.KEYWORD pebookmonth1100
.FLYINGHEAD ENTERPRISE BOOK OF THE MONTH
.TITLE The 12 steps to business writing success
.DEPT
.SUMMARY In the business world, good management is key. By applying those important management skills to the art of writing, you can vastly improve your written communication, whether in email, memos, or business letters. Steve Niles reviews a handy, instructional ebook that shows you how to Manage Your Writing.
.AUTHOR Steve Niles
No one can deny the importance of effective communication in the business world. Probably the most common form of communication in the corporate environment is writing, whether in email, memos, business letters, faxes, etc. Poor writing skills can lead to miscommunication, which inevitably results in lost time and lost money.
Good business writing doesn’t require a college degree in the subject. Rather, the basic skills you need to effectively communicate can be acquired easily with the help of handy guidebooks like Kenneth W. Davis’ Manage Your Writing.
.H1 The business of writing
Manage Your Writing is a free ebook available from Memoware.com at http://www.memoware.com/cgi-bin/mwsearch.cgi?Any=Manage+your+writing. In the book, Davis outlines his 12-step approach to polishing your business writing skills.
The way he arranges his steps is unique because he numbers them as if going around the face of a clock, beginning and ending with step 12, "Manage Your Writing." This is done for two reasons. First, he says each of the twelve steps should take about five minutes in a typical one-hour writing session, and second, the act of managing your writing should be performed at both ends of the exercise to get the most out of it.
So what does Davis mean by managing your writing? Well, as he describes it, "[Writing] can be managed, like any other business process," meaning it can be done efficiently or inefficiently. He compares writing to building a house when he says:
.QUOTE Efficient, effective writers take better charge of their writing time; they manage their writing. Like building contractors, they spend time planning before they start construction, and once they’re into construction, they don’t try to do all the finishing touches as they go.
This highlights the overall theme of his book. Writing cannot be done efficiently if you agonize over each word and punctuation mark as you write it. The key is to plan in advance, pound out the material without stopping, and then take your time revising your work when you’re finished. At the end of the process, it’s time to manage your writing once again, by evaluating what you’ve just done to find ways to improve your work next time.
.H1 Tips and techniques
Along the way, Davis provides excellent tips on how to focus and sharpen your work. In what he calls the planning stage, he describes ways to get more in touch with your audience and how to organize your ideas before you begin writing. Midway through the writing process, he suggests taking a break to change hats, going from writer to editor. Finally, during the revision stage, he provides a series of tips on such subjects as the proper use of conjunctions, clarity of language, and economy of words.
Few of these ideas are new to students of writing. However, if you don’t consider yourself a writer, yet find yourself consumed by the task nonetheless, Davis’ book can act as a friendly companion to guide you through the process. He’s also clearly familiar with the common writing tasks that confront the typical resident of the corporate environment and tailors his explanations, analogies, and examples accordingly.
.H1 Ebooks can be just another tool
Since no one in the corporate world is free from the daily composition of email, memos, and business letters, Manage Your Writing is an invaluable tool to keep on your trusty Palm device. It can be used like any other reference material you might keep in ebook form on your PDA. I would recommend first reading the book all the way through, absorbing Davis’ suggestions. Then, as you work, it’ll always be at your side if you need a quick reminder.
I found myself doing that very thing while putting together an article for PalmPower Magazine. I remembered Davis had a tip for dealing with those accursed passive-verb sentences, but I couldn’t remember off-hand what it was. I just opened up the ebook, made use of the Find function, and soon had the information I was looking for.
The Manage Your Writing ebook takes up 37K on your device. To view it you’ll also need the iSilo free reader. Downloading and reading the ebook costs nothing, but the return is invaluable.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For Kenneth W. Davis’ Manage Your Writing, visit http://www.memoware.com/cgi-bin/mwsearch.cgi?Any=Manage+your+writing.
For more information on the iSilo free reader, visit http://www.isilo.com.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6ea85
