Principles of Good Writing

Managers and leaders must express their ideas clearly, concisely, and completely when speaking
and writing. If your written messages aren’t clear or lack important details, people will be
confused and will not know how to respond. In addition, if your written messages are too
lengthy, people simply don’t read them. The process of good writing involves three basic steps –
preparing, writing, and editing. Practicing the following 16 principles will help you be a more
effective writer.
1. Know your objective. Think before you write. What’s your goal? Make sure you fully
understand the assignment. Are you writing a one-paragraph executive summary or a five-page
report? Try answering this question: What specifically do I want the reader to know, think, or
do?
2. Make a list. Write down the ideas or points you want to cover. Why? This helps you get
started in identifying the key ideas you want to discuss. If you have trouble getting started, try
discussing your ideas with someone else. “Kicking an idea around” often helps you clarify your
objective and fine-tune what you are trying to accomplish.
3. Organize your ideas. Just as it’s difficult to find what you want in a messy, disorganized
desk drawer, it’s hard to find important ideas in a poorly organized message. Here are a few
ways you can organize your ideas:
– Importance – Begin with the most important piece of information and then move on to the
next most important.
– Chronological order – Describe what happened first, second, third.
– Problem-Solution – Define the problem, then describe possible alternatives or the solution you
recommend.
– Question-Answer – State a question and then provide your answer.Organize your ideas so the

THE PRINCIPLES OF GOOD WRITING

2 PRINCIPLE 1 WRITE WITH A TOP-DOWN APPROACH Most everyday writing is
expository Your job – write for 5 minutes on a topic of your choosing BLOT Newspaper strategy
What is wrong with the following? “Sheila, can you do something for me when you’re
downtown? If you’re taking the subway to Main Street, get off and take the first exit out of the
subway and walk down to Cross Street. At the intersection of Cross Street and Vine, you’ll find
Sandy’s Stationary store. Can you go in a pick up a couple of reams of A5 paper?”

3 PRINCIPLE 1 WRITE WITH A TOP-DOWN APPROACH Why should that conclusion be

one of the first things said? This technique is especially useful in on-demand writing Give the
people what they want – instant gratification! An airline pilot never leaves the runway without
having a destination and a flight pattern – you shouldn’t either!

4 PRINCIPLE 2 BREAK THINGS DOWN You know what you want to write about – topic You
must decide on the basic building blocks that are essential to skirt-theory that topic This is why
the 5-paragraph essay became a staple of high school writing Especially in on-demand writing,
consider incorporating a “lead sentence” – this is the topic sentence of topic sentences Example:
I would like to show who I am through a discussion of three special turning points in my
personal and career
development: when I switched from an English major to and education major, when I spent a
year teaching in South Korea, and when I completed my graduate degree in business

5 PRINCIPLE 3 USE TRANSITION WORDS Transition words serve one of four primary
purposes To show contrast (stop and get ready to turn) However, but, yet, on the other hand,
whereas To show illustration or enumeration (keep going) First, second, third, for example, for
instance, in fact To show continuation (slow down but keep going) Furthermore, moreover, on
the one hand, undoubtedly, coincidentally To show conclusion (you’re about to arrive) Finally,
so, therefore, thus, as a result

6 PRINCIPLE 3 USE TRANSITIONAL WORDS Identify the transition words and their
purpose in the following text: Time management involves thinking in terms of effectiveness first
and efficiency second. Whereas efficiency is concerned with doing a task in the fastest possible
manner, effectiveness is concerned with spending time doing the “right” things. Effectiveness is
therefore a

broader, more useful concept, which questions whether we should even do a particular task.

7 PRINCIPLE 3 USE TRANSITIONAL WORDS The simplest writing approach – this is not
the most exciting but it is clear and it works. Take a stance Write your conclusion State “there
are several reasons for this” Use transitional words Voila Consider it for the ACT as long as you
have both sides of the argument covered in your “several reasons” section

8 PRINCIPLE 4 EMPLOY THE SIX BASIC WRITING STRUCTURES Writing structures

refers to the order things are introduced and the importance or emphasis given to these things.
There are six common structures: Categorical Evaluative Chronological Comparative Sequential
Causal Take a look at the handout provided

9 PRINCIPLE 4 EMPLOY THE SIX BASIC WRITING STRUCTURES There are, of course,
other potential structures and rhetorical modes that you can use. Two other common ones:
Question and

Answer Problem and Solution

10 PRINCIPLE 5 KEEP LIKE THINGS TOGETHER Don’t put all the zoo animals in one big
mess of a cage – don’t put all ideas together in one big mess of an essay! Finish your
discussion/point of each idea before moving on to the next. Fix this mess…

11 PRINCIPLE 6 SUPPORT WHAT YOU SAY This is the biggest difference between effective
writing and mediocre writing – concrete and specific examples Apples are interesting. Abigail
Williams is a horrible character. Work on the examples provided Keep this idea in mind when
you write your college entrance essays and when you ask teachers to write letters of
recommendation!

