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Always learning

By on in training, writing

As a writer and trainer, I’m always keen on learning new things, that I can pass on to the people who come to my writing workshops or just to keep my own interests and knowledge up to date.

Here are a few things I’ve learned recently:

Simple visuals using Adobe Spark

A writer, I think, is someone who pays attention to the worldHypeStar provide training in digital and social media from their base in the North East, and are very generous in sharing some great hints and tips on their blog. That’s where I learned about Adobe Spark – a free tool to create graphics and simple video animations. Check out HypeStar’s simple guide to Adobe Spark and give it a try yourself:

https://www.hypestar.uk/make-stunning-visuals-videos-adobe-spark/

This has been a great way for me to add some visual appeal to some of my Twitter and facebook posts. A professional designer can create something more creative and stand out for your business, but for a quick post, I think this is a great tool.

How to avoid deleting shared files when using Dropbox

I picked up some more tips from technical writer John Espirian, including this reminder about the rules of dropbox sharing.

I’m starting to work with a client using Dropbox at the moment, so this was a very useful and timely reminder.

Contender for word of the year

I love a good discussion about words, so I always enjoy seeing what The Writer has to say in their email newsletter. They’re making an early prediction about the word of the year in 2017. 

I also enjoyed hearing how paying attention to language helped turn customer experience from bad to good for games company EA on their podcast. You can listen to it on iTunes and on everything else.

The black hole of Calcutta was a real place

Finally, Lucy Worsley always does a great job of engaging me with stories from history. I’ve really enjoyed the series of British History’s Biggest Fibs, and this week I learned about the origin of the phrase ‘the black hole of Calcutta’. Watch it again on BBC iPlayer.

I really appreciate it when people share their interests and knowledge and add to mine. Is there anything you’d like to know more about in the realms of copywriting and business writing?

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8 Responses to Always learning

  1. Zoe Emilie at #

    Great article and lot’s of tips! Thanks! 🙂

    • Michelle at #

      Thanks Zoe. There are so many apps out there now, I always appreciate a recommendation and like to pass it one.

  2. Clare Talbot-Jones at #

    Thanks- will have a look at Adobe Spark. I use Canva for our images but always keen to try new resources.

    • Michelle at #

      I use Canva too, but really like the extra possibilities of Adobe Spark, such as video and larger images. I haven’t played around with those too much just yet. My favourite bit is the scroll wheel that changes fonts for you.

  3. June at #

    Thanks for sharing these fab tips and reminding me about checking out Adobe spark! I never knew there was a ‘word ot the year’ either…how interesting. I’ll now be looking out for the word ‘pivot’ on the news! 🙂

    • Michelle at #

      Thanks June. I bet you start hearing ‘pivot’ all over the place now. I can recommend signing up to the Writer’s newsletter if you have an interest in words. It’s not just for people like me who work with them every day.

  4. James Lane at #

    I love this round up of learning – and thank you so much for featuring our Adobe Spark article – glad you enjoyed it!

    I think what I’d like to see is guidance on writing exciting ‘About’ copy.

    • Michelle at #

      Thanks James – it’s so handy to have someone recommend and show you how to use a new app so simply. Hype-star does that brilliantly. Thanks for the idea for another blog post!