Originally posted to SuiteU, part of Suite101. SuiteU is being removed from the site. I wanted to save the ecourses so this resource would not disappear.
Writing Well
By Katherine Swarts
Introduction
Professional authors hear it on a regular basis: "I could write a book, too, if I had the time." Obvious implication: writing is easy. Well, maybe writing is easy. But writing well definitely isn't. Think back to your earliest school reports. Remember how your teacher insisted on seeing a rough draft before the final copy? And remember how you grumbled, "Why should I do all that extra work?" Because writing is work. Authors know that. Other people tend to forget after graduating from research papers. Okay, but you're not an author, and you don't care if your byline ever graces so much as a letter to the editor. So why should you bother improving your writing skills? Because you still have to write: Friendly e-mails/Thank-you notes/Letters of complaint/Office memos/Business reports/You name it. Have you ever read an e-mail advertisement and thought, "Why should I hire someone who can't even spell?" Or looked over a letter and muttered, "What is this person trying to say?" If you want to make a better impression than thatwhether your readers are supervisors, customer-service representatives, or old friendspolishing your writing skills is a good place to start. You may be thinking, "Yes, but I use state-of-the-art word processing software with spelling and grammar checkers." Checkers can be helpful, but they don't take the work out of writing. They won't create smooth transitions between paragraphs. They won't write to your reader's vocabulary. They won't stop you when you've said everything that needs saying. They don't even do their proper jobs flawlessly. To paraphrase a classic ditty, "Eye no this peace is error-free; my checker tolled me sew." That linegood only for laughs in the real worldgot by my computer's spell checker without a single red mark. Not to mention that spelling and grammar checkers often wag their fingers at things that are correct. According to the Word 2000 spell checker, my name, "Swarts," doesn't exist. With a long list of names and addresses, the typical spell checker can leave you wondering if the operator was shot at the keyboard and spurted blood on the screen. Worse yet is the grammar checker that doesn't recognize good conversational writing. Reread the first two paragraphs of this introduction: "Professional authors hear it on a regular basis: 'I could write a book, too, if I had the time.' Obvious implication: writing is easy. Well, maybe writing is easy. But writing well definitely isn't. Think back to your earliest school reports. Remember how your teacher insisted on seeing a rough draft before the final copy? And remember how you grumbled, 'Why should I do all that extra work?' "Because writing is work. Authors know that. Other people tend to forget after graduating from research papers." See anything wrong in there? No? Well, the grammar checker did. It underlined "Because writing is work" and labeled it "Fragment (consider revising)." Revising to what, it doesn't say. "You had to do the extra work because writing is work"? That gets past the grammar checker, but it also commits a cardinal sin against readable writing: it says in eleven words what could be said in four. It sounds stiff and redundant, less natural than the sentence fragment. In any case, it takes more than perfect grammar to create an effective letter, an impressive business report, or even an understandable memo. It takes clear, concise, and convincing writing. Harnessing the Power of the Written Word is the perfect course for "everyday writers" who want to ensure that ordinary written communications achieve their purpose, whether it's convincing a manufacturer to replace a faulty doodad or giving a warm feeling to the friend who opens your e-mail. The course will cover: Minimizing misinterpretations -Cleaning up clutter -Writing to persuade -Making a professional impression -Editing your work -Writing the friendly letter -Writing the thank-you note -Writing for the hard casescondolence and complaint Harnessing the Power of the Written Word will be valuable if you: Write memos, reports, and/or letters in the course of business -Are drafted to write an article for your business's, organization's, or congregation's newsletter -Have to write a letter of thanks or condolence -Need to write a letter of complaint -Get the urge to write a letter to the editor -Feel you "don't write often enough" (even if just by e-mail) "Wait a minute. Who needs writing skills to dash off an e-mail? I don't have time to proofread that. And anyway, they'll know what I mean." Probably they will. Then again, maybe they won't. Picture receiving the following note from your former college roommate: "Hi, Tracy, thought you'd be interested in this contest. All you have to do is e-mail your entry to this address and include your name, city, and county." Hold it. Should that be county or country? They'd be more likely to ask what country you came from, wouldn't they? Unless this is a contest reserved for residents of your state. Hard to tell, since the note doesn't mention states at all.... If you're lucky, the message includes a link to the sponsor's website and more detailed instructions. If not, you have to e-mail your friend back. Either way means extra work. Many people will give up without trying, wondering if any of the former roommate's professors bothered to emphasize clarity. And that's just for a casual note. Imagine the consequences if: You send your supervisor a note explaining why you deserve a raiseand you misspell his name; Fifty staff members get up early on the wrong Saturday because your memo said, "the seminar is on the 11th" instead of "the 18th"; Your department sends out a thousand sales letters that read, "We value attention to detil"; You order twenty copies of a book instead of two copies; A new widow receives a letter that starts, "So sorry to hear your husband is out of his misery." Harnessing the Power of the Written Word will help you avoid such embarrassing experiences and create writing that gets you what you want. Yes, good writing is hard work. No, you may never have the talent of a best-selling novelist. But basic writing skills have countless uses in everyday life. You may even fall in love with the written word.
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