Garbl's Writing Center

About Me,
Gary B. Larson

garbltoo@gmail.com

Writing Worth Reading

American Prospect

AlterNet:
Environment | Civil Liberties | World

Center for American Progress

Common Dreams

In These Times

Mother Jones

The Nation

New York Times:
Paul Krugman

Salon.com

Tolerance.org:
Fight hate and promote tolerance.

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PLEASE NOTE: I am happily retired in Port Townsend, Washington. I have deactivated Garbl's Writing Resources and am no longer adding, revising, or updating writing resources in this section or any other section.. But please continue to visit and use my free Editorial Style and Usage Manual, Consise Writing Guide and Plain English Writing Guide. I update their content occasionally.

Garbl's Action Writing Links is an annotated directory of websites that can help you get people to read your writing, keep readers interested and persuade them to respond while they're reading or afterward. In a democracy, we each havethe rightandthe responsibilityto speak out on matters that concern us.

	Writing persuasively
	Writing news articles, web pages and more
	Writing elected officials
	Writing letters to the editor

Why do you write or want to write? To entertain? To inform? To explain? To persuade? Those are the most common purposes for writing, at least if you're writing something for someone else to read.

Whatever our purpose in writing, we usually have some hope or expectation that the reader will respond in some way--in what she or he feels, thinks or does.

The response we seek as writers might be subtle, small and invisible, or it might be substantial, enormous and observed by thousands:

• All we may hope for is a smile or a jog of the memory or a clarification of a particular fact.
• Or we may seek an email message from a friend in return, a letter printed in a newspaper, a published news release about our community club event or a top grade on a research paper.
• Or we may be hoping for that book contract, that phone call from an employer for an interview, that changed vote of our elected representative.

Even if you're not interested in writing letters to editors or politicians or getting a news release published, the tips provided by the websites listed here can aid you in making your writing more effective.

In combination with the advice on the Plain Language page, the advice here can help you fulfill your needs as a writer by helping you meet the needs of the people to whom you write.

Speaking Out: Your Right. Your Responsibility.

Use your writing, speaking and thinking skills to make a difference in your community, your country and your world.

Mindless loyalty is neither patriotism nor a principle of a democratic nation.

The Secret of My Success--Harley Hahn, writer, computing consultant and author of many internet books, including Harley Hahn's Internet & Web Yellow Pages
"Whenever someone spends more effort helping you than it would take to write a thank-you note, send a note."

Writing persuasively

This persuasive-writing list needs some serious updating! As websites change, remove content or die, I try to update this website. Please stay tuned.

Persuasive Writing--Anne Creed, SuperWriter.com, Columbia, South Carolina

"Our message must always be crafted to appeal to our audience's self-interest."

Creativity | Writing Process | Grammar | Style and Usage | Reference Sources | Words |Fat-Free Writing |Plain Language | Action Writing | Word Play

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Writing news articles, web pages and more

Basic news writing is built on a writing method called the inverted pyramid. Journalists use it effectively, but it's also useful for other types of writing--from writing for the web to writing letters to friends and employers to writing executive summaries in corporate reports. An essential ingredient is a beginning that grabs the reader immediately because it is interesting, informative or important.

How Users Read on the Web--Jakob Nielsen, Ph.D., user advocate and principal of the Nielsen Norman Group, Fremont, California

Renowned expert on web usability recommends use of highlighted words, subheadings, bulleted lists, one idea per paragraph and inverted pyramid writing style.

Web Writing for Many Interest Levels--Nathan Wallace, founder of Synop Software, Sydney, Australia

"A writer should help each reader get their desired level of information as quickly as possible."

Creativity | Writing Process | Grammar | Style and Usage | Reference Sources | Words |Fat-Free Writing |Plain Language | Action Writing | Word Play

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Writing elected officials

How to write your congressperson--Protest.Net, a site for progressive activists

"Whether you use the internet or the postal system, there are certain basic rules to follow when writing to elected officials."

Tips on Writing Your Elected Officials--American Civil Liberties Union

Six tips for increasing the effectiveness of your letter.

Creativity | Writing Process | Grammar | Style and Usage | Reference Sources | Words |Fat-Free Writing |Plain Language | Action Writing | Word Play

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Writing letters to the editor

Tips on Writing a Letters to the Editor--American Civil Liberties Union, New York, New York

"Keeping your letter brief will help assure that your important points are not cut out by the newspaper."

How to Communicate with Journalists--Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting

"When you write to journalists, be factual, not rhetorical."

How to Write Letters to the Editor--Schaffer Library of Drug Policy

Creativity | Writing Process | Grammar | Style and Usage | Reference Sources | Words |Fat-Free Writing |Plain Language | Action Writing | Word Play

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Created and maintained by Gary B. Larson of Port Townsend, Washington, garbltoo@gmail.com.

Updated March 5, 2016.