Why does writing well matter?

Writing is a necessity. But writing well is an art and an asset. Mastering the art of writing well takes practice—a good investment of time and effort because it enhances your career. As author Bonnie Friedman puts it, “Successful writers are not the ones who write the best sentences…they are the ones who keep writing.” Furthermore, good writing skills may even provide more career opportunities since virtually every profession entails writing. Bottom line: everyone writes!

Your ability to express your ideas clearly and persuasively reflects in your writing. And you can always sharpen your current writing skills. You may begin by following the Four Basic Steps to Crafting “ICIC” Communications and exploring the Anatomy of an Effective Writing Style.

Four Basic Steps to Crafting “ICIC” Communications

Interesting, Clear, Informative, and Concise: that’s what “ICIC” communications stands for. In a way, pronouncing the acronym should sound like what consumers would exclaim after reading your well-written piece: “I see, I see!”

ICIC Communications involves four basic steps:

STEP 1. Do ASOAP analysis

You have to know your Audience as well as the Subject, Objective, Angle, and Publication of your communication piece. These are the ASOAP elements you need to account for as you write.

• Audience. Who are they? What are their demographic (e.g. age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, etc.) and psychographic (lifestyle, goals, concerns, etc.) profiles? What do they want to know and need to know? The answers to these questions will help you determine the level of knowledge they are starting at so you can tailor your language and messages accordingly.
  For example, defining osteoporosis as “the progressive and pathogenic resorption of bone tissue” may work with a health professional audience, but consumers would tune out on the jargon unless you describe it as “a disease in which bones become thinner and weaker over time.”
• Subject: What’s your topic? Do you know it well enough to discuss it thoroughly? Do you have enough information? Identify and gather reliable resources on your chosen topic.
• Objective: What are you trying to accomplish? Is your goal to inform the audience, to change their perspectives, or to request them to take action?
• Angle: What’s your “slant”? How will you present your topic? Going back to the osteoporosis example, an appropriate angle for persuading a senior audience to get more calcium would be, “prevent bone loss.” For teenagers, who may not relate to this concept, “build strong bones” would be a better approach.
• Publication: Where will your written piece appear? A magazine article, a patient brochure, or a research review for colleagues? This will affect your tone as you write. Note that each type of publication has a particular format and style.

STEP 2. Make an Outline

Starting to write a long piece without an outline is like taking off on a cross-country trip without a map. So, have a plan before you begin writing. Otherwise, you lose focus, forget some important details, or slip into a disorganized flow of information.

Outlines can be formal (i.e. with letters, numbers, and bullet points) or informal. The latter technique involves “self-brainstorming” then putting all your ideas in order afterwards. Be specific as you organize the flow of your ideas. If you’re writing about osteoporosis prevention, don’t say, “Introduce the topic.” Open with a statement about osteoporosis, such as, “Aging bones may look solid on the outside, but on the inside, they’re actually brittle and as porous as sponges.” Don’t stop short at “Provide tips” in your outline. State further, “Provide 5 tips for bone loss prevention such as drinking 3 cups of milk daily, weight-bearing exercise, etc.”

Tips for the outlining process:

• Jot down where or from whom you’ll get the information as well as other “to dos.” Need a quote from a journal? Further clarification from an orthopedist? Note them.
• Begin with a summary or overview statement—a rationale for writing the piece—then build up subsequent statements in a logical manner and increasing importance.
• Review your resources to reinforce ideas or to generate fresh ones.

STEP 3. Write a First Draft

Nothing’s set in stone. Generally, your first output is just the foundation of a more solid written piece. Turn off your “inner editor” and don’t worry about word choices, grammar, or punctuation at this point. The focus of your first draft is content, not perfection. For the draft to serve its purpose, observe the following pointers:

• State your topic and provide context. Most likely, readers won’t grasp your topic from the top of their heads as easily as you could, so don’t just launch in. Give a background or framework for them to latch on.
• Put the most important points first. Make the vital details prominent and support each point with examples, facts, statistics, and quotes.
• Order logically. Do your ideas make sense? The way you arrange your points influences the impact of your piece.
• Provide payoff or call to action. “What’s in it for me?” and “What should I do?” are questions readers often ask when they read an article. Giving them an incentive or a specific task makes reading your piece worthwhile.

Follow your outline as you write your draft. However, don’t feel “saddled” to it. It’s OK to skip around and rearrange your points if it will clarify your message.

