Websites, Blogs, Etc.
English for Journalists, A CUNY blog by Diane Nottle
This is an informative blog which touches on all sorts of different writing techniques and gaffes. Worth a look.
A Grammar Cheat Sheet – Chicago Tribune
This one has good explanations of common vexing issues, including: ‘that vs. which,’ the use of ‘literally,’ how to treat ‘group’ words like ‘none’ or ‘some’ in terms of plurality, and lie vs. lay
The American Copy Editors Society (ACES) website
There are numerous writing/editing-related articles and presentations on this site for members, but there is also a wealth of material available for non-members. This page contains presentations from the 2018 ACES conference, touching on such topics as the Plain Writing/Language Act, Readability, Deep Grammar, and so on.
Class Central Ranking: The Best Free Online Courses of All Time
So, this list covers a LOT of different courses. There are some promising listings for topics like project management, self-improvement, foreign language, mountains (yeah, one of the top-listed courses is about mountains), psychology, religion, and so on. Go poke around and see what catches your eye. It looks like some of the courses have aged off/closed, but plenty of them look to still be active.
Penn State Geospatial Analysis/Structured Analytic Techniques (SATs)
So, aside from Geospatial Analysis stuff, which is cool in its own right, this actually has a PDF of the CIA’s “A Tradecraft Primer: Structured Analytic Techniques for Improving Intelligence Analysis” in it. I haven’t read far enough to see if it teaches you how to be Jason Bourne, but here’s to hoping. There’s also a link to “Psychology of Intelligence Analysis,” which sounds like an interesting read. Wonder if they tap into biases in this stuff…
Articles, TED Talks, Etc.
This is a quick read with a logical method for approaching problem definition; give it a look and see if you can apply the methodology to any current situations in your own life.
“What’s Up With That: Why It’s So Hard to Catch Your Own Typos” by Nick Stockton, Wired.com
Good explanation for why our brains function the way they do when it comes to automated (simple), repeated tasks. Take a look.
“Here’s How to Become a Better Writer” by Ashley Stahl, Forbes.com
Good info. This article talks not only about HOW to become a better writer, but also why you should. (Reason #1: You’ll get more promotions. Who doesn’t want more cash at hand?)
“First Impressions Endure, Even in Brief Writing” by Bryan A. Garner, ABAJournal.com
So, this article is focused more on the legal side of writing (i.e. court documents and opinions), BUT Garner is a freaking champion of contemporary style & usage, across the board. I have an older copy of his Garner’s Modern American Usage and I use that thing almost daily at work. I’ve heard his stuff referenced in multiple lecture series and podcasts. Don’t brush this off.
“Yes, there is a right way to write an email–here are some simple rules” by Daniella Balarezo
This cites a TEDx presentation called “How to write an email (no, really)” by Victoria Turk. There are good tips in this and it is included in the TED “How to be a better human” series, which has a lot of interesting, promising-looking material in it. Have a look, here.
Decalcify Your Brain 