Principles of Business Writing
Capture. Deliver. Excel.
Applying the Principles of Business Writing
Ilja van Roon / Lucid Communication
© 2006 Ilja van Roon/Lucid Communication All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form This book can be downloaded for free at www.capturedeliverexcel.com. Written and edited by Ilja van Roon, Lucid Communication (www.lucidcommunication.nl) Proofread by Mark Biss, WordsRU (www.wordsru.com) Designed by Made of Man visual identity (www.madeofman.nl)
Lucid Communication Paulinastraat 78 2595 GK The Hague The Netherlands www.lucidcommunication.nl
Table of contents
Acknowledgements Introduction Overview of the principles of business writing The first principle: focus The second principle: purpose The third principle: meaning The fourth principle: substance The fifth principle: structure The sixth principle: clarity The seventh principle: humility The writing process from start to finish About the author About the designers 5 7 11 13 27 39 47 53 63 71 75 90 91
Acknowledgements
Having grown up in a multicultural and multilingual environment, language has always been the best way for me to make sense of myself and the world. I love the raw power, elegance and versatility of language, and not a day goes by in which I don’t play or work with words. Looking back, it seems only natural that my passion has become my profession. To me, writing is a natural process that is inherently intuitive. I visualise, go by my gut feeling and listen to the sonic quality of language. With these resources at my disposal - and a decade of professional writing experience - the writing sometimes seems to happen by itself. But my way of working has an underlying structure that, I realised, I could try to teach others. This book was born of the desire to identify that underlying structure. While this seemed like a pretty straightforward task, I have to confess it has been frustrating and challenging. I am sure, that like me, you will
Applying the Principles of Business Writing
Ilja van Roon / Lucid Communication
© 2006 Ilja van Roon/Lucid Communication All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form This book can be downloaded for free at www.capturedeliverexcel.com. Written and edited by Ilja van Roon, Lucid Communication (www.lucidcommunication.nl) Proofread by Mark Biss, WordsRU (www.wordsru.com) Designed by Made of Man visual identity (www.madeofman.nl)
Lucid Communication Paulinastraat 78 2595 GK The Hague The Netherlands www.lucidcommunication.nl
Table of contents
Acknowledgements Introduction Overview of the principles of business writing The first principle: focus The second principle: purpose The third principle: meaning The fourth principle: substance The fifth principle: structure The sixth principle: clarity The seventh principle: humility The writing process from start to finish About the author About the designers 5 7 11 13 27 39 47 53 63 71 75 90 91
Acknowledgements
Having grown up in a multicultural and multilingual environment, language has always been the best way for me to make sense of myself and the world. I love the raw power, elegance and versatility of language, and not a day goes by in which I don’t play or work with words. Looking back, it seems only natural that my passion has become my profession. To me, writing is a natural process that is inherently intuitive. I visualise, go by my gut feeling and listen to the sonic quality of language. With these resources at my disposal - and a decade of professional writing experience - the writing sometimes seems to happen by itself. But my way of working has an underlying structure that, I realised, I could try to teach others. This book was born of the desire to identify that underlying structure. While this seemed like a pretty straightforward task, I have to confess it has been frustrating and challenging. I am sure, that like me, you will