Here’s an easy editing tip—complete with zombies—to detect passive voice (via MediaBistro and USMC prof Rebecca Johnson, @johnsonr).

Unsent emails, unreturned phone calls…instead of repeatedly dropping the ball, should you say “no” more often? Fast Company offers seven steps to a cure.

If you cover science and health, sign up for news from the Science Media Centre of Canada, a non-profit organization that helps reporters understand current topics and find expert sources.

Pick up the phone! On The Renegade Writer blog, freelancer Suchi Rudra explains why writers should call (not email) their editors.

Great blog alert: “Notes From My Desk” by freelance journalist Mridu Khullar Relph. Recent topics include: how freelancers can better handle sick days; what she learned from hiring other writers; and how to choose blog topics.

Summer slowdown? Try my ideas for productive downtime.

Healing words for a community: how literary magazine Newtowner responded in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting.