A daily exploration of the written word from a seasoned writer and writing skills trainer, taking in persuasion, therapy, rhythm, poetry, grammar, voice and spirit.
The world recently lost a special woman whose lifelong commitment to duty gives the lie to this much-abused, over-used word.
A piece of beautiful writing by Thich Nhat Hanh about his mother's death.
Moved and inspired by the final of the BBC 'Strictly Come Dancing' show, Scott draws parallels between writing and dance.
I'm buzzing after a wildly successful coaching session with a client. In this episode you get to hear the 17 things James is gonna change about his writing (SDK - Spelling Doesn't Kount). Ta-daa!
Inspired by a successful session coaching a client in persuasive writing, Scott shares how together they turned a sow's ear of an email into a silk purse.
On the day that he celebrated a life lost and took to the streets to help preserve hard won freedoms, Scott looks at the origins of 'protest'.
Want a safe, legal way to shift your mindset fast? Plus the Word of the Day, courtesy of Susie Dent.
Having whittled rhetorica down to 15 simple techniques (from 21), I've just had further endorsement from a client of their power.
These are the four readability ratios that bid writers et al should track religiously to improve their writing.
Inspired by James Knight's iMA colour-based language system, Scott invites you to write in a way that appeals to all four colours.
Explode the Myth by writing plain English and using its five benefits.
3 quick and easy ways to humanise factual, technical text in your bid responses. (The evaluator will love you forever.)
Besides a lovely testimonial, Scott shares what his coachee will change about her bid writing.
A leading light on the climate crisis, Monbiot espouses a new approach for living within planetary boundaries.
Inspired by a great coaching day with a client, Scott shares three vital aspects of a well written bid.
Scott indulges his love of history and poetry to recite his own poem, 606 years and one day after Henry V's famous victory.
Indulging his love of Shakespeare, Scott recites the famous St Crispin's Day speech from 'Henry V'.
Scott reads and comments on the language of the Saturday Guardian's article 'Forces of nature'. The article looks at the impact of arrest on climate protesters, including long-time activist and actress, Jane Fonda.
Scott looks at the origins of this ancient, Germanic word and Brian Cox's use of it on BBC's 'Question Time' to stop two politicians squabbling.
Scott attempts to explain this increasingly common error, and gives three ways of resolving it.
Scott shares Before and After versions of email snippets, from a recent client webinar.
Walking: humans have walked the earth for millions of years. It's in our DNA. Scott muses about the link between rhythm and persuasive writing.
Today is the 955th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Scott chronicles its impact on English and its marker as the end of the Anglo-Saxon era.
Moved by a message from 'The 12 Week Year's' Brian Moran, Scott explores the impact of an elemental idea wrapped up in a simple question.
Scott reminds us of the magical power of two simple, personal words to use in our writing.
To celebrate episode 200, Scott reads a letter from a native American arrested (and shot with rubber bullets) for peacefully protesting against a pipeline that will move 760,000 gallons of tar sands oil a day from Alberta to Lake Superior.
On World Mental Health Day, Scott reads a short extract from Robert Macfarlane's book 'The Old Ways'.
Scott reads Robert Macfarlane's introduction to 'The Old Ways', hailed as one of the great works of nature writing.
Rather than 'we-ing' all over the prospect, Scott asserts that showing we understand their pain points is a better way to get their attention.
On National Poetry Day, Scott shares his draft poem inspired by William Blake's iconic hymn, on the subject of choice.
Vying to be among the first people in the world to comment on today's speech, Scott looks at the PM's consummate and amusing use of language and rhetoric.
Scott celebrates the 70th birthday of an outspoken music legend.
Scott sharpens the grammatical difference between writing actions and benefits.
Scott laments the Labour Party leader's uninspiring keynote speech, which failed to blend the radical and the reasonable, to mix fire with ice.
Scott corrects the Business Secretary's wordiness and shares a saucy limerick about Welsh gorse.
Inspired by a poster outside a shop in Aberaeron, Wales, Scott reflects on what buying a piece of art means.
George Dubya's personal, heartfelt letter to the new President in January 2009 partly rehabilitates my opinion of the outgoing one.
In his final reading from 'The Old Man and The Sea', Scott recounts the old man's harpooning of the magnificent fish
In praise of Hemingway's evocative style, Scott reads a short passage from this wonderful story.
Scott reads a paragraph from 'The Old Man and The Sea' as an example of how the Nobel Prize-winning writer broke the cult of difficulty.
Scott muses on why an attendee of a recent workshop who posted his writing confidence as 9 out of 10 had revised it down to 2 by the end of the morning!
Scott unpicks the meter and rhythm of a famous nursery rhyme, then plays fast and loose with it.
On the 20th anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers, Scott recites his poem '9/11', inspired by a recent visit to the Ground Zero museum.
Inspired by caring for his mother as she convalesces, Scott looks at the origin of this ancient word.
Scott commemorates the 2 September 1973 death of the great John Ronald Reuel Tolkien who transported millions of readers to Middle Earth and beyond.
Scott rails against the biggest barrier to writing Human: nounitis.
Scott shares his experience of a magical play in the magical setting of the King's College Fellows Garden.
Helping a leadership coach client, Scott unpicks the all-important 'soundbite' that all leaders and business owners should have.
Reading from Henry Mayhew's 'London Labour & The London Poor', Scott introduces us to a 19th century street-seller who sold peaches to the Prince of Naples.
After joining the climate change protests in Central London, Scott explores the sorrowful history of St Giles, an area notorious for disease, deprivation and depravity.
Hard on the heels of yesterday's episode on the unmentionable c-word, Scott uncovers the etymology of the word 'taboo'.
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