Grimmer Girl here. I'm Vinyan Foggerty and this week I have a meeting

middle about how to write an apology. But first I'm excited to remind you that I

have a tip-a-day calendar this year. People have been asking me to do a calendar

for more than a decade and now there is one. It's available at all the

online bookstores right now and it's called The Grimmer Daily. It would make

a great gift for a teacher, writer, editor or for yourself. So go search your

favorite bookstore for the Grimmer Daily 2018 calendar. And now on to

apologies. Okay let's admit it. None of us really likes to apologize when we've

done something wrong. In fact the ways we avoid apologies are so common they've

been given names. There's the no-pology, the un-pology and the faux-pology just

for starters. And the hashtag Sorry Not Sorry has trended for years. It's used

to indicate a sardonic lack of shame as in binge-watching instead of cleaning

house. Hashtag Sorry Not Sorry. So how do you write a good apology and avoid one

that rings false? Let's start by talking about what not to do. First avoid the if

apology. It's probably the most common non-apology. It can suggest over

sensitivity as in I'm sorry if you were offended. It can imply that others

weren't smart enough to understand your intentions as in I'm sorry if my

remarks were taken out of context and it can suggest that a perceived wrong

might not have even occurred as in I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. To avoid

this drop the if from your apologies and simply admit what you did. Instead of

saying I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings try I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings.

The that makes all the difference. Next avoid the passive voice apology. Sometimes

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