in sentences.

To quote Mark Forsyth's The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase, the correct order is always:

opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose noun.

And the often quoted example is:

a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife.

Get the order wrong, and your sentence is just...weird. I mean, we're never going to find green little men on Mars now, are we?

So Little [size] Red [colour] Riding [purpose] Hood [noun] fits the pattern.

But hang on, what about our friend (and Red's nemesis), the Big [size] Bad [opinion] Wolf [Noun]?!

Surely he should be Bad Big Wolf?

Well, he is an example of the other fascinating facet of English.

Every rule has its exceptions.

In Wolfie's case, he's following a whole different set of rules, the i, a, o order of vowels we talked about last week!

mind…blown

Somehow, 743 million people speak English as a second language.

How, I'll never know.

I'm off to add Mark's book to my reading list.

And if you need a hand with all this English-writey-thing, give me a shout.

Laters!

What does Little Red Riding Hood and Drag Race have in common?

There are a few things I'm thankful for being born British.

Opportunities, amazingly fascinating (and occasionally brutal) history, our amazing National Health Service, and also the fact that I've not had to learn English as a foreign language because...

I'm not sure I would have coped.

English is strewn with quirks and intricacies and more words that break the rules than follow them.

And for the most part, we know the right words by instinct rather than applying any rhyme or reason.

It just is.

I learned about a new concept this week, but I've known about it for as long as I've been able to speak—Ablaut reduplication.

Whaaaat?

Ablaut reduplication.

If you've heard the term, I applaud you, but I imagine you, like me, will be more familiar with its effect than its meaning.

It's the reason why we have a Big Bad Wolf and not a Bad Big Wolf.

...Flip flops and not flop flips...

...Tick Tock and not Tock Tick....

...and why the Queens in DragRace UK sang about Bing Bang Bong.

So, what is going on here?

Essentially, it's the order in which vowels MUST come in a series of two or more words or else it just sounds. Plain. Wrong.

I followed by A followed by O.

Or if you have two words, you have a choice.

I followed by A or O.

In the words of my 2-year old niece, but WHY?!

Damned if I know.

It just is.

English*, huh?

---

*it happens in most Indo-European languages, apparently... isn't language a tricksy thing?!