In Lieu of Orange Daisies

Even though we've lived in Georgia for nearly 12 years now, long enough to collect a basket full of tschotskes bearing various emblems of the state (I mean, have y'all ever seen the Big Chicken? It is, in fact, a sight to behold), and nearly 20 years since I last claimed Tennessee as my official residence ...


I just love the juxtaposition of the Georgia glass with the floral reminder that our blood still bleeds Orange.

Hope y'all are having a splendid summer!

XOXO ---


Don't miss a post! Subscribe here:

Enter your email address:


Delivered by

To Every Thing There is a Season

For having the fewest days, and short ones at that, February seems to me to be the longest month of the year. In general, my attitude toward winter is poor. I get cold in December and don't warm properly again until April. If we're going to get sick, it's in February when we're cooped up like chickens in a pen. Throw in a little (lots for Atlanta really) ice and snow and then an earthquake (what?) and I'm looking for spring like a kid in a smocked dress hunting up Easter eggs ... that is, with nearly maniacle abandon.

As a reminder to "habit yourself to the dazzle of the light, and of every moment of your life," (thank you, Walt Whitman) I decided taking pictures every day this month would help remind me winter does have its ways of redeeming itself. Here's what I found:

Corgis are suspicious of snow.


They smile bigger if you'll just leave them inside.


Even with the flu, energy can be summoned to play in the snow.


Green is greener against icy white lace.


Velveeta is back, and cheese dip is divine any time of the year.


Spring officially begins in four weeks and three days. Not that I'm counting... because winter can, in fact, be pretty dazzling when it wants to be.

Don't miss a post! Subscribe here:

Enter your email address:


Delivered by

Master of the Mental Game

Everybody. Always. Never.

When one of my girls throws out these terms (as in "everyone thinks this" or "I always forget my math homework" or "I'll never be able to do this") I put on the proverbial brakes.

"Name every person who thinks this. I want names."

"Have you literally not turned in your math homework ever?"

"So there's never been a time when you completed something just as challenging?"

Inevitably, only one or two names (if that) can be presented as evidence. The online math grade proves homework has, in fact, been turned in to the teacher. And the "never" can be reframed as "I have before and I can again now."

I think it's an important skill for kids to have -- how to stop runaway, often untrue, thoughts buzzing through their heads. Y'all, it's like I'm a modern-day Confucius. Except without a beard, and younger and not as wise, but at least wise enough to make sure my eyebrows don't grow off the side of my head like facial-hair antennae.

So imagine my surprise last week while at tennis clinic my tennis coach's reaction when I made a statement about my game. I swear if you listened closely you could hear the sound of screeching brakes.

"Do you want to stay at this level forever, or do you want to advance?" he asked. "Then don't say 'I have never been able to hit that stroke.' Instead say 'I am currently having some difficulty with this stroke, and here's what I can do differently,' because if you say never, you'll be right, and you'll stay right where you are." 

Then he fed me the ball a couple of times until I hit that stroke, thus dispelling the myth I really couldn't hit that particular ball. It may not be my finest or my favorite, but it is doable and has the potential to improve ... as long as I allow myself to believe it can and will improve.

Three things: first, it's easy to let little falsehoods slip in without even noticing. I hadn't caught that I was cursing myself with the "nevers." Second, my little people (who against all orders continue to grow taller and taller) will follow the example given to them. I need to guard against letting the "always, nevers, everybodys" into my life, too.

But most important is this: much of how you think determines how far you will go. If you think you can't, you can't. If you think I'll never, you won't. And if you worry about what everybody else thinks, you'll forget the most important person's opinion of you is your own.

Everyone knows that, right?

How to Convert Media Coverage Into Sales? Carpe Diem, Folks.

Two questions I'm frequently asked: how do I get more publicity, and once I do how do I convert the publicity to sales?

To answer the first question: be nimble.

The answer to the second: be nimble.

