Tweet

Write Right: How to stop writing like a dropout and start writing like a pro

Written by: Lynda McDaniel

Article Overview: Business writing is like cleaning the basement: Everything's piling up, but you don't have time to deal with it. There’s even some good stuff in all the mess, but you're not sure how to find it. You just want to close the door and forget it. Learn why business writing today is so vital to your success and take advantage of tips and tools to help you become a great writer.

Write Right: How to stop writing like a dropout and start writing like a pro

Remember the Battle of Hastings? Maybe a fuzzy 1066. How about trigonometry? Doubtful. So why do we feel guilty about not remembering Ms. McGuire’s 10th-grade English class?

After all, for many of us, it’s been a while. For others, they never learned it. Curricula have changed, and most kids schooled in the last 25 years have never even diagrammed a sentence. Add the speedy demands of e-mail and text-messaging, and no wonder writing today is the literary equivalent of fast food: slapped together, full of fat, and hard to digest.

To compound matters, we live in a rush-rush world where improving our writing is like cleaning the basement. We know it needs to be done, but things pile up and bad follows bad. In other words, familiarity breeds unkempt—which is exactly what happens when our grammatical slips are showing.

Making mumbo-jumbo
Our letters, reports, e-mail—1.4 trillion e-mails last year alone—are getting sloppier by the day. We’ve lost the ability to string clear, concise thoughts together—a malady some call “corporatespeak.”

“Inasmuch as the process, if accelerated through the strategic channels in the
allotted timeframe, will leverage our deployment as an immeasurable uniqueness
in the marketplace.”

Translation: “If we hurry up, we can get there first.”

M.B.A. programs and business schools recently have added writing classes to their curriculum. That means we’re in good company, so without blame or shame, let’s brush up on writing basics.

Write the way you talk
Conversational writing is in. Large words and convoluted sentences don’t get the message across. Write in an open, honest style. In turn, you’ll increase sales, eliminate misunderstandings, and achieve goals faster.

Overcome fears
Even after 25 years as a journalist, I still blanch at a blank screen. The best antidote? Just start. Anywhere. When facing an important letter, e-mail, or sales proposal, start with a brain dump. Get all your thoughts down on paper or screen, then push them around into a logical sequence. There, you’ve got a first draft.

OK, it’s terrible, but guess what? Everyone writes terrible first drafts. Anne Lamott makes the case for them in her bestselling book, Bird by Bird.

"Now …even better news… is the idea of [dreadful] first drafts. All good writers write them. This is how they end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts. … I know some very great writers, writers you love who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confident. Not one of them writes elegant first drafts.…"

Feel better? Now, spend time editing. Not long tedious stretches—just enough to run through it once for accuracy. Next time, make it more concise. Then add a little creativity. Your readers will reward you by reading to the end and responding to your requests. (You are letting them know what you want, aren’t you?)

Law and order
The pain of not writing well begins to throb when it lands us in jail. When someone complains about his boss in an e-mail, that document could be discoverable in litigation. Remember that no matter what you write, it’s permanently in your computer. Best advice: don’t say anything in a letter or e-mail that you wouldn’t want to see on the front page of the New York Times.

More than a resume
More businesses are getting wise to good writing. Some are even requiring pre-employment writing tests. That means once you jump through the cover-letter-resume hurdle, you still may have to prove that you can dot your Is and cross your Ts. And why not? If you apply for a job at ESPN, they’ll ask about your knowledge of sports. Since our ever-expanding lust for technology ensures that just about everyone will be writing at work, it only makes sense for companies to expect employees to do it good, er, well.

Get it Write: Eight tips to jumpstart your writing and polish your prose.
1. Relax. Write conversationally. Tell it like a story.
2. Dump your ideas. Get everything down and arrange in logical order.
3. First drafts aren’t really writing—they’re thought organizers.
4. Let them know what you want through strong conclusions and compelling calls to action.
5. Edit, edit, and edit some more until the document is clear and concise.
6. Get creative: Use vivid verbs rather than boring “is, are, was, were.”
7. Take Albert Einstein’s advice: Don’t memorize anything you can look up. Buy a good reference guide (such as Strunk & White’s "Elements of Style") and use it--regularly.
8. Sleep on it—then edit again. Mistakes jump off the page.

