Shows
The Writing GuyEpisode 192, Keir Starmer's missed opportunityScott laments the Labour Party leader's uninspiring keynote speech, which failed to blend the radical and the reasonable, to mix fire with ice.
2021-09-3009 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 191, plain English, and a limerick inspired by Welsh beautyScott corrects the Business Secretary's wordiness and shares a saucy limerick about Welsh gorse.
2021-09-2907 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 190, the artist's investment in their artInspired by a poster outside a shop in Aberaeron, Wales, Scott reflects on what buying a piece of art means.
2021-09-2804 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 188, the story's (first) climaxIn his final reading from 'The Old Man and The Sea', Scott recounts the old man's harpooning of the magnificent fish
2021-09-2310 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 187, the great fish surfaces for the first time ('The Old Man and The Sea')In praise of Hemingway's evocative style, Scott reads a short passage from this wonderful story.
2021-09-2210 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 186, Hemingway's economical styleScott reads a paragraph from 'The Old Man and The Sea' as an example of how the Nobel Prize-winning writer broke the cult of difficulty.
2021-09-2106 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 185, the simplicity of 15 writing techniquesScott muses on why an attendee of a recent workshop who posted his writing confidence as 9 out of 10 had revised it down to 2 by the end of the morning!
2021-09-2007 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 184, the power of rhythmScott unpicks the meter and rhythm of a famous nursery rhyme, then plays fast and loose with it.
2021-09-1810 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 183, 9/11On the 20th anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers, Scott recites his poem '9/11', inspired by a recent visit to the Ground Zero museum.
2021-09-1109 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 182, compassionInspired by caring for his mother as she convalesces, Scott looks at the origin of this ancient word.
2021-09-0906 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 181, JRR TolkienScott commemorates the 2 September 1973 death of the great John Ronald Reuel Tolkien who transported millions of readers to Middle Earth and beyond.
2021-09-0211 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 180, neurologically engaging writing (!)Scott rails against the biggest barrier to writing Human: nounitis.
2021-08-3109 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 179, A Midsummer Night's Dream in CambridgeScott shares his experience of a magical play in the magical setting of the King's College Fellows Garden.
2021-08-3109 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 178, nailing your elevator pitchHelping a leadership coach client, Scott unpicks the all-important 'soundbite' that all leaders and business owners should have.
2021-08-2607 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 177, hear the voice of a Victorian costermongerReading from Henry Mayhew's 'London Labour & The London Poor', Scott introduces us to a 19th century street-seller who sold peaches to the Prince of Naples.
2021-08-2509 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 176, the sad history of St Giles, LondonAfter joining the climate change protests in Central London, Scott explores the sorrowful history of St Giles, an area notorious for disease, deprivation and depravity.
2021-08-2410 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 175, the origin of 'taboo'Hard on the heels of yesterday's episode on the unmentionable c-word, Scott uncovers the etymology of the word 'taboo'.
2021-08-2206 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 174, the etymology of the c-wordIn light of a recent study into the usage of swear words in English conversation, Scott looks at the origins of the c-word.
2021-08-2109 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 173, a poetic elevator pitch?!Have you nailed yours? Scott shares his rhyming couplet version as the Elevator Bard.
2021-08-2007 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 172, John Dryden's 390th birthday, England's first Poet LaureateScott commemorates this great poet, playwright, scholar...and alumnus of his old school, Westminster.
2021-08-1908 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 171, another five headline writing techniquesAfter remembering the death in 1850 of French writer, Honoré de Balzac, Scott shares more techniques for crafting powerful headlines and subject lines.
2021-08-1810 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 170, you can't go wrong with plain EnglishInspired by Miriam Chigodho's phrase, Scott reminds us again of the power of plain English.
2021-08-1708 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 169, Ted Hughes's birthdayFormer Poet Laureate Ted Hughes was born this day in 1930 in Yorkshire. Scott reads his poem 'The Jaguar'.
2021-08-1608 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 168, the written word has never been more importantWith so many decision-makers working from home, the written word is coming into its own. Scott shares four techniques for crafting powerful email subject lines.