There's a tendency with publicity to become so busy creating newsworthy items, we are woefully unprepared for the opportunities that fall into our laps. The result being we are stuck in a conference room debating metrics or in back-to-back sales calls ... while a golden opportunity languishes, then disappears. We may make one sale, but we've let scores more slip away.

So how do we seize the day when it comes to a plum marketing opportunity? Like when a celebrity is photographed using your product, or a client demonstrates your product on a national news program, or you're quoted as an expert in the local paper? Here are 5 tricks to being ready to convert publicity into sales:

1. Look for opportunities. Read the paper, read blogs, watch the news and be a trend observer. You'll be surprised at how many possibilities to link your product with a leading news organization or personality lurk out there if you're just paying attention.

2. Have a template news release and email at the ready. If you're trying to write general company information for a news release or you're uploading client email addresses at the last minute, you're wasting precious time connecting with the story. Set up these essential building blocks now so when the time comes you simply drop in the relevant information and hit send.

3. Drop everything and PUSH. I know. You have a packed day. Meetings. Sales pitches. 175 emails to comb through. Figure out which of those things will be there tomorrow and reschedule. Go in early. Stay late. Do whatever it takes to capitalize on a real publicity opportunity. Trust me, this is your priority for the next 24 hours.

4. Hire help. If you don't know how to craft an eye-catching headline and news release, hire someone who does. Seriously. Anybody. Hire someone in direct competition with me for all I care but please, please don't squander an opportunity to build your loyal customer base because you didn't take the time to do it well.

5. Reuse and recycle. Post the information to your website, blog, your newsletter, all your social media, print it on pretty little postcards, make bumper stickers ... whatever floats your boat, but don't send a news release to the media and call it a day. Take the time to package your publicity success, then maximize your exposure through whatever channels possible.

If you consistently use these five steps of seizing publicity opportunities, the sales will follow. Why?  Because positive media coverage is one of the best third-party endorsements you can get, even if they haven't specifically endorsed your product. Endorsements build credibility, credibility builds trust, trust builds loyalty, and having a loyal customer base singing your praises will increase your sales.
Amy M. Dawson is a PR & brand strategist, business writer, newspaper columnist and humor writer. She’s helped hundreds of professionals — from Fortune 500 CEOs to politicians and entrepreneurs— craft their brands. For more information, contact her at amy@amymacwrites.com.

Photo Source: 9gag.com via Judith on Pinterest

Taming the Social Media Beast: 5 Easy Steps to Social Media Success

(Hey, Google Reader/RSS Subscribers: Don't miss a post ... click here to continue to get Amy Mac blog posts ... because Reader goes away in a few months!)

Whether you are starting a tiny business from your basement or you're a brand manager for a major conglomerate, anyone responsible for getting the word out about a brand has a vague sense they should be using social media much, much better.

Thing is, social media is overwhelming. You could always be posting more, tweeting more, updating your Facebook status more. Then you get to thinking "Is anyone reading this stuff? Is this really making any sort of impact, or would my time be better spent on traditional marketing? Or maybe just having a margarita and catching up on The Good Wife?"

I am sad to say, from a professional marketing and branding perspective, an effective social media strategy is paramount for connecting with your audience, and thus, you'll need to pour out that margarita (it's 9 a.m., for heaven's sake) and get cracking. Good news is, it's easier than you think to devise a winning social media strategy. In fact, I've broken it down into 5 easy steps:

TOSS the elaborate plan. Many social media efforts fail before they get started because there's too much planning. Nail down what you want to accomplish, make sure it benefits your audience, then GO.

FOCUS your efforts where your audience is most engaged. This isn't an all-or-nothing endeavor. Pick one place to focus, whether it's a blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or whatever and focus your efforts.

STICK to a schedule. Determine how much time you realistically have to spend on social media, put it on your calendar, and stick to it 100% of the time. Period.

CREATE an ideas file. There's that little "I had writer's block" problem solved.

HIRE it out. Maybe social media just isn't your thing. Pay someone to do it for you. Investing in marketing is always a good investment, and a smart social media campaign will build your business.