Related Articles
  How to Develop the Writing Habit-Even if You Don’t Have Time to Write
  Five Keys to Book Writing Success
  When Writing a Nonfiction Book, Don't Put the Cart Before the Horse
  What You Need To Get Paid To Write Articles Online
  Writers: Do You Procrastinate? Make it a Priority to Write Your Book

Article Tags: antidote, battle of hastings, blank screen, business schools, compound matters, convoluted sentences, curricula, e mail, familiarity breeds, good company, honest style, letter e, literary equivalent, malady, misunderstandings, mumbo, rush rush, scree, text messaging, timeframe



Related Forum Posts
Re: Do Articles For Businesswomen need to be written differently - I don't think that as a general rule an article [i:11csddi3]needs[/i:11csddi3] to be written "for women." In my opinion, the two important writing rules are: 1) Write for your targeted audience. If it happens to be predominantly women or predominantly men, then write accordingly (if you have the ability to make that distinction in your writing). 2) Write in your own voice. Be natural. If you are a serious writer, your style will become apparent over time and you will develop a following. It may happen that your style is more attractive to one sex or the other. If so, you may be able to advance your writing career by further cultivating your sensitivity within that style. Bottom line: I do believe that certain styles appeal to women, certain styles appeal to men and if you know the distinction, have the ability to write in a particular style and choose to target one sex or the other, then go for it. But I don't think that it is a necessity in today's market. GT :-]
Re: Are you getting paid for what you love to do? - Hello Ladies, I LOVE hearing that you are getting paid for what you enjoy doing! Hopefully, other women will be inspired by what you've shared as well. How interesting that all of us enjoy writing. For me, the web sure does open a whole new door of opportunity! I plan to take full advantage of it. At this point, I'm getting paid indirectly because I use my article writing to attract interest in my business. I get paid when the clients hire me. Of course, some of these are email clients so I guess you could say I am getting paid to write. I am developing some ecourses and other products to sell, so the writing will soon pay off more. Sometimes, I think I love to write and other times I feel that it is more the excitement about the message I want to share through the writing. Have you ever been more passionate about your message than actually sitting down at your desk to write?
Do your blog "write" - In regards to your question about whether to hire a copywriter, ask yourself how comfortable you are with writing the articles. Can you consistently write blog articles that people will read (there's a whole technique to blog writing, including scannability, length, using bullets, etc)? If your time is better spent doing what you're good at, and that's not writing, hire someone. Better to spend the money and have it done right than be stressing out every time you have to post!
Re: September Contest Winners, New October Contest! - [quote="ideasuniversity":u00glc39]GT, Thanks for your long sermon. I know and I am just kidding, I love writing and helping people so if I am offer anything or not I am happy.[/quote:u00glc39] Hello, IdeasU: I know you are kidding ... but, of course, there is a kernel of truth in your statement - my forum posts get too long sometimes! I always start out saying, "I'm going to keep this short," then the next thing I know, it becomes an essay! I guess the problem is, I love writing, too, and I enjoy allowing my train of thought to work itself out on the keyboard. The bottom line for both of us, and all forum participants, is to keep on writing - long or short - because that is what makes the forum so interesting and valuable. (After all, if I write too much, no one has to read it if they don't want to. ;-] ) GT :-]
Re: Helping a Grade 5/6 student make money fast - Mowing, doing simple yard work tasks, etc. are all good ways for this age group to earn money. The thing I've noticed with kids is that they're more computer savvy than when I was that age. So, moving to a more technical side of making money might be a good idea. Yard work and the like is definitely the easiest way to start. If their parents allow them to use their equipment, then the only cost is gas, which can be paid for by the money coming in. If they do a good job, then they should be able to find more clients simply by word-of-mouth. Selling stuff on eBay is a possibility. I wouldn't role out starting a blog. Granted, their writing won't be perfect, but a lot of adults' writing isn't the greatest either. As long as they can get the general idea across, then I see nothing wrong with it. And, if they're just being themselves and letting people know who they are, as they should, then I would think people would be very understanding about their writing skills. I wouldn't expect a 5/6 grader's writing to be perfect, and what they have to say might still be useful and helpful for someone. No matter what direction they take, having the support of their parents is critical. There's the obvious financial aspect, but they also need to be encouraged as well. There's nothing better for a kid that age than to hear words of encouragement from their parents and to be supported with whatever they want to do.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

10 Reasons Your SBA Loan May Be Declined

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Log On

Marketing & Sales tools – going back to basics

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.