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Resume Series: The Basics

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Note: This article was originally published December 12, 2020 on my now-defunct website for AMA Creative Solutions. I have completed the most minor of edits, so what you see is what was published (barring a glaring and obnoxious error). There are many, many ways to organize a resume. Looking at resume samples and advice can be overwhelming and the advice on what to include can be confusing. Here are the basics of what to include in a resume (in a US context – I’m not sure how well it translates in other parts of the world) and a simple format to get you started designing your own. So, what is a resume? Your resume acts as a summary of your work experience. It gives hiring managers and recruiters a snapshot of your experience, skills, and formal education. The detail you use and the skills you focus on can vary depending on your field and hiring level, but you generally want to highlight what you bring to a specific role. Resumes are usually short documents – not more than two pages, b
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Writing Workshop: Essay Basics

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  Note: This article was originally published August 30, 2020 on my now-defunct website for AMA Creative Solutions. I have completed the most minor of edits, so what you see is what was published (barring a glaring and obnoxious error). What even is an essay?! Essays are a non-fiction prose form that is used to explore an idea or experience. The core components are the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. More creative non-fiction essays, like you might see from David Sedaris and other memoirists, may not have a traditional structure. However, even these styles introduce the topic, often through a descriptive account of an event or memory, then use the body to explore or process the impact, and the conclusion may be a “take-away” or closing observation about the experience. Most U.S. schools teach essay writing using a “three-point thesis” model. In this structure, the writer uses the introduction to provide context for the thesis, or core argument, of the essay. The thesis shou
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Writing Workshop: Warm-up Exercises

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Note: This article was originally published July 29, 2020 on my now-defunct website for AMA Creative Solutions. I have completed the most minor of edits, so what you see is what was published (barring a glaring and obnoxious error). We are rarely taught writing warm-ups, which you spend 10 or 15 minutes on before getting into your immediate project. These warm-ups help you develop your skills, narrow your focus to what you will be working on in a session, and help build a transition point in your writing routine. One of my personal challenges is shifting from other tasks into writing, which prevents me from focusing on the words and usually leads me to work on chores (or checking social media or working on administrative work or going back to conversations or any number of other hurdles to actively writing). We are (sort of) taught how to outline and draft in school, but these are often expected to be stages of a project more than a warm-up to dive into a project. The way they are des
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Punctuation Time: Semicolon Specifics

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  Note: This article was originally published May 17, 2020 on my now-defunct website for AMA Creative Solutions. I have completed the most minor of edits, so what you see is what was published (barring a glaring and obnoxious error). Semicolons act as a middle point between commas and periods. They can connect two closely related sentences, separate complex lists, and separate individual ideas in complicated sentences. One of the biggest complaints I hear from students about reading social theory, older literature, and philosophy is that the sentences make the ideas too difficult to follow. These writers tend to have long, winding sentences with several clauses separated by semicolons and commas. I tend to recommend using semicolons sparingly, but many writers & editors have distinct stylistic preferences and the rules can change depending on your (or your audience's) region. Here are some general rules to follow when using semicolons. As always, double-check your style guide f
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Punctuation Time: Comma Confusion

  Note: This article was originally published May 17, 2020 on my now-defunct website for AMA Creative Solutions. I have completed the most minor of edits, so what you see is what was published (barring a glaring and obnoxious error). Commas are one of the most misused (and misunderstood) punctuation marks. Not only are comma rules complicated, they also have a great deal of stylistic variation. 1. How they are used has changed over time. I love complicated sentences with many phrases offset by commas and semicolons because many of my favorite literary works are from 19th-century England. Some people prefer the shorter, more concise sentences seen in US writing since the mid-20th century. We often develop our writing styles and grammatical preferences from the writing we love, which can also cause a lot of consternation between people of different stylistic origins. 2. There is a lot of variation in regional, professional, and personal styles. Comma usage changes depending on where in
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Punctuation Time! Dashing Dashes

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Note: This article was originally published July 7, 2020 on my now-defunct AMA Creative Solutions website. I have made only the most minor edits in cases of particularly obvious or obnoxious grammatical errors. There are three different dashes that each have their own purpose. Hyphens are used within words to show a specific meaning. The en dash is most often used in date ranges and point scores. The em dash is a stylistic punctuation mark that is used to reflect a pronounced pause or to highlight specific information. I will be explaining how each of these types of dashes is used in general writing. As always, if you are writing professionally, double-check your organization’s style guide. Hyphens Hyphens are placed within words to demonstrate specific meanings or to show that the word continues on the next line. They are entered into a word processor by pressing the dash key (most U.S. keyboards have it placed to the right of the number row) or the minus key on the number pad. You c
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Punctuation Time: Confounding Colons

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Note: This article was originally published June 10, 2020 on my now-defunct website for AMA Creative Solutions. I have completed the most minor of edits, so what you see is what was published (barring a glaring and obnoxious error). Perhaps it’s just me, but I find the colon the most mysterious of all punctuation. While we often have a general “sense” of how and where to use commas and semicolons, the colon seems to be less straightforward. They aren’t used as often in modern writing as the comma or semicolon and are most often found in citations. Regardless, colons are useful punctuation marks to draw attention to the words or phrases that follow them. Here are the general rules for using colons (and, as always, refer to your style guide for how colons are used in citations and quotations). Between two independent clauses Colons are used between independent clauses when you are using the second clause to clarify or explain what you mean in the first clause. The first letter following
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