See? Easy.

(This post is a recap of an article from my newsletter. Read the full article "5 Easy Steps to Consistent Social Media Success" here. Sign up for the quarterly Amy Mac PR newsletter here.)

Photo Source: chicagonow.com via ROAR pro on Pinterest

Southern Storytellers

Southerners are hardwired to tell a good story. Sometimes they're funny, sometimes they are sad, sometimes nostalgic, sometimes cautionary ... but be forewarned, you can ask a Southerner about something as simple as the weather and you will get a full-blown novella in return.

Some of my favorite times are when Jake tells a story at dinner and the girls are literally breathless with laughter, tears rolling down their faces, sides stitching from the sheer exertion of happiness.

Let the record state, that in late January, 2013, the two girls pictured above, the ones who have placed all manner of restrictions on his behavior to reduce their chances of being embarrassed by said behavior, were absolutely begging the man to keep telling funny stories.

They stalled at the dinner table, content to be with one another, and with us, well past when the dishes were were washed and put away.

That, my friends, is the happiest story of all.

Happy Weekend!

How to Get What You Want Out of Life

For those of you who visit the blog (versus reading the post in a reader or via email), you might have noticed my header says "Sharpen Your Pencils."

That's a little tip of my hat to a long-held belief that incrementally improving whatever it is you do ... writing, fundraising, creating, selling, teaching, mommying ... on a daily basis is one of the easiest ways to stay ahead of the pack. Better yet, it's a great reminder of why you love what you do...and if we're all put here to do something, might as well do it really, really well, right?

Today, I read this in the book A Writer's Coach by Jack Hart:

"A certain skill with the written word is essential to almost anybody's success in the modern world: the cop filing a report, the foundation director pitching a grant, the moonstruck kid emailing flirtatious notes to that smokin' sophomore in third-period algebra. Whether we get what we want out of life depends, more or less, on how well we use writing to accomplish it." 

Hart goes on to say many of us don't write as well as we might because we believe some nonsensical notion that "good writing is magic."

My goal is to dispel that myth. Because whether you loathe writing or love it, there's no sense in losing business, a grant, or that smokin' sophomore all because you aren't confident in your writing chops. Good writing isn't magic. It's adhering to a few relatively easy principles and using them to your advantage.

So sharpen your pencils ... it's time to write.

How to Catapult Your Resume to the Top of the Pile

One of the top tactics for creating a stand-out resume is framing your accomplishments in a way that grabs the attention of the poor soul whose job is to plow through a zillion resumes a day.

Yet when I'm crafting a resume or professional bio for someone -- usually a very accomplished someone -- they generally stammer something along the lines of "I've been really busy, doing really important stuff, but I, uh, can't seem to remember exactly what that important stuff is. Or, why it matters."

Part of this is inexplicable modesty (this is your resume ... your moment to brag with abandon!) and part of it is as busy people, what was really monumental in January gets eclipsed by other exciting accomplishments before June rolls around.

There's a simple solution to this problem: create an ACCOMPLISHMENTS File. It can be a file on your computer, handwritten in a journal, a note on your iPhone. The where doesn't matter as much as the content you capture, and there are three pertinent components:

1. The date, for obvious reasons.
2. The accomplishment ... and this is no time to edit. No matter how insignificant, ALL accomplishments should be recorded on this spreadsheet. Whether you make a presentation to the CEO, coordinate an event, or lead a coalition for more salad greens in your office cafeteria, record it in your Accomplishments File.
3. The results. What happened as a result of your effort? Was the CEO convinced to launch a new product? Did the event create word-of-mouth resulting in increased sales? Are there, in fact, more salad greens at the lunch table? Capture that information -- you'll need it later.

I keep my file in Microsoft Excel. It isn't fancy. It is four columns across, with the above components along with an area for notes. I capture the information by month. That's it. When I update my resume, I pull out the most pertinent information to include ... and the rest of it reminds me of various fun projects I've done that year.

