Polishing Your Writing

Polishing Your Writing

Polishing Your Writing overview • Recognize the preferred style for business writing • Review the writing process (and what it has to do with Hostess cupcakes) • Discuss best practices for revision and polishing • Learn the limits of spell check and how to overcome them • Examine resources for polishing your writing

Which style is the most businesslike? 1 2 3

Which style is preferred? T-Shirt Stuffed Shirt Professional 1 2 3

What is plain, professional language? • Language your audience can understand the first time they hear or read it

Write in Plain Language

Why is plain language preferred? Before AFTER • Charismatic megafauna may be observed at various locations. ?

Plain language serves the reader. Before AFTER As you hike, you may see elk, white-tailed deer, and bighorn sheep. • Charismatic megafauna may be observed at various locations. Dept. of Interior exhibit on large animals native to the western US

Plain language increases compliance. Before AFTER When the process of freeing a vehicle that has been stuck results in ruts or holes, the operator will fill the rut or hole created by such activity before removing the vehicle from the immediate area.

Which rule is more likely to be followed? Before AFTER When the process of freeing a vehicle that has been stuck results in ruts or holes, the operator will fill the rut or hole created by such activity before removing the vehicle from the immediate area. If you make a hole while freeing a stuck vehicle, you must fill the hole before you drive away.

Plain language builds trust. Using big words needlessly makes people distrust you; simple words make you seem smarter and more credible. —Daniel M. Oppenheimer, winner of the 2006 Ignobel Prize

How do I write in plain language?

Can you make this plain?

Is this revision in plain language? BEFORE AFTER We can’t process your license because we need more information from you. • The Arizona Department of Revenue has received your Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) license/withholding registration application form and found that insufficient information has been provided to allow us to process your request.

Is this revision clear, correct, complete? REVISION QUICK SELF-CHECK Can readers find the main point quickly? Have I used ”we” and ”you” instead of corporate speak? Are my sentences short (15–20 words)? Have I preferred common, everyday words to jargon? Have I anticipated and answered readers’ questions? • We can’t process your license because we need more information from you.

Polishing Best practices

When is my draft ready to polish?

When is my draft ready to polish? These are all writer-centric.

When is my draft ready to polish?

What happens if I polish too soon? The writing process is anything a writer does from the time the idea came until the piece is completed or abandoned. There is no particular order. —Donald Graves, writing researcher

If the order doesn’t matter…?

At first, skilled writers suspend judgment You have to get the bulk of it down, and then you start to refine it. You haveto put down less-than-marvelous material just to keep going, whatever you think the end is going to be, which may be something else altogether by the time you get there. —Larry GelbartM.A.S.H. writer

Then, they ask Does this work for readers?

Then, they ask How is my tone?

How formal do I need to be? DISTANCE? x long-term client RANK? x prefers to be addressed by title INSIDER/ OUTSIDER? x outside company OFFICIALDOCUMENT? x routine correspondence

Would polishing have saved this memo?

Know your process • Get feedback • Test if high-stakes

Proofreading What you need to do besides spell check

Proofreading

Spellcheck fails

Spellcheck fails • Use spellcheck • Reread, watching for homophones(whether, weather) and missing words. • Spot-check with Find/Replace.

How smart is spell check? • Use spellcheck • Reread, watching for homophones(whether, weather) and missing words. • Spot-check with Find/Replace.

Is any grammar checker infallible?

Copy-and-paste errors checkers will miss • To whom are you writing? • What’s missing?

Two-stage proofing: Check, then re-read

Personal proofing checklist

Find-and-replace saves RESOURCES

Which GUM errors matter? Hairston found some status-marking errors: mistakes that make people judge those whomake them as • ignorant • uneducated

“For better or worse, people judge you if you can’t tell the difference between their, there, and they’re.” —Kyle Wiens, Ifixit

Which GUM errors matter? G = Grammar(sentence structure, agreement) U = Usage(verb forms, homophones) M = Mechanics(spelling, capitalization, punctuation) • Maxine Hairston did a study. • Ranked errorsOutrageousVery seriousSeriousModerately seriousMinorUnimportant

Are these status-marking errors? • When Calhoun moved, he brunghis secretary with him. • Jones don’t think it’s acceptable. • There has never been no one here like that woman. • Him and Richard were the last ones hired. ☐Yes ☐ No ☐Yes ☐ No ☐Yes ☐ No ☐Yes ☐ No

Are these status-marking errors? • When Calhoun moved, he brunghis secretary with him. • Jones don’t think it’s acceptable. • There has never been no one here like that woman. • Him and Richard were the last ones hired. Yes ☐ No Yes ☐ No Yes ☐ No Yes ☐ No

Proofing for substandard usage errors • Spell check will catch errors like he brung and I don’t need no help with grammar • Errors with pronoun usage can be added to proofing checklist: e.g., Avoid starting sentences with me, him, or them.

Are these serious errors? • He concentrated on his job he never took vacations. • The company raised its prices. In spite of administrative warnings. ☐Yes ☐ No ☐Yes ☐ No

Are these serious errors? • He concentrated on his job he never took vacations. • The company raised its prices. In spite of administrative warnings. •  Yes ☐ No • Yes ☐ No RESOURCES

Polishing Your Writing