Lucia Maffei

The Power of a Pitch "Publishing credentials, well-researched comp titles, and a bit of personalization will certainly help your case, but your pitch is currency." https://buff.ly/3Yv3wqF #writerscommunity #writingcommunity #writerslife #amwriting

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Editing pet peeve: the goofy obsession with the Oxford comma. Oxford enthusiasts—whom I often refer to as "Oxfordnistas"—insist that the serial comma is the ultimate arbiter of clarity and slayer of ambiguity. And they demonstrate this overstated power through a series of reductionist—albeit humorous—memes. Below on the left is one such example. Again, this meme assuredly suggests a moment where a lack of a serial comma may confuse readers. Rather than express a list of the three, the Oxford-less sentence seems to imply an appositive suggesting the exotic dancers are, in fact, Stalin and JFK. But what happens if you change strippers (plural) to stripper (singular). One good contrived strawman argument deserves another, right? On the right is the counterpoint. Here, the sentence with the Oxford comma introduces ambiguity. Is that JFK on stage three collecting singles, or is somebody else? The trick is simple: When in doubt, rewrite. "We invited JFK, Stalin and the strippers." See how this is clearly a list of three? See how I didn't need the comma to do so? Ultimately, the Oxford comma is a stylistic convention, so it is a matter of personal preference. You can also write, "We invited JFK, Stalin, and the strippers." That *also* works. Either way, stop pretending that your prescriptivist take on the Oxford comma is holy writ. #Oxfordcomma

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For this podcast, the Confident Retirement, there's a twist: I was the one interviewed, not the one asking the questions. (I like it better the other way - but that was fun - thanks for inviting me on, Kristopher Flammang CRPC®AIF®BFA®) Oh - and I'm not retiring :) Some of the things we talked about: * My early journalism career change to being a juvenile probation office for three years; • Why and how the Business Observer has made a transtions to #digitalfirst — and why we keep the focus on that; and • The lessons I've learned from interviewing hundreds of entrepreneurs ands business owners Take a listen!

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It’s important for both writers and editors to understand the nuances of the phrase "to have" and its past participle "had," as they reveal deeper connections between subjects and actions. https://lnkd.in/e4QXnABb #Writing #Editing #Usage #Language #CopyEditing #RightTouchEditing

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When does PR go too far? What is "astroturfing" and is it ever okay? These are questions crisis comms pros are asking after Blake Lively's complaint against Justin Baldino. Jason Guerrasio explores, on Business Insider. https://lnkd.in/eHx3FfGx

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New pub: Myths of Origins: Literary and Cultural Patterns Myths of Origins explores the timeless power of origin myths in literature, spanning from ancient texts to contemporary works. This collection of essays delves into the six foundational models of beginnings in Western literature, examining how these frameworks shape narratives across eras. https://lnkd.in/eXDG9Cgu

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With the potential for a widening conflict in the Middle East mounting, learn more about Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran from Matthew Levitt, the featured guest on the latest episode of the Anti-Defamation League’s extremely podcast.

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I spent some time this weekend experimenting with Anthropic's newly released Claude 3.5 sonnet, and I have to say I was pretty impressed. To be honest, I've been considering giving up my Claude subscription in recent weeks, and I'm glad I didn't. Here are a few things I liked: ☑ EXCELLENT writing skills, probably the best out there for an LLM, based on my experience ☑ Finally, Claude has 'vision' capabilities (it can see and transcribe text even from low-quality images) ☑ Exceptional reasoning, skills, and what seems to be a very solid knowledge base ☑ It is lightning-fast, and its responses seem to show an excellent grasp of language nuances, along with a bit of personality and a sense of humour! ☑VERY good at processing complex multi-step prompts 'Mid' but with potential: Anthropic also introduced Artifacts, which lets you see what's being generated in a window beside your prompt. Unfortunately, it's still limited for a few things I was trying out, but I love the concept of a collaborative work environment, and it will get better and more user-friendly soon. Highly encourage you to give this latest version a try - the best way to learn how to use AI tools and what they are good at is to spend some time! https://lnkd.in/gvuVZPPK #Anthropic #AI #Claude #Sonnet

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It's easy to think about AI within the context of a CMS. Of using AI to optimize writing, editing, and SEO workflows. The more exciting choice is putting AI in the hands of reporters early on in the process. Over the weekend we published a deep look at how immigration is being portrayed in political ads this election cycle. It's an absorbing read--with editing and reporting from multiple desks across the newsroom. It's also the debut of one of our AI-powered reporting tools: Haystacker. We carved out a lane in our roadmap for "Ambitious Journalism"--this is what it looks like. https://lnkd.in/eTteMFxY

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In my latest video , learn why it is important that we return to reading Spenser's Fairie Queene! https://lnkd.in/exmrSYKb

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When recent grads doing the requisite networking rounds ask me my best advice for breaking into journalism, I always have two words: TRADE PUBS. Many of them have never heard the term, and they’re seriously limiting their job search as a result. Trade publications -- or niche industry news sources for a group of dedicated, well-informed, sector-specific readers -- are a fantastic place to cut your teeth. You’re never just getting coffee or making copies there as a new hire. In my experience, from day one, you’ll be reporting and writing and learning everything you can about whatever the paper covers, be it nonferrous metals (hello, me in 2008!) or telecom or annuities or what have you. Every industry has a trade pub of record, and there’s no better way to learn the ropes fast. And the travel! While I was covering the global metal markets in my early 20s, I traveled to Bahrain, Chile, Germany, Mexico, the UK and throughout the continental US to attend conferences, tour smelters and meet sources. Sure, sometimes, I’d wonder if understanding the world’s alumina trade or China’s flat-rolled steel demand was too niche a skillset. But now, from my perch of senior editor for energy and commodities at Bloomberg News, I realize it was truly the best foundation. On that note, my friend Cliff White, executive editor at SeafoodSource, tells me he’s hiring an associate editor. Employees can be based anywhere in the US (though why WOULDN’T you want to be located in Portland, Maine??) This would be a fantastic way for an early-stage journalist to refine those editing chops and master the skills you’ll need throughout the rest of your career. #jobs #journalism #journalismjobs #editor #maine #seafood #hiring #jobopening #tradepubs https://lnkd.in/dmVwjqJ3

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Fixing the Internet: Tackling Ad Tech and Hate Speech via https://keepgoingpod.com Join us in this eye-opening discussion on ad tech and information disorder! Claire Atkin passionately outlines the urgent need for changes in the internet business, tackling hate speech and financial implications while proposing ethical regulatory solutions. It's time to fix the internet—let's make it fairer together! #AdTech #InformationDisorder #InternetBusiness #HateSpeech #FinancialMarkets #PolicySolutions #FreeSpeech #DigitalEthics #RegulatoryReform #InternetFairness

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The introduction to a series of articles about creative writing and generative AI has been posted on Medium. The series will look at how ChatGPT 4 and Claude 3 can be used as writing assistants for writers who prefer one of these approaches to writing: - Pantsing Writing Method - Outlining Writing Method - Snowflake Writing Method - Snowball Writing Method - Snowplow Writing Method - Chapter-by-Chapter Writing Method https://lnkd.in/e3zARX-k

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At CES 2025, panel experts with backgrounds in law, government affairs, public policy and creative representation emphasized AI’s dual role as a powerful tool for enhancing creativity. But they also noted the potential threat to human authorship and consent, particularly in generative AI’s replication of voices and images. Dr. Moiya M., Lisa Oratz, Chad Hummel, Paul Lekas and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland all contributed important points on the importance of this topic.

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