…a “light under my feet” in succeeding in on a first submission to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows.

Architecture has meaning. Architecture has value. Words have power.

I’m excited to return again to do this terrific virtual program I co-developed with the leaders of the North Carolina Chapter of NOMA. Our intention is to help architects at all stages of their careers to understand, cultivate and prepare for a future AIA College of Fellows submission, but there’s more to this story. Read on…

Reducing the number of awards given each year to candidates who are considered deserving by previous recipients of the award can have a significant impact on members…

I turned to A.I. for insight into a jury that bestows less awards to deserving individuals using criteria they themselves did not achieve…

I turned to A.I. for negative reasons for the decline in AIA members being elevated to Fellowship.

I turned to A.I. for positive reasons for the decline in AIA members being elevated to Fellowship and potential remedies to reduce consternation among those aligned with the un-elevated…

The American Institute of Architects will soon announce members of the Class of 2023. The number of AIA Architects being elevated has been declining. If the trend continues…

Writing tips and insight on writing for architects, architectural designers, AIA Fellowship, and all creative writing. Tip #5 gets into the problems with using clichés in telling your unique story.

Episode 6 of the 12 Steps to AIA Fellowship series is in video and all about the time between submission and receiving official word on the results of your submission from the AIA.

Editing architecture and design writing bears an uncanny resemblance to the master chef who is asked to create a gourmet feast using ground beef. Precisely because they are skilled in drawing, design, and other disciplines, most architects are not skilled at written expression…

Much like the design of buildings, the design, composition and execution of the written word can take many shapes. Also like architecture, the quest for great prose can be elusive…

This may seem overkill considering the current times, but where’s the harm in reminding us to think again about the words we use and how they might land on the ears of others. Thankfully, the English language has more than 171,000 words in current use (more if we mine archaic language). Plenty of alternatives are available. Consider the challenge a great opportunity to expand your vocabulary.

“Gosh, I’ve always wanted to write a book.”

Surely you’ve heard these words - either from yourself, a friend or family member. The question is, why don’t you? Followed by: Why do you want to? and, how do you go about it?

I recently learned that one of the primary searches for what AIA and FAIA mean is “aia certification.” We who are members of the American Institute of Architects, or its allied organizations, know this is not a thing. However…

Welcome to a redux of my second of many videos on tips and insight on writing for architects, architectural designers, AIA architects, AIA Fellowship, and all creative writing. This episode welcomes architects to the writing discipline with tried-and-true writing advice that can apply to all forms of communication. “Darlings” refers to those ideas and statements you’re so attached to, they get in the way of people engaging with your work.

I’m forever grateful for Emily Grandstaff-Rice, FAIA, and 2022 AIA President Elect/2023 President for giving me a personal lesson in video posting. Now that is some serious member support…

Biased Language Part 1: Certain words and phrases are inherently biased, often because of their origins. Many online resources are available to help you extricate biased and culturally outdated language from your vocabulary…

The education process for both a master’s degree in architecture and in fine arts for creative writing follow—this may surprise many architects—the same model: the professor, peer students, creative and technical investigations, creation, and critique. The cycle occurs repeatedly with the purpose of pushing the student’s mind, capabilities, creativity, and survival skills….

In 2014, two architectural book standards on writing were published: Writing Architecture by Carter Wiseman and The Architect’s Guide to Writing by Bill Schmalz, FAIA architect. As recently reminded by faculty at the Algonkian Writers Conference, 2014 is a long way away from the writing of today. Despite their age, both are great books on writing for architecture, with many useful guidelines. However, both are dense…