Transcript Dave Bricker (00:05) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia Media brought to you by speakepedia .com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk, smart strategies, and … More ☛
Transcript: Dave Bricker (00:07) This is Speakipedia Media brought to you by Speakipedia .com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk, smart strategies, and amazing stories from visionary speakers and thought leaders. From the heart of small town … More ☛
Transcript: Dave Bricker (00:07) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia Media brought to you by speakepedia .com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk and smart strategies from … More ☛
Selecting a book font seems simple enough, but important subtleties and fine points of typography are not obvious to the average writer. This article offers insights into fonts suitable for book typography. Though it won’t turn the average author into … More ☛
This article explores page layout strategies for books based on the Rule of Thirds. A grid system based on traditional guidelines ensures harmonious proportions and placement of objects on a page. Page layout for books is governed by a range of factors. Trade … More ☛
Once you have your book cover design looking spirited and professional on your computer screen, how can you ensure that your masterpiece will translate accurately to the printing press? Ink on paper is an entirely different medium from pixels on … More ☛
In my work with writers, I come across many common technical problems with manuscripts. These usually spring from the best of intentions as the writer attempts to create the feel of the finished book within the manuscript. Though they’re trying … More ☛
Part 1 of Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover critiqued “professional” covers taken from Amazon’s Editor’s choice list. Read that article first as it provides background for this one. The article looked at design elements that worked … More ☛
Few subjects arouse more passion among writers and designers than the debate over how many spaces should follow a period. If you adhere to a style manual, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one that doesn’t specify a single-space. Chicago and … More ☛
The word processor has placed new burdens on writers to understand how to use italics, big and small capitals, dashes, hyphens, initials, etc. Writers who do their own typesetting often produce mediocre results. Likewise, trade publishers sacrifice typographic aesthetics when … More ☛
This section on dashes, hyphens and dots goes beyond typographic aesthetics to explore how we can communicate more effectively as writers. The subtle intricacies of hyphens and dashes affect all authors whether they typeset their own books or not. Knowing … More ☛
Use of Small Capitals—uppercase characters designed at lowercase scale—is one aspect of writing and book design that isn’t taught in grammar school. We all know every sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a period. We all should … More ☛
Part 3 of Book Design Basics explores better ways to present numbers on your pages. Numbers (called figures) look simple at first glance, but they present interesting typesetting challenges. Many digital typefaces offer several number styles but few designers know … More ☛
A demagogue is a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than through rational argument. Demagogues are skilled at rhetoric, using emotional pleas and simple messages to sway public opinion. A demagogue might claim, … More ☛
Allegory is a narrative technique in which characters and events represent broader themes and ideas. Through allegory, storytellers explore complex issues and moral questions in an accessible and engaging way. One classic example is George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm,’ where farm … More ☛
Rhetoric is the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, particularly the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques. Rhetoric involves three main strategies known as ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos appeals to ethics, pathos to emotions, … More ☛
Parody is a form of satire that imitates the style of a particular genre, work, or artist in a way that makes fun of those styles or works, often exaggerating distinctive features to comic effect. Here’s a classic version of … More ☛
To bloviate means to speak at length in a pompous or boastful manner. Otherwise known as the “soaring ramble,” the word bloviate is often used to describe politicians or public figures who talk a lot but say little of substance. … More ☛
Words and Terms related to speaking and speechwriting: Adynaton [ad-uh-NAY-ton]: A form of hyperbole in which the exaggeration is so extreme as to be impossible “You will sooner find a donkey flying than see me agree to that deal.” Allegory … More ☛