2021-08-1510 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 167, rhetorica II's 15 techniquesScott shares all 15 writing techniques, captured in three 5-letter acronyms.
2021-08-1308 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 166, the death of William BlakeScott remembers one of our great national poets, who was also a visionary, mystic, artist and inventor.
2021-08-1210 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 164, the rhythm of writing ratios (alliteration!)Scott works a simple phrase to show how altering the ratio between adjectives and nouns in a list can change the rhythm of the writing.
2021-08-1009 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 163, the S.C.O.T.T. techniques raise writing confidenceScott shares the results of two 'before and 'after' polls in writing confidence he ran on his 28 July webinar.
2021-08-0906 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 162, S.C.O.T.T.Scott shares his Big Five drafting techniques in the form of a rather proprietary acronym.
2021-07-2908 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 161, Ernest Hemingway's writing styleCoinciding with the 62nd anniversary of Hemingway being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, Scott reads two passages from the great man's books.
2021-07-2609 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 159, gratitudeInspired by Izzy, a family friend, Scott looks at the power of gratitude to change our state.
2021-07-1310 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 158, sharing my 62nd birthday with Mr ControversyScott shares a birthday with the controversial Cecil John Rhodes, founder of Rhodesia and diamond magnate.
2021-07-0505 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 157, the joy of rhythmScott draws parallels between living in harmony with nature's rhythms and poetic meter.
2021-07-0411 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 156, the link between motion and emotionScott deepens his understanding of 'nounitis' and explains why verbs have so much more power than nouns.
2021-07-0310 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 154, Engagement is all!Every writer wants to 'engage' their reader, but where does the word hail from? Scott tries to unpick its origin.
2021-06-3009 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 153, happy summer solstice!On the longest day of the year, Scott explains the meaning of the solstice and the origin of the term.
2021-06-2108 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 152, has working from home changed how we write?How to improve your writing skills. In preparing a forthcoming talk for a client, Scott wonders if the post-COVID business world is readier than ever for a more human writing style.
2021-06-1808 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 151, write Human!Scott unpicks a 16-word sentence that sounds more like it's been written by a robot than a human. Writing Human is a major way of improving your writing skills.
2021-06-1707 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 150, review and preview of this podcastScott thanks his small but growing audience for their listenership, reviews his highlights so far and asks his listeners for their topic suggestions (scott@writeforresults.com) — all in the name of improving your writing skills.
2021-06-1610 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 149, the written word makes historyCan you guess which famous document - drafted in medieval Latin - Scott is reading from today? (Forgive his atrocious pronunciation!)
2021-06-1508 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 148, the ornithological source of 'jargon'As birdsong washed over him at Stonehenge, Scott's thoughts turn (inevitably) to ancient language.
2021-06-1406 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 147, Stonehenge and words of worshipScott examines the origin of words like 'worship', 'adore', 'venerate' and 'revere'.
2021-06-1307 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 146, how a client doubled her readability (in 10 mins)Applying Scott's 'Big Five writing techniques helped Kelly take her readability from 36.3% to 71.7%.
2021-06-1108 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 144, the Magick of SpellingScott builds a bridge between spelling and magic, inspired by James Essinger's book, 'Spellbound'.
2021-06-0809 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 143, Scott's Big Five (writing techniques)Scott explains how he managed to help eight clients double, and in one case, triple their readability.
2021-06-0706 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 142, my serendipitous dayScott recounts how a precious book fell unexpectedly into his hands.
2021-06-0607 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 141, Scott's Big FiveThe five writing techniques that can triple your readability in minutes.
2021-06-0405 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 140, Walt Whitman's elegy to LincolnScott uses the opening stanzas of Whitman's 'When lilacs last in the dooryard bloomed' to remind us of three age-old literary devices.
2021-05-3110 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 139, fiction and survivalScott reads extracts from Mexican author Valeria Luiselli's speech for the Dublin literary award. Luiselli describes how reading fiction with her family helped them survive lockdown.
2021-05-3007 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 135, Ralph Waldo EmersonEmerson, US poet, essayist and philosopher was born 25 May 1803 in Boston. Scott shares some of his timeless wisdom with us.
