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	The Balance Wheel
ACI home	Newsletters home	Winter 99 Issue

Tips!

Better English for Your Magazine:

1. Always avoid alliteration.
2. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
3. Employ the vernacular.
4. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
5. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
6. Remember to never split an infinitive.
7. Contractions aren't necessary.
8. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
9. One should never generalize.
10. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "I hate quotations."
11. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
12. Don't be redundant; don't use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.
13. Be more or less specific.
14. Understatement is always best.
15. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
16. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
17. The passive voice is to be avoided.
18. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms
19. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
20. Who needs rhetorical questions?
21. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
22. Don't never use a double negative.
23. Capitalize every sentence and remember always end it with a period
24. Do not put statements in the negative form.
25. Verbs have to agree with their subjects.
26. Proofread carefully to see if you words out.
27. Punctuation like capitalization is very important.
28. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
29. A writer must not shift your point of view.
30. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)
31. Don't overuse exclamation marks!!
32. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
33. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
34. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
35. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
36. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
37. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
38. Always pick on the correct idiom.
39. The adverb always follows the verb.
40. Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; they're old hat.

Our State Fair is a Great State Fair

Successful magazine promotions can sometimes be few and far between. During this year's Illinois State Fair, "Outdoor Illinois" Magazine picked up about 1,000 new paid subscribers. Here's how we did it:
Several members of our staff called Illinois merchants and manufacturers asking for donations of products to be given away at a state fair promotion. We then designed a special subscription form and told fair visitors that if they subscribed or renewed their subscription at the fair they would be in a drawing for all the outdoor goodies.
What was in the goody package? A canoe and car-top carrier, a two-room tent, a mountain bike, a compound bow, a guided archery deer hunting trip, two sleeping bags, a hunting knife, first-aid kit, four rods and reels, bicycle computer, tackle box (with lures) and other outdoor items. We posted signs at the fair thanking the merchants/manufacturers for their donations and recognized them in our magazine.
During the previous year's fair we talked about our magazine and enticed fewer than 200 persons to subscribe. This year we averaged about 100 per day for the 10-day run.
The promotion worked so well, in fact, that we're considering doing something similar at other events, such as sport shows, national hunting and fishing day celebrations and for sure at next year's state fair.
--Gary Thomas

*Tips!*	Better English for Your Magazine:
1. Always avoid alliteration. 2. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do. 3. Employ the vernacular. 4. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc. 5. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary. 6. Remember to never split an infinitive. 7. Contractions aren't necessary. 8. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos. 9. One should never generalize. 10. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "I hate quotations." 11. Comparisons are as bad as cliches. 12. Don't be redundant; don't use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous. 13. Be more or less specific. 14. Understatement is always best. 15. One-word sentences? Eliminate. 16. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake. 17. The passive voice is to be avoided. 18. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms 19. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed. 20. Who needs rhetorical questions? 21. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement. 22. Don't never use a double negative. 23. Capitalize every sentence and remember always end it with a period 24. Do not put statements in the negative form. 25. Verbs have to agree with their subjects. 26. Proofread carefully to see if you words out. 27. Punctuation like capitalization is very important. 28. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing. 29. A writer must not shift your point of view. 30. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.) 31. Don't overuse exclamation marks!! 32. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents. 33. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided. 34. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is. 35. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors. 36. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky. 37. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing. 38. Always pick on the correct idiom. 39. The adverb always follows the verb. 40. Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; they're old hat.

Our State Fair is a Great State Fair
Successful magazine promotions can sometimes be few and far between. During this year's Illinois State Fair, "Outdoor Illinois" Magazine picked up about 1,000 new paid subscribers. Here's how we did it: Several members of our staff called Illinois merchants and manufacturers asking for donations of products to be given away at a state fair promotion. We then designed a special subscription form and told fair visitors that if they subscribed or renewed their subscription at the fair they would be in a drawing for all the outdoor goodies. What was in the goody package? A canoe and car-top carrier, a two-room tent, a mountain bike, a compound bow, a guided archery deer hunting trip, two sleeping bags, a hunting knife, first-aid kit, four rods and reels, bicycle computer, tackle box (with lures) and other outdoor items. We posted signs at the fair thanking the merchants/manufacturers for their donations and recognized them in our magazine. During the previous year's fair we talked about our magazine and enticed fewer than 200 persons to subscribe. This year we averaged about 100 per day for the 10-day run. The promotion worked so well, in fact, that we're considering doing something similar at other events, such as sport shows, national hunting and fishing day celebrations and for sure at next year's state fair. --Gary Thomas