Courteous Writing Archives

graphic listing characteristics of a good first sentence

First Sentences for Business Letters

Do you struggle with the first sentences of business letters? Review these examples. They will give you ideas on how to start your business letters and email messages. To respond to a letter of complaint: Thank you for writing to us about your experience in… continue reading

Pursue Peace

Today is a national holiday in the United States: Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. King was a peace activist and a passionate advocate for social justice and racial equality. He was born on January 15, 1929, and assassinated on April 4, 1968. The holiday… continue reading

Post-Holiday Writing Etiquette

Recent visitors to this blog have been searching for answers to post-holiday etiquette questions. Here are three good ones: Is it necessary to respond to Christmas greetings? How do I say thank you for a Christmas gift when I don’t celebrate Christmas? How do I… continue reading

title graphic stating "saying no in writing"

How to Say No

You’ve probably experienced this awkward situation: a person makes a request to you in writing, and you have to say no–in writing. On the telephone or in person, you could respond earnestly, “I’m sorry! I wish I could!” or “Unfortunately, I have to say no.”… continue reading

How to Write a Thank You

Writing a thank you is one of the easiest tasks in business writing. It’s a short, happy message that makes both writer and reader feel great. Some recipients even post thank you notes on their bulletin boards and in scrap books, so the good feelings… continue reading

With Your Knickers in a Knot

Lately I’ve been thinking about courteous business writing. That topic always reminds me of a message I got from my friend and longtime colleague Cindy Clay, for whom I used to do a lot of writing. I had emailed a book review to Cindy, and… continue reading

13 Little Words

I just got a quick 13-word email that made me smile and made my work life easier. The pleasing message was simply this: “I don’t know–but I’ll find out and get back to you ASAP.” No, it’s no subtle pun that amused me. It’s that… continue reading

When Writing Is Cruel

Today at a business lunch I heard a tale of bad manners in business writing. Here’s the story: A job candidate, who had been searching for a position for quite a while, had four interviews with a prestigious Seattle firm. Naturally, he was getting excited.… continue reading