The Story of Craft’s In-house Sync Protocol
Learn about our custom sync protocol for seamless collaboration and future growth.
New Year Recap 2024
2024 marked dualities: analog vs. digital, real vs. fake. The iA Notebook launched after ten years, selling out quickly, while iA Writer and Presenter received feature updates. Key highlights included iA Presenter’s new Unsplash image integration and web sharing capabilities, plus iA Writer’s redesign for Windows 11 and faster performance. AI tools proliferated, raising concerns over ownership and quality. iA focused on human creativity, providing resources for writing and presentations. The team took a break over the holidays, with plans to continue supporting creativity in 2025.
Why You Should Do a Year-End Writing Retrospective
Year-end writing evaluation is key: assess goals, summarize accomplishments, identify improvement areas, learn from setbacks, read widely, and adjust expectations. Reflect on progress and plan for future growth.
https://www.literatureandlatte.com/blog/why-you-should-do-a-year-end-writing-retrospective
iA Presenter Screen Saver
iA Winterfest 2024 concludes with the iA Presenter screen saver, featuring animation of Presenter’s beacon, similar to the previously released wallpaper. Download it by entering your email for updates and tips.
Silent Letters in English: a Guide With Examples
Silent letters in English complicate fluency. They are letters that are part of a word's spelling but not pronounced, differing from other Latin languages. The article discusses their patterns, origins, purposes, and learning tips, noting that they can vary by dialect and contain exceptions. Key patterns include silent ‘k’ before ‘n,’ silent ‘g’ before ‘n,’ silent ‘b’ after ‘m,’ silent ‘p’ in Greek words, and silent ‘h’ in certain Latin-origin words. While 40% of silent letters follow recognizable patterns, many words do not, posing challenges for learners.
Kottke on the Art and Power of Hypertextual Writing
Kottke highlights hypertextual writing's effectiveness, noting a brief NYT editorial packed with links that enhances information density. He points out how hyperlinks add depth to web writing, contrasting it with traditional print writing. The NYT’s approach is seen as a rare, impactful example of online prose. Gruber reflects on the limitations of social media in employing hypertext, which detracts from the richness of web writing.
https://daringfireball.net/2024/11/kottke_on_the_art_and_power_of_hypertextual_writing
Setting up Storyist for NaNoWriMo
Download Storyist for macOS, read the Users Guide, and plan your novel for NaNoWriMo. Set word count goals: open your project, click Goals, enter counts, select files (My Manuscript). Use Goals button to track progress via calendar, graph, or summary views.
https://storyist.com/blog/2024/10/setting-up-storyist-for-nanowrimo/
NaNoWriMo Turns 25!
NaNoWriMo celebrates 25 years inspiring writers to create 50,000-word novels in November. Starting in 1999 with 21 friends, it now involves hundreds of thousands globally. Storyist has supported NaNoWriMo for 18 years, promoting creativity and accessibility in writing. Congrats to NaNoWriMo on 25 years of storytelling!
How To Improve Your Microcopy: UX Writing Tips For Non-UX Writers
Extreme TLDR:
Improve microcopy by ensuring it’s role-playable, clear, and concise. Use friendly dialogues, be transparent on sensitive topics, and reflect actions in button labels. Provide clear reasons for actions, avoid explaining UI interactions, and limit each message to one idea. Use relatable examples, avoid negatives, and eliminate jargon. Ensure titles and buttons are understandable without body text, and always lead with important info. Use specific terms consistently and keep error messages straightforward. Aim for a smooth user experience and collaborate with designers for effective microcopy creation.
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2024/06/how-improve-microcopy-ux-writing-tips-non-ux-writers/
The 12 Best AI Writing Tools (And How They’re Different)
12 best AI writing tools reviewed: differences, features, and pricing. Cuppa: SEO-focused, BYOK model. Jasper: versatile, brand voice feature. Copy.ai: all-purpose, supports multiple languages. Scalenut: SEO robust with content optimizer. Rytr: simple, affordable for short content. Writesonic: SEO-focused with real-time optimization. Frase: basic, good for content briefs. Anyword: conversion-centered copy optimization. Sudowrite: designed for creative writers. Wordtune: rephrasing and summarizing assistance. Grammarly: excellent editing tool. ChatGPT: versatile but limited for complete articles. All require editing for quality content. Tools available for personal assistance in content strategy.