Writing Tips Archives

Writing Tips

What Is Your Reader Looking For?

I recently wrote a post entitled "Can ‘And’ or ‘But’ Start a Sentence?" The post isn’t getting a high listing on Google, which most of my posts do. And I just found out why. Visitors are using a search string that is different from my… 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

Thank You for Condolences

We published several articles about writing condolences and thank you notes. This post combines the two: how to write a thank you for a condolence message. “Thank you letter for condolence message” is a definite topic of interest around the world, so we hope this… continue reading

Found in Translation

Imagine that everything you wrote were translated into several foreign languages. How would you write differently? Would your sentences still be complex? Would you continue to use puns, cultural allusions, and slang? How about acronyms and abbreviations? For me, it’s more than something I have… 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

Why Teach Business Writing?

I spent Friday in Portland, Oregon, at the regional conference of the ATD (Association for Talent Development) Cascadia Chapter. My husband Michael and I spent time there talking with training professionals about business writing. And why should anyone care about training employees and managers in… continue reading

Everyone Can Write Better

This week I led a business writing workshop with nine very smart business people. They do important analytic work for their company, which is the best in its class. Why, you might wonder, were sophisticated professionals in a business writing class? They were in class… continue reading

Don’t Be Negative!

When you have a choice, do you prefer being with people who are positive–or negative? When you read business letters, reports, email, and other documents, which tone–positive or negative–makes the message more enjoyable to read? Which inspires you? Unless you are a negative person (in… continue reading

A Cure for Writing Pains

At the end of business writing classes, I usually ask participants whether they got what they came for. They typically talk about the value of the writing tools, strategies, practice, and other class content and how they are going to apply their learning back on… continue reading

When Good Writing Goes Bad

In my business writing classes, I see a lot of very good work: beautifully written sentences, attractive formats, positive language, well-organized information, flawless punctuation. Nevertheless, when we sit together in small groups to discuss participants’ drafts, the reaction of readers isn’t always what writers had… continue reading