Monthly Archives: January 2016
Improve Your Writing with The Flesch-Kincaid Readability Tests
Improve your writing by using the Flesch–Kincaid readability tests. I forgot Microsoft Word has these tests built in. Rudolph Flesch was a pioneer in the plain English movement. He devised a formula to gauge its readability in writing. Essentially, the higher … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged checking documents, Microsoft Word tips, readability tests, Rudolph Flesch
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How do I Develop My Own Writing Style?
Your writing style develops naturally out of your experiences and preferences. I’m not sure you can use more adjectives, metaphors, or quotations than you would normally would without sounding pretentious or affected. Tom Robbins’ writing went off in spectacular tangents … Continue reading
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Tagged newspaper style, Orwell, Politics and the English Language, writing style
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A Historic Firehouse Reborn
My article on the renovation and reuse of the historic firehouse in the Washington District of West Sacramento is out. A Historic Firehouse Reborn Writing by Thomas Farley The old Washington District firehouse at 317 Third Street is being reborn … Continue reading
Posted in Newspaper article
Tagged Bay Miry, News-Ledger, Washington district firehouse
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The Changing Selection at Grocery Store Magazine Racks
Have you noticed the change at grocery store magazine racks? Regular magazines are being replaced with special editions that are undated and can be sold for months at a time. What started, perhaps, with Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition, is now evolving … Continue reading
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Tagged commemorative editions, magazine, magazine racks, special editions, supermarket magazine
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Retired Assistant City Manager Carol Richardson Looks Back
This article ran in the January 6th edition of the West Sacramento New-Ledger. (external link) Their site will be updated soon, until then, it appears here. Retired Assistant City Manager Carol Richardson Looks Back by Thomas Farley Carol Richardson retired last … Continue reading
A Welcoming On-line Outlet
If you are a beginning creative and are looking for wider distribution of your prose, poetry or photographs, you might want to try AmpersandLiterary (external link). They don’t pay but they offer a way to feature your content beyond the reach … Continue reading
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Tagged AmpersandLiterary, creatives, digital distribution, on-line outlets
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West Sacramento’s Role in Coming Elections
This article appeared in the January 6, 2016 issue of the West Sacramento News-Ledger (external link). It appears here until their website features the piece. All Politics are Local: West Sacramento’s Role in Coming Elections by Thomas Farley: thomasfarley@yahoo.com California’s … Continue reading
I’m a Little Busy At The Moment
I’m working on a newspaper article, a query letter to a national travel magazine, work for my Vancouver employer, and I’m putting back together privateline.com (external link). Among all those tasks, redoing the website is by far the most time … Continue reading
The Tyranny of Link Rot
As I prepare to resurrect privateline.com, I am faced with my old nemesis: link rot. Links can be positive. External links help readers and they make a site more authoritative. Just as footnotes add credibility to the printed page, so … Continue reading
I’ve Reacquired privateline.com
Thanks to the generosity of Ken Schmidt of SteelInTheAir.com,(external link), I have taken back the domain privateline.com. privateline.com was originally designed in 1995 as a complement to my hardcopy magazine about the telephone system private line. Over time the site … Continue reading