Keep an Accomplishments File and I promise ... the next time you need to update your resume, you will not dread the task. In fact, with all your awesomeness right there in front of you, you might kinda sorta look forward to it.

Here's to an overflowing 2013 Accomplishments File!

Source: mmorris.webs.com via Soren on Pinterest

Choose a Book Club Book in 4 Steps

A few weeks back, a dear friend asked me for book club book recommendations. She’s not an avid reader, and she was feeling a little pressure … how to pick a book that would engage a group of women with diverse interests? How to choose a read that would entertain yet not offend? How to keep the masses from hurling a boring book at her while dining on brown-sugar-covered brie and white wine?

Whether you need a book to read for your book club or are just looking for your next page-turner, here are 4 tips for choosing a book club book:

                                                  Understand your audience. 

What appeals to a 27-year-old new mother won’t necessarily appeal to a 55-year-old businesswoman. Eliminate any books that appeal only to a very narrow audience (gory horror books: not so much) and find a book with a likable protagonist, a brisk plot and the element of constant surprise. Those books where you just HAVE TO KNOW what happens are the sure-fire winners. 

      Determine reading preferences. 

    Does your book club like intellectual reads, or do they prefer a frothy distraction? Fiction or non-fiction? Does the group like a little controversy with their read, or is the book really just an excuse to socialize?

         Be on the lookout for great books. 

      Watch for book reviews in your local newspaper, magazines and websites you frequent. I usually check the New York Times Bestseller list, USA Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and People magazine (no judging.) Then I take a snapshot of the review and store it in Evernote for easy reference.

        Check Goodreads (find me there at amymacpr) and Amazon reviews. 

      Don’t trust a couple of five-star reviews. Read those middle-of-the-road reviews. Those folks will tell you what they liked, what they didn’t, and why. Then you can decide for yourself if it’s a book you’ll enjoy.

Tell me … what’s the last book you just couldn’t put down? Why did you like it so much?

PS — My friend chose the book “Mudbound” for her book club. If you haven’t read it, I recommend you pick up a copy! Great book.

Photo Source: ilikeiwishiheart.com via The on Pinterest

A Perfect Summer

Summertime perfection is ...


~Singing in the car with the windows down and the wind blowing your hair around so it's nearly impossible to brush when you get home
~The smell of bug spray, and chlorine, and sunscreen and sunshine
~The kind of tired where your muscles ache and your skin is tingly from the sun well after dark and you fall into a happy sleep seconds after your head lands on a freshly-laundered, cool pillowcase
~That school's out, no looming projects feeling
~Fresh salsa and chips being an acceptable supper
~Lots of giggling girls sharing secrets at slumber parties
~Blooming hydrangeas
~A perfectly grilled cheeseburger, potato salad and watermelon for dessert
~Margarita, on the rocks, with salt. Lots of salt.
~Reading on the porch with a little breeze and a glass of sweet tea
~Writing first thing, early in the morning, right when the sun is rising. But other days ...


Sleeping in.

What's your prescription for a perfect summer?

A New Edition of Amy Mac's Wonderful World of Writing Well!

Earlier this week I conducted  a seminar on writing for professionals whose main work focus is NOT writing. Because as we all know, excellent communication skills are imperative in business and in life. These folks are geniuses at their core competency, and didn't need a huge, long, boring writing class ... they just needed to sharpen their writing skills with a few easy strategies. **Interested in doing this seminar at your office? Send me a note!**


One topic we covered was the importance of proofreading your writing. Why? A well-written piece free of typos gains the trust and respect of your audience by showing you are careful with the details, not just the big picture. On the other side of the coin, any communication with a typo or spelling/grammatical error makes the audience wonder “what else are they missing?”