12 PRINCIPLE 7 PERSONALIZE EXAMPLES This results in “I” statements so consider the

appropriateness This technique makes the examples more memorable Nigel is too busy to enjoy
himself. Consider principle 6 Despite working evenings, Nigel arrives home and diligently
tackles

his homework to prepare for next day’s classes. Not only does it give support but you, as
students, can relate

13 PRINCIPLE 7 PERSONALIZE EXAMPLES People are starving. People are starving—you

can see it in their eyes and in the way their bones press against the skin. “But it’s the faces you
can’t forget, like images in a recurring nightmare, they keep coming back, haunted faces, staring
blankly back from the windows of tumble-down hovels. The hollow lifeless eyes, skin stretched
tight across backs, hands out- stretched, dull listless eyes imploring. I move as if in a dream
through the agony that is famine.”—The Year of Living Dangerously

14 PRINCIPLE 7 PERSONALIZE EXAMPLES Use literary techniques to strengthen nonfiction

writing Anecdotes Quotations Analogies Similes and metaphors Let’s try it…

15 PRINCIPLE 8 KEEP IT SIMPLE Be careful with a thesaurus! Simple verbs, nouns, and
adjectives have broader meanings in English than more complicated words Consider the
following Acceded or Agreed Accommodate or Serve Accumulate or Gather

16 PRINCIPLE 8 KEEP IT SIMPLE This doesn’t mean “big words” are bad, just that you need
to make sure you understand their meaning and that they are appropriate! We will talk more
about power word choice later… Try this exercise

PRINCIPLE 9 CUT DOWN LONG SENTENCES Leadership—whether on the battlefield or in

another area, such as politics or business—can take place either by example or command, and
Alexander the Great, renowned in both history and legend, is a good example of a military leader
who led by both command and personal example, whereas Gandhi and Mother Teresa, both
famous for their devotion to great causes, provide instances of people leading primarily by the
power of inspiring personal example. Cut this sentence down to make it more manageable

18 PRINCIPLE 9 CUT DOWN LONG SENTENCES Consider this revision: Leadership can
take place either by example of command. Alexander the Great is an example of a military leader
who did both. Gandhi and Mother Teresa, on the other hand, led primarily by the power of
inspiring personal example. This rule does not mean that all sentences should be short – just that
you don’t need superfluous material! Don’t underestimate the power of a short sentence (3-5
words). It will catch the eye!

19 PRINCIPLE 10 ELIMINATE NEEDLESS WORDS Draw a bicycle “Vigorous writing is

concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary
sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no
unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid
all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.” –William Strunk, Jr.
Needless words come in three forms: redundancy, excessive qualification, needless self-
reference
20 PRINCIPLE 10 ELIMINATE NEEDLESS WORDS Redundancy Advance notice or Notice
Any and all or Any Attractive in appearance or Attractive Blue in color or Blue Deliberately
chosen or Chosen This is a big ACT-thing!

21 PRINCIPLE 10 ELIMINATE NEEDLESS WORDS Excessive qualification This rather

serious leak may possibly shake the very foundations of the intelligence world. This serious leak
may shake the foundations of the intelligence world. Don’t qualify words that are already
absolute: Fairly excellent – excellent Truly unique – unique The very worst – the worst Most
favorite – favorite Quite outstanding - outstanding

22 PRINCIPLE 10 ELIMINATE NEEDLESS WORDS Needless self-reference “I believe” “I

think” “I feel” “In my opinion”

23 PRINCIPLE 11 GAIN ACTIVE POWER Active Voice v. Passive Voice Today the computer
files were erased. Today Al Smith erased the computer files. Sometimes passive voice is fine.
The world’s largest pearl (6.4 kg) was discovered in the Philippines in 1934. School was
cancelled today. Joyce Buckingham was awarded a medal by the committee organizers.
Complete the exercise

24 PRINCIPLE 12 FAVOR VERBS NOT NOUNS Nominalization – changing verbs and

adjectives into nouns Reduce (v) – reduction (n) Reduction of costs should be reduce costs
Precise (adj) – precision (n) Precision of measurements should be precise measurements Verbs
can also be gerunds (-ing) Is the drinking of alcohol by students allowed on campus? May
students drink alcohol on campus? Excercise

25 PRINCIPLE 13 ALWAYS USE PARALLEL FORMS Another big ACT-thing Express

similar parts of a sentence in a consistent way. Elements alike in function should be alike in
construction. In the summer before college, I waited tables, pursued magazine sales, and even
had a stint at delivering pizzas. Versus In the summer before college, I waited tables, sold
magazines, and even delivered pizzas.

26 PRINCIPLE 13 ALWAYS USE PARALLEL FORMS “Let every nation know, whether it
wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support
any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.” – JFK Parallelism
relates to any part of speech Look for it in lists They went to London, to Paris, and Istanbul.
They went to London, to Paris, and to Istanbul. She likes sun, the sand, and going to the sea. She
likes the sun, the sand, and the sea.

27 PRINCIPLE 13 ALWAYS USE PARALLEL FORMS The entrepreneur had the personality,
the contacts, and had the intelligence to succeed in almost any business venture. The
entrepreneur had the personality, had the contacts, and had the intelligence to succeed in almost
any business venture. Exercise

28 PRINCIPLE 14 CAPITALIZE ON SENTENCE VARIETY Normal English sentence

pattern: subject-verb- object I play tennis. What if every sentence followed this pattern?
Examples of how to vary sentence beginnings: With a subject – Customers can tell us why
products sell if we take the time to listen to them. With a phrase – For this reason, no product is
to be built until we know a market exists for it. With a clause – Because human beings are
complex, the sales process cannot be reduced to a simple formula.

29 PRINCIPLE 14 CAPITALIZE ON SENTENCE VARIETY With a verb – Try not to eat and
talk. With an adverb – Understandably, students like to hear entrepreneurs speak of rags to riches
stories. With adjectives – Intelligent and compassionate, Dorothy has the ingredients to be a
leader. With a gerund – Allowing plenty of time, the law student started studying eight weeks
before the bar exam. With an infinitive – To be a monk, a person must be able to relinquish
selfishness in order to concentrate on a higher goal. With a correlative conjunction – Not only
poverty but also pollution threatens the development of the third world.