Tips for drafting:

• “X marks the spot.” Don’t stop to think of the right word or fact. Put an “X” or any other marking of your choice (asterisks, dots, etc.) on that part of the draft that needs editing or verification. You may even jot a note about what you need (e.g. “Insert 5 tips to ‘X’ here”, “Double-check mechanism of vitamin D absorption in nutrition textbook...”)
• Informally include your references in parentheses. You may delete these in the final version (or rewrite them in the proper format as superscripts, depending on the documentation style you’re following), but save the draft for future reference.

STEP 4. Polish Your Draft

There’s a gem waiting to be uncovered in your draft. Hence, this is the time to add finishing touches by getting specific—look at your sentence and paragraph structure, your choice of words, spelling, and punctuation. Then, create some flair. All of these refinements comprise good writing style. See Anatomy of an Effective Writing Style.

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Anatomy of an Effective Writing Style

If you were to dissect well-written pieces about any topic under the sun, you’ll discover that they share the same basic elements:

• Solid Sentences
• Tight Paragraphs
• Good Grammar
• Precise Punctuation
• Impeccable Spelling
• Wise Word Choices
• Irresistible “Hook”
• Visual Appeal

Solid Sentences

Sentences are the basic building blocks of your ideas. Well-constructed sentences have the following characteristics:

• Appropriate length. The fewer words that get in the way of your idea, the better the chance the reader will understand you. In other words, CUT THE CLUTTER!

Examples:

NO: Prior to that point in time, she was meeting with him every Friday at 10 a.m. in the morning. (19 words)
YES: Before then, she met him on Fridays at 10 a.m. (10 words)

NO: While oxygen is absolutely essential for human survival, breathing air with too much oxygen in itself can be very fatal.
(Delete unnecessary descriptors. Are there degrees of being essential or fatal?)
YES: While oxygen is essential for human survival, breathing air with too much oxygen in itself, can be fatal.

TIP: Use word economy. Less is actually more!

• Active, not passive. As much as possible, use the active voice. Sentences written in the passive voice may be cumbersome to read and comprehend.

Example:

NO: The children were taught how to follow the Food Guide Pyramid by the teacher.
(Passive voice)
YES: The teacher taught the children how to follow the Food Guide Pyramid.
(Active voice)

• Personal, not indirect. Address your audience. Let them be the emphasis in your sentence construction.

Example:

NO: Losing the last five pounds can be accomplished.
YES: You can lose those last five pounds.

• Specific, not general. Be straightforward, especially when you’re giving advice. Quantify and qualify your statements for clarity and impact.

Example:

NO: Eat better.
YES: Eat three servings of vegetables daily.

• Simple, not complex. Sentences loaded with jargon do not impress; they only confuse the reader and cause them to miss the point.

Example:

NO: The patient had an acute rapid development of myocardial necrosis caused by a
critical imbalance between the oxygen supply and demand of the myocardium.
YES: The patient had a heart attack.

• Proper syntax. Position words in the right sequence within a sentence.

Example:

NO: You can call your mother in Toronto to tell her all about the great restaurant you ate at in Chicago for only $ 1.
YES: For only $1, you can call your mother in Toronto to tell her all about the great
restaurant you ate at in Chicago.

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Tight Paragraphs

A typical expository paragraph starts with one topic which it then explains, develops, or supports with evidence in the form of examples, facts, statistics, and quotes. Paragraphs “sprawl” when irrelevant details or shifts in focus get included.

Example of a good paragraph:

Regular exercise helps kids control their weight and build strong bones. It protects their heart, and it may benefit their mental health as well. Active children are healthier, stronger, do better in school, sleep better and generally grow up to be fit adults. Despite this knowledge, almost half of children between the ages of 12 and 21 report that they don't regularly engage in vigorous activity. One-quarter admit they don't participate in any vigorous activities at all. “Because kids lack physical activity, the rates of childhood obesity have more than tripled over the past 30 years,” according to Dr. Lakowsky of the Mayo Clinic Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

The topic of this paragraph is “Children don’t exercise regularly.” This topic is developed by 1) examples of benefits from exercise; 2) statistical figures (e.g. “half of children ages 12-21 don’t regularly engage in vigorous physical activity) and 3) a quotation from an expert about the consequences of children’s lack of regular exercise.

TIP: Logically order your paragraphs and vary their lengths to achieve good article flow.