Now, before I get a stack of emails saying "I found the following typos on your blog, and now I can't even trust you long enough to delete you from my bookmarks," let me throw out a caveat: though I consider myself a better-than-average proofreader, I can assure you lots of typos and/or grammatical missteps have squeaked through onto this blog. And will continue to do so. Mostly because in an attempt to get lots of pieces of writing out the door each week, I have blinded myself proofing other pieces and can no longer see the computer screen when it comes time to proof the blog. Also, I may not always follow my rules for proofreading:


Printing is preferable when it comes to proofreading -- (love me some alliteration) A forest of trees is weeping somewhere right now, but if you want to be sure you're catching all the typos, you MUST print out a copy of your document. It's too hard to catch mistakes on a computer screen. Also, you'll need a hard copy for rule #2.


Do a line-by-line read with a ruler. You heard me. Find yourself a straight-edge something, and put it directly under the line you are reading. You'll be surprised by what you catch when you are forced to focus on just a few words at a time.


Read backwards. On that line-by-line, start at the bottom of the document. It keeps your brain from skipping over parts you've written and read recently.


On that note, set your piece aside for at least a half-hour before you do a final proof. I tell my kids a little distance from something upsetting gives you perspective. This bon-mot is effective for writing, too. 


Find a friend. Have someone with a working knowledge of punctuation, grammar and spelling read behind you. A fresh set of eyes does wonders. 


Read aloud. Yeah, friends and neighbors will think you're nuts, but you're totally good with that because your writing is better than theirs. Why? Because reading aloud catches all kinds of grammar and cadence issues. I encourage you to occasionally sing aloud, as this encourages your neighbors to pick up their dog poop out of your yard rather than tangle with the crazy lady who sing-proofs her letter to the president of the PTA.


Now you're a proofreading wizard, a genius writer, and your neighbors no longer allow Spot to utilize your lawn as a fertilizing experiment. 


All in one blog post. Aren't we feeling accomplished?
XO-





PS -- Can you find the typos from The Today Show and the NBC Atlanta affiliate?

When to Use Acronyms on Resumes and in Business Writings

I'm often asked when it's okay to use acronyms when writing business letters, websites, in presentations, and on resumes and the like. The quick answer: almost never on the first reference.


Acronyms (a new word formed with the first letter of a group of words) are wonderful for communicating with a specific group you know is familiar with the acronym. It's when you're reaching a broader audience and you assume they know an acronym that you'll fail to connect with your audience ... or worse, lose the reader altogether because combining all those bold, capital letters that mean nothing to them have given them a seizure. I'm telling you, acronyms are bad for your health unless used with utmost caution. Ask your doctor. 


Here's the cure: unless you can procure an accurate answer from six people of different ages, genders, and regions of the United States, you must spell out your acronym on first reference. No exceptions. Directly after the first reference, put the acronym in parentheses and use it for the remainder of the document. Here's an example from a news release I wrote a couple of years ago:

Women In Technology (WIT), is pleased to announce WIT’s executive director, Heather Rocker, has been named the winner in the Inspiritor Category for Turknett Leadership Group’s Leadership Character awards. The winners were announced at the awards luncheon at the Georgia Aquarium on February 23, 2010.

Notice how it's all spelled out the first reference, then a few words later we transition to the much shorter acronym. Saves a lot of time and paper, that's for sure. 


There are certain acronyms that defy this rule. For example, if you were to write "a producer from  the Cable News Network (CNN) will be attending the seminar to answer questions" people will think you're nuts. CNN falls under the "ask six people" rule.


On professional documents like resumes and bios, spell out the acronyms for associations  ---always. I always get arguments on this rule. "But everyone knows what SHRM/CRM/PRSA is." Assume they don't, and spell out Society for Human Resource Management, Customer Relationship Management, and Public Relations Society of America the first time. You only need the acronym in parenthesis if you reference the organization more than once, and since you're all about being brief in a resume/bio/website (you are, right?), try combining tasks and roles under one reference instead.


Now I am feeling guilty about dumping all this on you right before the weekend. I really meant to do this much earlier in the week, but the spouse travelling in Europe, wrestling puppies and shuttling kids to the ER will totally throw ya off track. So if you decide to update resumes and documents and websites and whatnot because you are addicted to acronyms, please enjoy a glass of wine or something (click here for a delightful mixed drink recipe) while you do. 


