Oxford Indie Book Fair is a Great Success!
For the first time, I had a stand at the Oxford Indie Book Fair https://www.oxfordindiebookfair.co.uk/on Sunday 13th July, one of 60 exhibitors at this event, held at the Magdalen College School in Oxford. Hosted by the Oxford Festival of the Arts, the fair is a beacon for writers and readers of all ages. Many exhibitors […]
Don’t Americanisms Drive You Crazy?
I’m a fan of Simon Heffer, author of several books and a columnist for the Telegraph newspapers. His book, Scarcely English: An A-Z of Assaults on our Language (Penguin) is a wonderful catalogue of assaults that have been made on the English language in recent years, egged on by social media and the internet. Anyone […]
Handwriting is in need of revival
Handwriting is in decline. Today, the rise of electronic communication means that the act of writing is delegated to machines, as is the thought process that goes into composition. Recent surveys show that 10% of us say they have handwritten nothing in the past year, while a large proportion of 18-24 year-olds say they’ve never […]
History is a Pathway into the Present
There are historical antecedents behind many of our place names which reflect their past, often an interesting one. But some people either don’t realise there’s a historical connection or dismiss the idea that there might be an interesting story behind the name, and that it might shed light on the history of the place. Earlier […]
Why Proper Punctuation Matters
Why Proper Punctuation Matters These days, with the rise in text speak, punctuation often seems to go by the board. People ask, ‘Does it really matter if I don’t use punctuation in emails? You will still understand what I’m saying’. The answer to this is an emphatic NO! A well-punctuated email helps save everyone’s time […]
We’re at the Oxford Indie Book Fair!
Results Department will be exhibiting at the next Oxford Indie Book Fair, the nation’s premier independent publishing event, which is being held on Sunday 13th July at Magdalen College School in Oxford, OX4 1DZ. The Oxford Indie Book Fair (OXIB) has been going since 2020 and provides a platform and showcase for published authors who […]
AI and Copyright
‘Currently, developers are subject to copyright law when using large data sets to train artificial intelligence (AI) models. In December 2024, the government published proposals to change the way in which this material could be used. This included the establishment of a copyright exemption for AI developers and a new rights reservation model whereby copyright […]
The Oxford Comma Clarifies Meaning!
The Oxford (or serial) comma is a comma used before the final conjunction in a list of three or more items. When you’re writing a list, commas are added to separate each item, but the Oxford comma is when you also put a comma before the ‘and (final item)’. Here is an example to show […]
What Your Email Sign-Off Says About You
As reported in the Telegraph, The Journal of Experimental Psychology has found that the way we choose to end our emails might reveal a lot about us. Abbreviations, for example ‘BW’ instead of ’Best Wishes’, mean you come across as less sincere and are less likely to get a reply. In the days when letters […]
One word will do!
When writing for any audience, the number one priority must be to make your meaning clear. You will achieve clarity and impact when you keep your use of words down, rather than taking flight into lengthy descriptions. There is a tendency these days to use more words not less, which serves to complicate the meaning […]