How to write anything

also by LAURA BROWN BUILD YOUR OWN GARAGE: Blueprints and Tools to Unleash Your Company’s Hidden Creativity (with Professor Bernd H Schmitt) HOW TO WRITE ANYTHING A Complete Guide LAURA BROWN For my parents, the late Lois H Brown and Justin W Brown Contents Introduction SECTION I: THE WRITING PROCESS CHAPTER 1: YOU CAN WRITE ANYTHING CHAPTER 2: FINDING YOUR PROCESS Understand Your Purpose Understand Your Reader Brainstorm Your Content Organize Draft Revise Speed and the Spinner SECTION II: E-WRITING AND THE TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION CHAPTER 3: CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON To Write or Not to Write If You Write What about the Future? CHAPTER 4: THE PROCESS OF E-WRITING Is Your Purpose Clear to You and Your Reader? Is Your Message Tailored to Your Reader? Revise, Revise, Revise Make It a Habit SECTION III: THE ENTRIES WRITING IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE The Basics Announcement Invitation Congratulations Thank-You Note Apology Holiday Family Newsletter Love Letter Fan Letter Personal Journal Get-Well Note Obituary Condolence Letter Eulogy Weddings and Births Engagement Announcement Wedding Invitation Wedding Toast Wedding Vows Wedding Announcement Wedding Congratulations Wedding Thank-You Birth Announcement Baby Shower Invitation Baby Gift Thank-You Personal Business Complaint Letter to a Neighbor Letter about Jury Duty Letter to Fight a Parking Ticket Note to Your Child’s Teacher Note on the Windshield Note to Recover Lost Property Classified Ad and Online Auction Listing Receipt Community Life Editorial Letter to the Editor Fund-raising Letter Appeal for Volunteers Instructions Note to a House Sitter, Babysitter, or Pet Sitter Recipe Social Media Personal Blog Online Review Facebook Status Update Twitter WRITING AT SCHOOL The Basics Note Taking Outline Summary Annotated Bibliography Research Paper Presentation Exam Essay Question Core Writing Assignments Personal Essay Process Description Essay Compare and Contrast Essay Argumentative Essay Interpretive Essay Writing in the Sciences and Social Sciences Science Project Logbook or Journal Lab Report Literature Review History Essay Writing in the Arts Art Review Performance Review Book Review Other Forms of Academic Writing College or Scholarship Application Essay Request for Recommendation E-mail to Teacher or Professor Academic Résumé Recruiting Letter Athletic Résumé/Athletic Profile Internship Letter School Newspaper WRITING AT WORK The Basics Business E-mail Request/Inquiry Instant Message Business Letter Memo Business Apology Business Bio Speech PowerPoint Presentation Questionnaire Message of Introduction Message of Commendation Letter of Recommendation Agenda Business Meeting Announcement Minutes The Job Search and Human Resources Job Description Job Advertisement Cover Letter for Résumé Résumé Interview Follow-Up Job Candidate Rejection Letter Job Offer Letter Letter Accepting a Job Offer Letter Declining a Job Offer Letter Withdrawing from the Job Search Performance Review Resignation Letter Termination Letter Promotion and Public Relations Brochure Newsletter Article Press Release Testimonial Website Copy Business Blog Facebook Status Update Twitter roman numerals, 14, 231 Ross, Diane A., 402n Rossetti, Christina Georgina, 134 Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, 87 RSVP (répondez s’il vous plt), 120 Rumi, 134 sales and billing, 542–60 sales letters, 542–48 brainstorming of, 542–43 dos and don’ts of, 545–46 drafting of, 543 e-mail of, 542 examples of, 546–48 keys to effectiveness of, 543–44 model outline for, 543, 544 organizing of, 543 purpose of, 542 readers of, 542 revising of, 543 sales pitches, 12–14 targeting of, 10 sales proposals, 548–52 brainstorming of, 548 checklist for, 549 dos and don’ts of, 549 drafts of, 549 examples of, 550–51 long format of, 552 organizing of, 548 purpose of, 548 readers of, 548 revising of, 549 salutations, e-mails and, 37 Sandberg, Sheryl, 411–12 school newspapers, 373–78 brainstorming of, 373 dos and don’ts of, 374–75 drafting of stories for, 373 examples of articles for, 376–78 “five Ws and one H” of, 373, 375 organizing of, 373 purpose of, 373 readers of, 373 revising of, 373 science, process description essays and, 275 science project journals and logbooks, 300–303 correcting entries in, 303 data recording for, 301 dos and don’ts of, 