Here's to a happy, productive, relaxing weekend!



PS: Are we BFFs on Facebook? Join the fun here.

Working at Starbucks

I love working from home. I don't have to deal with traffic, can pound out work without interruption, and can remain in my pink flowery pajamas and sporting Stephen Tyler hair until noon and only my dogs know the difference. And as long as I don't get between them and a good bone, they don't care what I look like.

But every now and then I feel the pull to get out of the office. Sometimes I just need a change of scenery, other times I'm avoiding the impending avalanche of laundry. Occasionally I'm just avoiding a spider that's made its way into my house against all measures and launching an attack seems like too much effort. Whatever.

When I want to escape, it's usually to a nearby coffee house. A Starbucks or the like is the perfect foil for procrastination. I never bring my computer charger, so time is limited.  Thus I'm not tempted to read the New York Times online (or, okay, peruse People.com for pictures of a pistol-toting Pippa).

But the last few times I've escaped to the haven of a coffee shop, I have been besieged by rudeness. Once it was a group of college-age kids putting a presentation to techno music without regard to other customers. Another time a lovely, but apparently lonely, lady offered non-stop advice on the utilization of an iPad. I should point out I was not using, nor do I own, an iPad.

But the kicker was the woman who conducted the recitation portion of her online French lesson, loudly, smack in the middle of a Starbucks at a Barnes and Noble. Every time she'd get quiet I'd think "whew, she's done" and I'd settle down to writing. Then out of nowhere she'd holler "Est-ce que je puis aller ..." and I'd have a flashback to getting kicked out of a college French class because my friend and I were laughing uncontrollably at an "I see London, I see France" joke. Let's just say a classmate's pants were not fully functional in covering up their underpants. I digress.

So I got judgy (not a word, but I like 'judgy' better than judgmental) and actually asked Siri to remind me to put earphones in my bag so I could block out the noise next time I was out. So last week, I found myself at a Starbucks where the music was distracting and loud. No problem -- I was prepared with my earphones! But when I popped them in, it still didn't drown out their music. S'okay, I cranked mine up. Then cranked it up some more. I love my music, so I turned it up SOME MORE. Ah, finally ... I hear only my music. I am so happy.

After a good while of me happily writing while listening to my music (I can't hear ANYTHING else! Whee!) I made a horrifying realization.

My earphones were not plugged in. So my music was blasting to the entire coffee house at top volume, with me nodding along blissfully unaware I was subjecting everyone else to Flo Rida rap about the life he livin'. Not a Good Feeling, Flo, in case you're wondering.

There is no point to this post except to say make sure you're earphones are pushed all the way into that little adapter thingy, and to thank the fellow sitting two feet from me who never even shot me a dirty look, and that I am thankful the original version of Cee-Lo's "Forget You" didn't play at top volume, thus inducing the toddler sitting nearby to say rude things to his preschool buddies the next day at school.

Today I am staying at my house while I am working.

Happy Weekend!

A Cure for Winter Doldrums

Does anyone else find this time of year "blech?" All the shimmer and spirit of the holidays has given way to perpetually gray skies, and now that Valentine's Day is over I have no excuse to have candy in my house. Also, during the winter my skin is about as moist as a Triscuit, which just makes me irritable. Top that off with a two-week-long cold, and I needed to make some sunshine. 


Cue a little retail therapy!


Thank you Nordstrom, Restoration Hardware, The Container Store & Anthropologie for tiding me over until Spring Break, sunshine & warmer temperatures.




What's your favorite way to shake the winter doldrums {particularly when there's not a beach within 500 miles}?

Take the Long Way Home

         My latest article for Northside Woman ....

          I’ve always been the type of person to move along at a fast clip. I can shop for a week’s worth of groceries in 45 minutes, be ready for church in 20, and cut a 5-hour car trip down to 4 by driving in the fast lane.

