Narrowing the Focus: Writing, Speaking, Editing Choices

Last week I had a day that represented my life well. In the morning, I worked on an article for the Idaho Statesman’sBusiness Insider. My biweekly column is called Words at Work, and I have been given great latitude in topics. Sometimes I talk about common errors in business writing, sometimes about grammar, sometimes about interesting words and their etymology.

Later that morning I met with a new friend who is writing short anecdotes of his time with the Peace Corps in Mexico. He is new to th...