by Margot Carmichael Lester | Nov 2, 2021 | Writing/How to Write
It's Election Day here in Carrboro. One of the things I do every election cycle is write endorsement letters for candidates I support. These missives explain why I'm voting for a certain person and (hopefully) gives them additional context and confidence in casting...
by Margot Carmichael Lester | Sep 29, 2021 | Writing/How to Write
There are tons of examples of great thank-you letters to stakeholder donors. You probably have a bunch in your tax receipts file -- I know I do. But after decades of writing recommendation letters for students seeking admission to undergraduate and graduate programs,...
by Margot Carmichael Lester | Aug 31, 2021 | Best Practice, Content & Content Operations, Writing/How to Write
I've long said feedback is more about the person giving it than the person getting it. At least that's what I need to believe to explain why so much of the commentary we get on our writing is unactionable. The things that makes this so hard is that bad feedback is...
by Margot Carmichael Lester | Jul 28, 2021 | Work Samples from Margot Lester & The Word Factory Team, Writing/How to Write
I love getting a break from brand journalism and content marketing to revisit my newspaper days and write feature story. Here's my latest for the International Cinematographers Guild Magazine, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of ZIWE, Showtime's break-out hit...
by Margot Carmichael Lester | Aug 11, 2020 | Blogs & Blogging, Content & Content Operations, Writing/How to Write
There's a lot out there on why empathy is important in content marketing and PR, and some tactics on how to figure out what you need to be empathetic about, but one thing that isn't getting enough attention to me is the craft of conveying empathy. You can have all the...