But in a few weeks, my oldest baby is graduating from elementary school. And she’s craving independence. She wants a timetable for when she can wear makeup, walk alone to a friend’s house, and a dollar amount her dad and I will commit toward buying a car when she turns 16.

Um, what?

Suddenly I’m switching gears. If we can’t come to a full stop, I’d like to get out of the fast lane and take a long, winding country road through this mountainous terrain of my child growing up.

I understand her need for independence. It wasn’t so long ago I was there myself, sneaking eyeliner in my backpack, chatting on the phone well past lights-out, and arguing with my mom about everything because I, obviously, had all the answers.

 My advice to my daughter:  never think you have all the answers, it only leads to trouble. That, and to SLOW DOWN.   Not that growing up is a bad thing, but you usually get lots more days as an adult — and you’ll spend many of those wishing you could return to the simplicity of childhood.

 I tell her to appreciate these days when she doesn’t need makeup, because before you know it mascara and lipstick are a must. Otherwise, folks can’t tell if you do, indeed, possess lips and eyelashes. That the day will come when she wants to throw the ringing cell phone out the window, thus negating the issue of a “better data plan.”

That sometimes you want to lose your car keys and just feel the breeze in your hair while riding your bike. That there will come a day when you wish for nothing more than to share an adjoining bathroom with your sister.  And the time will come when you wish you could put your parents back in charge of making your decisions. Turns out they know a thing or two.

Waiting for something makes you appreciative when you finally get it. You take care of it and cherish it.  I don’t mean material things. A lipstick or pair of earrings can be replaced. But when things come too soon, it’s human nature to raise the stakes. But if you can’t see your value without the designer jeans, or your beauty without the glossy lips, you’ll always be striving for something beyond your reach.

So the next time she asks when she can go with her friends to the movies without a parent, instead of responding “when I have solid proof every criminal on earth is in jail,” I’ll say “all in good time.”

Amy M. Dawson is an Atlanta-based writer who wrote this article in a record 32 minutes, but edited it for 2 days. Visit her at amymacwrites.com.

I Could Really Use a Wish Right Now

Wow. The last couple of months have been something else. This email I sent to a relative in Seattle sums it up:

Sorry it took so long to respond. Generally I loathe excuses, but feel it would be appropriate for me to recap:

Since Feb. 1, 2011:

Hadley has tested positive for strep throat five times, Callie twice.

Hadley has had mono for the last 6 or so weeks. She's missed 30 days of school this year, and has only been cleared to attend 1/2 days the last three weeks.

My dog died.

I keep throwing food on the floor, then having to pick it back up. (See above.)

I have had a sinus infection (and bronchitis, though that got better about a week ago) since Feb. 12. Am currently on my third antibiotic, which is nearly 1000 mg and I will take for 20 days. I hope it doesn't make my skin fall off or make my intestines fall out.

Out of the last 6 weeks, Jake has either been out of town on business or working on a major product roll-out (ie, at work early, back home late) for four of those weeks.

Do they still make Calgon? Because I need something to come take my a#% away.

Everyone has those days - or months - where they are just looking for the sunset. Because the sun will come out ... well, y'all know the words.

Make me feel better. Give me a recap of your day, week, month from H-E-double-hockey-sticks.

Reference Materials Every Writer Needs

There are a few reference books every writer - from a student to a professional - should keep on their desk. Mine were outdated, old, and in some cases not user friendly (my dictionary/thesaurus combo is in a font so tiny I developed a serious eye twitch during each and every deadline.)

Earlier this week I took advantage of the very unfortunate closing of my local Borders book store and snatched up a new Webster's Dictionary, Roget's Thesaurus and AP Stylebook at a significant discount. Yay, me (well, sorta. I am very distressed the Borders is closing. So, boo.)

If you don't have a dictionary and thesaurus circa 2010 minimum, it's time to replace. While you don't need an AP Stylebook unless you are writing for a newspaper or writing news releases, do grab a copy of The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. It will answer all those little grammar, punctuation and writing questions you have when you're writing and do not want to sound daft (I love using words I learned from Harry Potter.)

