A Common Sense Approach to Writing

Effective writing is a skill, a craft. Yes, it can be learned, at any age.

Effective WritingGood writing has a clearly defined purpose. It makes a definite point. It supports that point with specific information.The information is clearly connected and arranged.The words are appropriate, and the sentences are

concise, emphatic, and correct. About.com

Five Steps of Effective Writing

The Five StepsPreparationResearchOrganizationWriting Revision

Preparation – Step OneEstablish your primary purpose/messageDefine your audience and contextDetermine the scope of your coverage based

on audience and contextSelect the appropriate medium or channel

(Letter, email, memo)

Research- Step TwoAll communication requires some level of

research. You must know about the subject, the audience and the context, first and foremost.

The more complex the subject and/or job, the greater research is required. ( A memo or thank you letter will not usually require the degree of research required with a proposal, or marketing plan.)

Organization- Step Three

Define your key message

In as few words as possible ask yourself:

What do you want to say ? Suppose you had :30 seconds to say what you

most want to communicate. (That’s 70 words or less for most people.) Write it out. Don’t worry about style at this point.

How are you going to say it?

Based on your audience (recipient), context and medium, choose:

How much information will you convey? (Will you go into detail or just provide a concise overview?)

In what order will the information be conveyed – sequentially, with a cause and effect method of development etc?

What style and tone on writing will you adopt?Are there design and layout elements that need

to be considered?

Next? The outline

Outlining

Breaks large or complex subjects into manageable parts. It also enables you to emphasize key points by placing them in the positions of greatest importance.

Writing – Step Four

Points to rememberYour writing should be straightforward and

conversational in style.Write as if speaking personally to the intended

recipient. The language and tone are dictated by the

recipient’s age, occupation, personality and education, your relationship to her or him, and the context or reason you are writing.

(You don’t speak to your boss in the same way you speak to your friends from high school or college.)

Writing - Step 4 - A few pointers

Pointer # 1Many people begin writing without sitting down

and deciding on the key message or point that they want to get across to their reader (s).

Little thought is given to what they would use to flesh out and support that key message.

Establish your key message first!

Pointer # 2Often, writers try to do too much with one

sentence. The result is something that is often far too long, redundant and, frankly, unintelligible.

In your initial draft, keep your sentences as short and simple as possible.

Make sure that each sentence contains a complete thought and that the thought pertains to the subject.

check that each is clear and grammatically correct and has a clear relationship with the other sentences.

First draftDon’t panic. Don’t worry about style or about

writing that perfect sentence. Just be concerned with clarity.

Start writing as if you are talking to someone about the content of your communication.

Separate each sentence on the screen with multiple spaces.

Read each sentence aloud and then each paragraph.

Are you getting your key message across in a simple and clear way?

Revision - Step Five

Read your entire first draft aloud to yourself

Pretend you are the intended recipient

reading it for the first time

Can I be simpler? Replace the long word with the short, the trendy with the tried-and-true, the pompous with the plain, the foreign with the domestic. (Chapter 6 of Words Fail Me.)

Can I be clearer? Every word, every sentence, every paragraph should be as clear as you can make it, with no chance the reader might misunderstand. (Chapters 6, 9, 10 of Words Fail Me.)

Do I make sense? Check for any contradictions or lapses in logic. (Chapters 12, 17 of Words Fail Me.)

Do my sentences hang together? They should follow one another smoothly. And don’t make them all the same length or you’ll put the reader to sleep. (Chapters 12, 13 of Words Fail Me.)

(The store was big. It was busy. It had new items. It advertised low prices.) Yawn.

Do my verbs pull their weight? Replace the 97-pound weaklings and weed out unnecessary passives. Then move verbs as close as you can to their subjects. (Chapters 7, 8, 21 of Words Fail Me.)

Use strong verbs

Strong verbs examplesHe was a strong king.Revised: He emerged as a strong king.

I was the supervisor of a multi-million dollar advertising campaign.

Revised: I supervised a multi-million dollar advertising campaign.

She was responsible for managing fourteen full-time employees

Revised: She managed fourteen full-time employees.

Other things to checkAm I getting the key message across as clearly

and effectively as possible?Am I writing conversationally? Am I using the right tone?Could I be more concise?How are my grammar, spelling and

punctuation?

Number 1Adopt the "you attitude."

This means looking at a topic from the point of view of your reader, emphasizing what he or she wants or needs to know.

Draft: I have requested that your order be sent out today.Revision: You will receive your order by Wednesday.

 

Number 2

Focus on the real subject.Don't bury a key word by dropping it into a phrase following a weak subject.Draft: The implementation of the new campaign will begin on June 1.Revision: The new marketing campaign will begin on June 1.

Number 3 Write actively, not passively.

Wherever it's appropriate, put your subject up front and make it do something. The active voice generally works better than the passive because it's more direct, more concise, and easier to understand. (But not always.)

Draft: Your proposal was reviewed at our meeting on April 1, and it was immediately submitted to the developers.Revision: We reviewed your proposal on April 1 and immediately submitted it to the developers.

Number 4 Cut unnecessary words and phrases.

Wordy expressions may distract readers, so cut the clutter.

Draft: I am writing this note because I want to thank you very much for organizing the open house that was held last Thursday.Revision: Thank you very much for organizing last Thursday's open house.

 

Number 5 But don't leave out key words.

To be clear as well as concise, we sometimes need to add a word or two.

Draft: The storage shed is the first step.Revision: Unlocking the storage shed is the first step.

 

Number 7Avoid outdated expressions.

Unless you enjoy sounding stuffy in print, stay away from words and phrases that are never used in conversation--"attached herewith," "this is to advise you," "as per your request.”

Draft: Attached herein for your reference is a duplicated version of the aforementioned deed.Revision: I have enclosed a copy of the deed.

Number 8Put a cap on the buzzwords.

Trendy expressions tend to wear out their welcome fast.

For proof, see 200 Words and Expressions That Tick You Off.

Draft: At the end of the day the bottom line is that we should facilitate opportunities for employees to provide input on best practices.Revision: Let's encourage people to make suggestions.

Number 9 Unstack your modifiers.

Stacking means piling up modifiers before a noun--the verbal equivalent of a traffic jam. Long noun strings may save a word or two, but they may also puzzle our readers.

Draft: Space telescope wide-field planetary camera instrument definition team ground based charged-couple-device camera (from New Scientist, cited by Matthew Lindsay Stevens in Subtleties of Scientific Style, 2007)Revision: Huh?

Number 10 And, of course, proofread.

Finally, there's correctness: see Top Ten Proofreading Tips.

Draft: When you're in a hurry, it's very easy to leave words.Revision: When you're in a hurry, it's very easy to leave out words.

Review the following:When to use the objective and subjective pronounsWrong: Let’s keep this between you and I.Correct: Let’s keep this between you and me.The correct way to use “to lie” and “to lay”Wrong: The dog lays there. The dog is laying there.Correct: The dog lies down over there. (You lie

down. The dog is lying there.To lay is to put or place something somewhere. To

lie is to be in or move into a horizontal position.

Other common mistakesThe difference between affect (verb) and effect

(noun) and less (amount) and fewer (number) etc.

The difference between misnomer (a name that suggests something other than what it is or that gives the wrong idea) and misconception (A wrong interpretation or flawed reasoning)

Avoiding misplaced modifiers etc.(The man with the wooden leg named Smith would

lead one to question: “What’s the name of his other leg?”

What additional pointers?

Contact John Stack at www.johnstackwriting.com

Or call 410-889-3327