301–2 organization of, 301 purpose of, 300 readers of, 300–301 revising of, 301 sample entries for, 303 scientific papers, 263 search engine optimization (SEO), 523 search engines, 523, 524 Seattle Times, 411n secondary sources, 294, 320–21 self-addressed stamped envelopes (SASEs), 120 Self-Employed, The (website), 532n sequencing, expository writing and, 263 serious illness notes, 99 Shakespeare, William, 134 Shelley, Percy Bysshe, 134 sitters, notes to, 198–202 brainstorming of, 198 dos and don’ts of, 199 drafts of, 199 examples of, 200–202 organization of, 198–99 purpose of, 198 readership awareness and, 198, 199 revising of, 199 skimming, 228 smartphones, 1, 31 Smith, Richard M., 40–41 Social Marketing Superstars, Social Media Mystery to Mastery in 30 Days (O’Sullivan), 524 social media, 2, 23, 24, 30, 35, 210–21 business use of, 519, 520, 532 invitations and, 56 privacy and permanency issues in, 41 see also specific media SocialTimes, 519n software, 10, 12–14 tone checking and, 39–40 spamming, 523 speeches, 408–12 audience vs readers of, 408 brainstorming of, 408 dos and don’ts of, 409–10 drafting of, 408 organizing of, 408 purpose of, 408 revising of, 408 sample excerpts of, 410–12 Stevens, Molly, 209n Stevenson, Robert Louis, 134 Strauss, Steve D., 532n Style Me Pretty (blog), 127n subject lines, e-mail, 385–86 Success Principles, The: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (Canfield and Switzer), 20 suicide condolence notes, 110 summaries, 229, 237–39 brainstorming of, 237 dos and don’ts of, 237–38 drafts of, 237 organizing of, 237 purpose of, 237 readers of, 237 revision of, 237 see also executive summaries surprise party invitations, 59 SurveyMonkey, 418 surveys, see questionnaires Switzer, Janet, 20 tables of contents, 534 tags, search, 523 targeting of readers, 10 teacher notes, 11, 168–72 brainstorming of, 168 dos and don’ts of, 169–70 drafting of, 168 examples of, 170–72 model outline for, 168 organizing of, 168 purpose of, 168 readers of, 168 reviewing of, by others, 168 revising of, 168 tone of, 168–69 teacher or professor e-mails, 351–56 brainstorming of, 351 dos and don’ts of, 352–53, 355 drafting of, 351 examples of, 353–54 grade appeals and, 355–56 model outline for, 351 organizing of, 351 purpose of, 351 revising of, 351 teacher recommendation letter requests, 347–50 brainstorming of, 347 dos and don’ts of, 348–49 drafts of, 347 examples of, 349–50 model outline for, 347 organizing of, 347 purpose of, 347 readers of, 347 résumés and, 347 revising of, 347 teacher recommendation letters, 345–46 technology revolution, e-writing and, 23–44 TEDWomen, 411–12 telephone calls: in job acceptances, 476 in job candidate rejections, 469 in job offers, 471 television, Twitter and, 219 terminal illness notes, 100–101 dos and don’ts of, 100 example of, 101 termination letters, 494–97 brainstorming of, 494 delivering of, 494 dos and don’ts of, 494–96 drafts of, 494 e-mail of, 494 examples of, 496–97 model outline for, 494 organizing of, 494 purpose of, 494 readers of, 494 revising of, 494 tone of, 494 term papers, testimonials, 425, 511–14 brainstorming of, 511 dos and don’ts of, 511–12 drafts of, 511 examples of, 512–13 obtaining of, 514 organizing of, 511 purpose of, 511 readers of, 511 revising of, 511 text messages, 23, 24, 28–29, 31, 33, 45 autocorrect features of, 42–43, 42 brevity of, 35 privacy and permanency considerations of, 40 proofreading of, 42–43 spoken communication as alternative to, 25–27 thank-you notes, 70–78 for baby gifts, 145–48 brainstorming of, 71 children and, 76–78 dos and don’ts of, 71–72 drafting of, 71 examples of, 72–76, 77–78 organizing of, 71 purpose of, 70–71 readers of, 71 revision of, 71 weddings and, 136–41 theater reviews, 329–30 “These I Can Promise” (Twain), 134 thesis statements, 244, 245, 264–65, 292, 312, 316 topics and, 264, 265 “They Say/I Say”: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing (Graff and Birkenstein), 286–87 title pages (of reports), 533 tone, 35, 37–40, 49, 53 of abbreviations, 39 of announcements, 435 of apology notes, 79 of business bios, 403 of business blogs, 520 of business e-mails, 382 of complaint letters, 150 complete sentences and, 39 of condolence letters, 106 of congratulations notes, 65 context and, 38, 40 emoticons and, 39 of fan letters, 91 of get-well notes, 96 of holiday family newsletters, 84 of incident reports, 540 of job acceptance letters, 476–77 of