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.
Write Right: How to stop writing like a dropout and start writing like a pro - To learn more about this author, visit Lynda McDaniel's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 |
Related Articles |
|
 Writers: Do You Procrastinate? Make it a Priority to Write Your Book
|
| |
So you’ve taken the plunge and started writing a book? Congratulations on taking the first step. But now you have to find ways to keep yourself motivated to keep going. If you’re like most people that are trying to ...
|
|
Are You Writing Your Book for the Wrong Reasons?
|
| |
Have you been struggling to finish your book? If you’ve been working on the project for what seems like forever, and made little or no progress, you might need to reconsider your motive for taking on the project in ...
|
|
You Have To Write
|
| |
Sorry about that, but most of the top prospecting techniques require writing. Seminars, speeches, printed and electronic newsletters, magazine articles, websites, etc. all need you to do some writing.
|
|
5 Ways to Add Your Personality to Your Writing
|
| |
One of the fastest ways to transform your web site and promotional materials into a client magnet is to add your personality. (And yes, even if you're trying to build a business bigger then you personally, you still...
|
|
100 Ways to Succeed #52
|
| |
 Work Like a Dog at Your Writing!
|
 |
Related Businesses - Evan Elite Authors |
|
The Evan Elite Authors program is currently in beta phase. For details please contact us.
|
|
|
Lynda McDaniel
(Visit Lynda's Website)
As a business writing coach, I hear a lot
of stories about the decline of writing
skills at U.S. companies. Often, my
clients weren’t even aware that their
staff was struggling with writing. But
when they looked closer, they found that
one poorly written e-mail required four
more to straighten out misunderstandings
generated by the first one. Or that sales
proposals failed to bring in new business.
My career as a journalist makes my
coaching and seminars more exciting.
Journalists learn to write quickly and
creatively. We tell stories, an age-old
method of grabbing readers' attention and
involving them on an emotional level.
Armed with 25 years of experience, I teach
people how to jumpstart their writing and
craft exciting, results-oriented copy.
Clients include DuPont, Builders Mortgage
Capital, Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts, Law & Politics, Associations Now,
Southern Living, Seattle
Post-Intelligencer and the Washington Post
(online). Coaching/seminar clients
include First Choice Health, Cutter &
Buck, Key Bank, YMCA, Seattle Chamber of
Commerce, U.S. Small Business
Administration, and University of
Washington. www.l
yndamcdaniel.com
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
![[Get Copyright Permissions]](http://license.icopyright.net/images/icopy-w.gif){kind=small}