2021-05-2507 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 134, the power of protestScott celebrates the 80th birthday of one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time and his early protest songs.
2021-05-2411 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 133, structure trumps languageBuilding on episode 132, Scott reiterates the role of structure in communicating with the reader.
2021-05-2206 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 132, structuring your writingInspired by Barbara Minto's 'The Pyramid Principle', Scott explores the concept of layers or levels of ideas.
2021-05-2110 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 130, birth (and death)Scott celebrates his twins' 22nd birthday and the death, in 1984, of Poet Laureate, Sir John Betjeman.
2021-05-1909 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 129, sentence hotspotsIn a grand reveal, Scott unveils the two best spots in a sentence to place the word you want to emphasise.
2021-05-1806 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 128, doomOn the day that John Kerry, US climate envoy, says that as yet uninvented technologies will save us, Scott looks at the origin of the word 'doom'.
2021-05-1707 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 127, Woodstock'3 days of peace & music' said the poster for this iconic Rock festival, August 1969. This was misrepresentation: they omitted the word 'magic'. Scott honours the poetry of the song, 'Woodstock'.
2021-05-1607 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 125, the power of a good story well toldScott shares a LinkedIn post that in 100 words conveys love, respect, courage and honesty.
2021-05-1306 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 124, National Limerick DayScott looks at this traditional poetic form and shares some saucy ones!
2021-05-1209 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 123, why structure trumps languageToo many business writers structure their writing like a school essay. Scott suggests a much more effective approach.
2021-05-1008 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 122, objective vs messageScott tries to sharpen the distinction between the objective or purpose of your communication and its main message. Do you think he succeeds?
2021-05-0908 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 121, why plan?Scott covers the three benefits and the five aspects of planning your writing.
2021-05-0810 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 119, 6 May 1954On this day in 1954, Roger Bannister ran the first sub-4 minute mile on the Iffley Road track in Oxford, despite 'sub-optimal' conditions and training. Scott considers the role of mindset in any task, including writing.
2021-05-0608 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 118, 200th anniversary of the death of Napoleon BonaparteScott takes a look at the grand language of the wee man.
2021-05-0507 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 117, Alice in WonderlandFrom mega bids to subterranean fantasies, Scott celebrates Alice Liddell's birthday - the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's famous book.
2021-05-0407 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 116, five levels of demand on a mega bidScott does a quick and dirty post mortem on the mega bid he recently finished (after six months!).
2021-05-0309 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 115, element #3 of great writing: personalityScott reminds us that writing with no authorial personality is missing a vital dimension.
2021-05-0207 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 114, element #2 of great writing: clarityScott riffs on the merits of plain English.
2021-04-3009 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 113, element #1 of great writing: contentScott talks about how to create great content.
2021-04-2908 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 112, grammar and pig shitScott cites an example of monumental pollution to illustrate a persuasion principle.
2021-04-2810 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 111, 'take heed'Scott looks at the Germanic origin of the phrase and its layers of meaning.
2021-04-2705 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 109, Bard DayToday, 23 April, is the birthday (and death day) of William Shakespeare, who introduced 1700 new words and phrases to the English language. Scott shares a handful of those with us, plus shouts out to David and Ben Crystal as authorities on the Bard.
2021-04-2307 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 108, Earth DayScott muses on the significance of today in light of Joe Biden's emissions announcement and the Moxie - a box that turns carbon dioxide on Mars into oxygen.
2021-04-2207 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 107, post mortem on mega bidScott's audit of two bid questions exposes how badly written they are, making it even harder for the bidders to respond.
2021-04-2110 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 105, the origin of 'bless'Inspired by a church service of prayer and protest against violence against women, Scott looks at the etymology of the word 'bless'.
2021-04-1908 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 104, rhythm and brainwavesScott recites the hymn 'Eternal Father, Strong to Save'. Can you hear or feel the wave that the perfect iambic tetrameter creates?
2021-04-1806 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 88, 'The Elements of Style'Scott pays homage to one of the best books ever written on writing
2021-03-2909 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 84, the monarchy of EnglishOn the birthday of the Queen of Soul (Aretha), Scott uses a royal triplet to talk about three linguistic strands in our language.