job offer declinations, 479 of jury duty letters, 162 of neighbor letters, 157 of newsletter articles, 504 profanity and, 39 relationship with reader and, 38, 40 software for checking of, 39–40 of teacher notes, 168–69 of termination letters, 494 of windshield notes, 172–73 word choice and, 39 “Tonecheck Test Drive Spots ‘Unprofessional’ Email, Knows Dick Cheney Sounds ‘Sad,’ ‘Angry’ ” (Arndt), 39n topic outlines, 230, 232 topics, thesis statements and, 264, 265 topic sentences, 271 “Touched by an Angel” (Angelou), 133 transaction logs, 40 “Transcript of Speech by Boeing’s Doug Bain” (Seattle Times), 411n transmittals, 533, 535–37 brainstorming of, 535 dos and don’ts of, 536 drafts of, 535–36 examples of, 536–37 model outline for, 535 purpose of, 535 readers of, 535 revising of, 536 TripAdvisor, 213, 217 Turabian, Kate L., 239 Twain, Mark, 134 tweets, 219, 529, 531 Twitter, 30, 31, 219–21, 519, 529–32 brainstorming of, 529 business and, 532 dos and don’ts of, 220–21, 529–31 drafts of, 529 organizing of, 529 purpose of, 529 readers of, 529 revising of, 529 sample tweets for, 531 television programs and, 219 uses of, 219 typographical errors, 17, 42, 48, 56, 150, 177, 246, 254, 332, 347, 370, 373, 394, 398, 429, 449, 454, 481, 504, 511, 515, 529, 537, 556 unity, paragraphs and, 271 Urbanspoon, 217 Violent-death condolences, 110 volunteer appeals, 194–97 brainstorming of, 194 dos and don’ts of, 195–96 drafts of, 194 examples of, 197 model outline for, 194 organizing of, 194 purpose of, 194 readers of, 194 revising of, 194 web pages, websites, 24, 30, 31, 33 announcements on, 47 brevity in, 35, 36 brochures on, 498 business blogs on, 520–24 copy for, see website copy formatting and bullet points on, 36 invitations on, 56 job advertisements on, 448 online ads and auctions and, 176–80 online reviews and, 213–17 parking ticket disputes on, 164 surveys on, 418 testimonials on, 511 see also blogs (web logs); Internet; social media; specific social media site names website copy, 515–19 brainstorming of, 515 dos and don’ts of, 515–17 drafts of, 515 examples of, 517–18 organizing of, 515 purpose of, 515 readers of, 515 revising of, 515 social media and, 519 wedding announcements, 47, 135 wedding congratulations notes, 135–36 dos and don’ts of, 136 example of, 136 wedding invitations, 56, 58, 120–27 civil union and, 124 examples of, 121–27 formal type of, 121 recall of, 125 response cards included with, 120, 124 styling of, 126–27 wedding poems, 133–34 “Wedding Prayer” (Stevenson), 134 wedding thank-you notes, 136–41 to best man, 140 to bridesmaids, 141 for cash or check gifts, 139 dos and don’ts of, 137 examples of, 138–41 to groomsmen or ushers, 141 to maid or matron of honor, 140 to non-attendees, 139 parents as recipients of, 138 relatives as recipients of, 138 to someone not well known, 139 wedding toasts, 129–30 dos and don’ts of, 130 wedding vows, 131–33 dos and don’ts of, 131 examples of, 132 “When two people are at one in their inmost hearts” (I Ching), 134 Whirlpool Corp., 38 “Why Are We Raising Robots?” (Neiman), 505–6 “Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders” (Sandberg), 411–12 Williams, Joseph M., 239 Wilson, Lawrence, 189n windshield notes, 172–74 brainstorming and organizing of, 172 dos and don’ts of, 173 drafting of, 172 examples of, 173–74 readers of, 172 tone of, 172–73 Woolf, Virginia, 407 word choice, tone and, 39 writing: academics and, 223–378 arts and, 322–36 community life and, 183–97 core assignments and, 261–99 e-writing and, 1–2, 23–44 finding process in, 5–6, 7–22 instructions in, 198–209 others’ feedback in, 19–20, 49, 150, 165, 168, 174, 184, 194, 203, 418, 479, 491, 494, 498, 520, 537; see also drafts, reviewing of, by others outlines and, see outlines in personal communications, 45, 47–221 in promotion and public relations, 498–532 of recipes, 203–9 of reports, 533–41 in sales and billing, 542–60 school and, see academic writing in sciences and social sciences, 300–321 strong paragraphs in, 271–73 tone and, see tone work and, see writing at work see also specific types of writing writing at work, 379–560 basics of, 381–441 see also specific types “Writing in the 21st Century” (National Council of Teachers of English), 223, 223n writing spinner, 1, 5–6, 7, 12–22 announcements and, see announcements e-writing and, 32–44 see also brainstorming; drafts; organization; purpose); readers, awareness of; revising Yahoo! Local, 217 