So, while you're zipping around this weekend, pop into the bookstore and grab these reference materials. You'll feel like a total smarty pants, in a good kinda way.

Happy weekend! XoXo-Amy Mac

Drum Roll Please

Spring has definitely sprung in Atlanta, as evidenced by the lovely blooming tree in my front yard.

And the fresh strawberries, which when tossed with toasted almonds, spinach and a blush vinaigrette make the perfect side for whatever you're grilling.

Plus the blue skies. Makes you want to launch a big project that's been in the making for about six months, doesn't it?

So that's what I'll do right now....please visit my new web site and let me know what you think!

www.amymacwrites.com

That's That

In this edition of Amy Mac’s Wonderful World of Writing Well, let’s cover an easy way to trim unnecessary fat from your writing.

Amy Mac’s Wonderful World of Writing Well Rule # 3:

Eliminate the word “that” wherever possible.

When I’m editing a document, one of the first things I do is eliminate the word “that” wherever possible. How do you know if you need the word that (or not)? Try reading the sentence without the "that.” If it makes sense without, drop it.

An example:

The teacher was making sure that the students understood that it was against the rules to talk during the assembly.

Now, try again leaving out the “thats.”

The teacher was making sure the students understood it was against the rules to talk during the assembly.

The meaning doesn’t change when we eliminate “that,” so we’ll leave it out.

Don’t you just love it when you trim a little fat without increasing your cardio? Me, too.

Love and the Written Word

(My most recent article for Northside Woman)

While watching Modern Family, I was reminded of the risky nature of writing. In that episode, Gloria puts a few snippy thoughts into an email, then – whoops! – accidentally hits send. “It sended! Please come back,” Gloria moans.

For your own safety, I recommend putting nothing in writing. That’s right, during the month that launches a thousand love letters, I am telling you to save yourself some heartache and put down those pens.

Here’s why: once you write something, it has the potential to live in the universe forever. And that can be a bad, bad thing.

Case in point: as a fresh-faced college graduate embarking on my first job, my supervisor sent an email regarding a co-worker’s promotion and misspelled her name. This was a particular sore spot with her, so I sent her a note joking about his mistake.

Almost immediately, he sends a correction. So I send another note along the lines of “wow, he can’t spell, but maybe he can read minds.” Ah, the accidental reply when intending to forward. Classic.

And while my personal feeling that you should not write love notes to anyone to whom you are not legally bound might seem extreme, I urge each of you to teach your children to not write letters in which they emote in any form.

Why? Because there is a television show called “Hoarders,” that’s why. Do you want somebody to find a long-forgotten letter you wrote to a person you’d rather enter the Witness Protection Program than speak to again?

In first grade, a boy wrote me a letter about how pretty and nice I was, and how I was clearly his intellectual superior. Okay, that last part I made up, but he did tape a quarter to the letter. Or maybe it was a nickel. Whatever, it was a nice touch (or maybe he thought I could be bought, in which case I am belatedly offended). The point is, my mother still has that letter and we still chuckle about it.

I’ve come across letters from former boyfriends declaring their undying love, roommates apologizing, and friends sketching out all manner of ill-advised ideas. None of which will ever see the light of day as long as I receive payment by the end of the month (kidding.)

When it comes to sharing something that can be taken the wrong way, deniable plausibility is key. And you only gain that advantage by not writing it at all. Don’t write, text, tweet or update your Facebook status during emotional distress, and write only under the influence of a nice, deep breath of fresh air.

If you happen to come across something I wrote prior to 1995, please destroy it. And, if you accuse me of writing this article, I will deny it. Now, I’ve got to find out the hidden meaning behind taping coins to love notes.

Amy M. Dawson is an Alpharetta-based writer eternally grateful for the delete key and a good shredder. She writes about balancing work and life at www.amymacpr.blogspot.com.

© Amy McCormick Dawson, 2011. All Rights Reserved.