2021-03-2510 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 72, Wind III, abstract nounsAbstract language makes the reader work harder to get your meaning. Scott shows how to cure this ailment.
2021-03-1304 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 69, the Buckingham Palace statementScott unpicks the 61-word statement issued by the Palace in response to Meghan's allegations in the Oprah Winfrey interview
2021-03-1006 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 68, tautologiesScott has some fun with terrible tautologies, another of Windy's ailments
2021-03-0906 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 63, on this day in 1861 Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as 16th PresidentScott looks at a couple of the rhetorical devices in Lincoln's 1863 Gettysburg address that make the nation-forming speech iconic.
2021-03-0406 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 62, when is it OK to use the passive voice?Scott describes four scenarios where it serves us to use the passive voice.
2021-03-0307 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 52, pt V of Ash Wednesday by TS EliotEliot talks about the people walking in spiritual darkness, refusing to surrender to their true divine nature. ✨ We are separated both from our nature and Mother Nature, which Scott believes is the root cause of the climate crisis. In other words our relationship with ourselves governs our relationship with all living things.
2021-02-2109 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 48, 'Ash Wednesday', 1930, TS EliotScott marks the first day of Lent by reading part I of Eliot's poem.
2021-02-1708 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 44, The Cluetrain ManifestoOn Valentine's Day, what book or piece of writing do you love? Scott quotes from TCM, written in 2000 about the impact of the internet on business...and the unmistakable sound of the human voice.
2021-02-1409 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 42, applying meter to (instruction) manualsScott turns the instruction manual of a fridge-freezer into iambic hexameter. (He needs to get out more.)
2021-02-1105 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 35, 'The 7 Writing Trolls and How to Tame 'em'(Scott's ebook).Troll #1: Lazy. Lazy writers focus on themselves to the exclusion of the reader.
2021-02-0407 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 25, the elements of styleScott rails (again) against lifeless, abstract, technocratic writing and looks at omitting needless words - inspired by that gem of a book 'The Elements of Style' (Strunk & White).
2021-01-2507 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 24, anaphoraUS National Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman, used anaphora to great effect in her inauguration poem, 'The Hill We Climb'. Scott explains what the rhetorical device is and how it works.
2021-01-2406 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 21, That Inauguration PoemAt Joe Biden's presidential inauguration yesterday, US Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman recited her soaring poem, 'The Hill We Climb'. Scott looks at one of the many poetic devices she uses - alliteration.
2021-01-2106 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 20, The Readability GuruOn US President inauguration day, Scott pays homage to Dr Rudolf Flesch, inventor of the Readability Stats in MS Word. Flesch fled his native Austria in 1938 and settled in New York, eventually becoming a US citizen.
2021-01-2008 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 17, writing with personalityPersonality is the missing link in most business writing, ie taking a position on a topic, or writing with levity, flair or irreverence. Scott cites an example from former client, 'The Economist'.
2021-01-1705 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 16, plain EnglishScott shows how easy it is to write plain English with some examples, plus a C.R.I.S.P. reminder of the five main benefits.
2021-01-1607 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 14: registerA key concept in writing, register is the scale of language formality. Scott explains how it works and why it matters.
2021-01-1409 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 13: pseudo-objective writingScott rails against emotionless, dehumanised, technocratic writing that fails to connect with the reader.
2021-01-1308 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 11, nounitisNounitis - the over-use of nouns - is a common condition afflicting corporate writing. Scott shows you how easy it is to cure it and add impact to your writing at the same time.
2021-01-1108 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 10, The Heroic LineMore examples from literary greats of the iambic pentameter, plus some of Scott's novice attempts.
2021-01-1008 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 9, Rollerblading, rhythm and poetic meterRhythm - whether in poetry, boxing, daily routines or constellations traversing the heavens - lies at the heart of almost everything we do. Scott indulges in a riff on rhythm, from a skate park in south-west London.
2021-01-0907 minThe Writing GuyEpisode 4: the 'rhetorica' writing techniquesScott walks through the 21 persuasive writing techniques of his 'rhetorica' book and toolkit
2021-01-0410 min