Yelp, 213, 217 “You are my husband, you are my wife” (traditional Inuit love song), 134 “Your love is from life’s great mystery” (I Ching), 134 Zoomerang, 418 Further praise for HOW TO WRITE ANYTHING “A terrifically useful resource.” — Small Business Resource “Brown’s ideas of inspired framework and hip-pocket lists of suggestions assured me that I will be rescued from writer’s block when it happens I think you’ll find this book just as life-saving for your business communication needs.” — Small Business Trends “Laura Brown’s How to Write Anything: A Complete Guide is the most comprehensive guide to writing I’ve seen I wish the book had been available when I was in college more than 50 years ago.” — Huntington News “Laura Brown has written the ultimate guide for anyone who needs to create clear, concise, and compelling written communications Students, businesspeople, and even seasoned professional writers should keep it handy, right between their dictionary and thesaurus.” —Michael Snell, literary agent, writing collaborator, and author of From Book Idea to Bestseller “An invaluable guide If your job or your business depends on delivering clear messages with impact, you need this book.” —Bernd Schmitt, professor, Columbia Business School “Laura Brown’s ability as a writing coach is unparalleled, and How to Write Anything offers the best of her guidance on business writing Laura has a gift for helping business writers focus, refine, and develop their ideas, and express those ideas in a compelling way Whether you are a CEO or a first-time manager, How to Write Anything will help you craft your message for the highest possible impact.” —Robert C Daugherty, executive dean, Forbes School of Business and Technology “How to Write Anything is the first book I’ve seen that addresses the very core of writing for today’s digital communications channels The lessons in this book are for everybody.” —Mary Olson, digital business design and development pioneer “To author a book called How to Write Anything: A Complete Guide, you have to be foolish, delusional, or be Laura Brown, who pulls it off with grace and wisdom Brown provides readers with an overview of the writing process—the infrastructure on which all writing is built— and specific strategies for hundreds of situations Of course, eventually writers have to face each task alone, but they will be wellequipped thanks to Laura Brown.” —Alan Ziegler, author of The Writing Workshop Note Book “As a writing instructor of over thirty years, I know full well the demands on young writers Laura Brown answers the tough questions on how to get started, how to craft tone for a target readership, how to develop succinct content, and how to master argumentation.” —Roger Marheine, assistant professor, Pasadena City College Copyright © 2014 by Laura Brown All rights reserved First published as a Norton paperback 2017 For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, W W Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110 For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact W W Norton Special Sales at specialsales@wwnorton.com or 800-233-4830 Cover design by Gail Anderson and Joe Newton Author photograph © Arthur Cohen Book design by Fearn Cutler de Vicq Production manager: Julia Druskin Page layout: Carole Desnoes The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows: Brown, Laura Marie How to write anything: a complete guide / Laura Brown.—First Edition pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN: 978-0-393-24014-6 (hardcover) English language—Rhetoric Report writing I Title PE1408.B8573 2014 808'.042—dc23 2013045078 ISBN 978-0-393-35518-5 pbk ISBN 978-0-393-86804-3 ebk W W Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110 www.wwnorton.com W W Norton & Company Ltd., 15 Carlisle Street, London W1D 3BS ... suggestions to info@howtowriteanything.com I look forward to hearing from you! SECTION I THE WRITING PROCESS CHAPTER You Can Write Anything With a few simple tools, you can write anything you’ll... speak to someone face -to- face, you’d be wise to spend a minute thinking about whether you’re choosing the right medium to convey your message TO WRITE OR NOT TO WRITE The first decision you need to. .. models for you to use for your own writing tasks I’ve tried to be as comprehensive as possible in developing How to Write Anything If you think I’ve left anything out, I’d love to know about it