You hear a lot of criticism of Microsoft, but one of the best things it did was standardise the way programs look in terms of menus and, to almost the same extent, icons. That's good to know because it means that there are rules governing where commands and features are located.
Read More5 minute tip: Spellchecker blues
Paradoxically, a spell-checker is only useful if you can spell! It's a common misunderstanding that if you can't spell, a spell-checker will sort things out for you. It won't.
Read More5 Minute tip: How to create a template in Word
Templates can save you hours, and the only limit there is to the number you have is the size of your hard disk (or your cloud storage). Although Word actually comes with many templates, you'll almost certainly want to create your own.
Read MoreAdvertising as part of TV programmes (Updated)
The recent report by Smart Energy GB into how environmentally friendly British TV shows are is quite interesting, though not in a good way.
Read MoreNOT the camera I used! Photo by Terry Freedman
Testing a camcorder for interviews
A few years ago I thought I would test the capabilities of a pocket camcorder I’d been asked to review
Read MoreRules, by Terry Freedman. I thought this sign is a reasonable analogy to the likely rules in a post-lockdown world.
Writing during Covid
Do you read people’s writings about covid? I don’t, if I can help it.
Read MoreDo not adjust your set, by Terry Freedman
Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible
I’m hoping to get things back to normal soon, that is, publishing articles several times a week.
Read MoreDr Tel and School Band, by Terry Freedman
PhotoPrompt #55: A band
Dr Tel and School Band.
Read MoreOn this day, by Terry Freedman
On this day #9: A nice problem to have
Imagine being so successful as a writer that the main problems you have are managing the workload and managing the finances.
Read MoreTerry, thinking
Language and meaning 2: the need for precision
Since when has “discreet” meant “small”?
Read MoreAn example of why pedantry is not a great idea
Reading a set of instructions that have emerged from the printer, and having spotted a missing space and an ‘s’ instead of an ‘a’….
Read MoreExperiments in style, by Terry Freedman
A bang on the head as a (not entirely accurate) comic strip
I think it’s quite interesting to see how a change in style can dramatically alter the feel of a piece.
Read MoreConversing, by Terry Freedman
Language and meaning
A girl I taught was highly intelligent, very helpful and had a great sense of humour. Unfortunately, though, whenever she disagreed with somebody she immediately flew into a temper, insulted them and told them to go forth and multiply — though rather more crudely than that. I imagine she has a huge following on Twitter these days, as that seems to be the main way of “communicating” for a lot of people.
Read MoreReview: The Go-Between
I also started to ponder: why the obsession throughout the book with belladonna?
Read MorePrivate, keep out, by Terry Freedman
PhotoPrompt #54: Private, keep out
I think if I were a fiction writer I could write a decent short story using this picture as a prompt.
Read MoreReview: How to write short
This is a very different book from Short-Form Creative Writing: A Writer's Guide And Anthology, both in content and style, but covers similar ground.
Read MoreMy Writing Filing Cabinets, by Terry Freedman
The 100 best websites for writers in 2021
There are some interesting blogs listed here, including several I hadn’t heard of.
Read MoreShould writers enjoy copyright protection?
We don’t say, “Nice factory you’ve built up there, but it’s unfair that you get to keep it for more than a few years, and even if you do, you can’t pass it on in your will.” Who would bother investing their own time and money in the enterprise if they thought that would be the outcome?
Read MoreDemolition in progress, by Terry Freedman
Now it's Chaucer's turn
Just in case you were thinking that there must be some areas of English Literature that are safe from being banned, burned, discontinued…
Read MoreQuill, by Terry Freedman
Possible changes in the status of freelance writers in the USA
Apparently there are proposals to pass a law in the USA that would require freelance writers to pass the so-called ABC test.
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