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Good Grammar

Minding your “grammar manners” speaks volumes about you as a writer, so be meticulous! This is not a comprehensive course on course on grammar, but here are a couple of pointers worth highlighting:

• Match the Subject and the Verb. The rule of thumb is, singular subjects need singular verbs and plural subjects need plural verbs.

Example:

NO: The selection of vegetables at the supermarkets and farmer’s markets are wonderful.
YES: The selection of vegetables at the supermarkets and farmer’s markets is wonderful.
(singular subject) (singular verb)

• Stamp out split infinitives. An infinitive is said to be "split" when a word (often an adverb) or phrase sneaks between the to of the infinitive and the root of the verb: "to boldly go," being the most famous of its kind. By all means, AVOID this pitfall!

Example:

NO: He wants to quickly run the report.
YES: He wants to run the report quickly.

• End in a preposition (if you really want to!). You may have learned that this is a serious breach of grammatical etiquette, but sometimes correcting the offending preposition might even result in a clumsy sentence. So, use a careful judgment call here.

Example:

“Indicate the book you are quoting from” isn’t radically improved by “Indicate from
which book you are quoting.”

The bottom line is, use what sounds natural.

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Precise Punctuation

Know the proper usage (and location) of the following punctuation marks commonly used in writing:

• Period ( . )
• Exclamation point ( ! )
• Question mark ( ? )
• Apostrophe ( ’ )
• Colon (:)
• Semi-colon (;)
• Hyphen (-)
• Dash (—)
• Comma ( , )
• Ellipsis (…)
• Quotation marks (“ ”)
• Slash ( / )
• Brackets ([ ])
• Parentheses ( )

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Impeccable Spelling

Always have a dictionary on hand for reference and proofread your work. Although most computer word processors have “spell check,” errors in sentences like the following will not be detected:

“Aisle meat ewe their,” said Jane. “Butt first, eye knead two return a book that’s passed do at the library.”

Be smart about the use of grammar check, too!

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Wise Word Choices

Choose just the right word. This will depend on your audience and the context under which you’re writing. Keep the following in mind:

• Be natural. What would roll out of your mouth (and pen) smoothly and sound easy to the ears? Here are some examples:

• Be descriptive. Paint a picture with words.

Example:

PLAIN: She ate too much.
DESCRIPTIVE: She stuffed herself with enough turkey and trimmings for two
Thanksgiving meals.

• Lose the jargon. Unless your audience is a technical group, simplify your terms.

Example: Use “high blood cholesterol” instead of “hypercholesterolemia”
 

• Contractions: They’re OK! But they’re no excuse for imprecision or wordiness. Your tone must aim toward being friendly and helpful without being overly casual (and never slangy). If you can maintain a tone of slight formality without being stuffy, you’ve hit it just right.

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Irresistible Hook

There are several techniques by which you can reel in the reader’s attention. Here’s what you can do in each part of your article:

• TITLE: Make it Clear, Clever, and Creative

Examples:

• Bread Backlash is Half-Baked
• It Sounds Jerky, but Few Have a Beef with Snack
• Shelf Awareness: How Can You Tell What Needs Pitching From Your Pantry
• Super Foods: From Avocados to Yogurt, 15 items to Keep You Healthy

• LEAD: Make it Snappy. This is your opening sentence or sentences. It can be in the form of a question, quote, quiz, anecdote, or even a surprising statement.

Examples:

• Ever wonder why you can’t lose those last five pounds? Then these tips are for you.
• Quick quiz: what do crusty bread, crunchy cornflakes, creamy risotto, and hot cooked pasta have in common?

• BODY: Sprinkle in appropriate humor, appealing examples and stories, and tips, tips, tips. People love to hear about other people’s experiences and learn from them.

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Visual Appeal

The following formatting techniques can make your article even more reader-friendly:

• Subtitles
• Bullets/lists
• Sidebars
• Boxes
• Qs and As
• Graphics

Subtitles help break up information visually. They also aid the reader in grasping information in your article more thoroughly because they function as transitional devices from idea to idea.

Bottom Line: Top 10 Tricks of the Trade

To improve your writing skills, do the following:

1. Read good writing.
2. Forget perfection.
3. Chunk it down.
4. Take breaks.
5. Be concise.
6. Print it out.
7. Read aloud.
8. Get a second opinion.
9. Sleep on it.

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