2. Karl M. Kapp,Ed.D Assistant Director
Write It Write!
Karl M. Kapp,Ed.D
Assistant Director

3. Determine Job Requirements
Know the Requirements. What is the:
Format
Page length
Style
General organization

4. Research Gain more knowledge on subject Collect thoughts
Expand others ideas
Write from a point of knowledge

5. Outline Material Written game plan of document
Arranges random thoughts
Reveals patterns
Sequences ideas

6. Write to Your Reader What do they want or need to know?
Message needs to be useful and worthwhile
What could they be thinking?

7. Write What You Mean Words should clearly reflect your thoughts
Build an argument.
Based on these facts, we are proposing…
Make a statement and back it up with details.

8. Convey the Right Impression
Make statements as strong as the facts will allow
Be cordial, courteous, friendly in tone
Write with confidence

9. Avoid The following Very In order to (To) True facts (Facts
Ahead of schedule (Early)
Wide Variety (Variety)

10. Reviews Have someone else review the work Review the work yourselves
Rewrite material as needed
Reviewers will not catch everything

11. Principles of Clear Writing
Keep sentences short
For easy reading, sentences should vary in structure and length but, on the average, be short
Prefer the simple to the complex
Many complex terms are unnecessary. Avoid complex sentences.

12. Principles of Clear Writing
Avoid unneeded words
Nothing weakens writing so much as extra words. Be critical of words and make every word definitely carry its own weight.
Put Action into Your Verbs
The heaviness of much business writing results from overworking the passive verbs. Prose can usually be kept impersonal and remain in the active tense.

13. Passive vs Active Voice
The hamburger was eaten by the Burger King.
The Burger King ate the hamburger.

14. Passive vs. Active The proposal was written yesterday.
Yesterday I wrote the proposal.

15. Principles of Clear Writing
Use Terms Your Reader Can Picture
Abstract terms make writing dull and foggy.
Write the way you talk (for the most part)
Use the term “We”
Write to Express, not Impress
Have good transitions

16. Principles of Clear Writing
Each paragraph should contain one idea, topic or concept.
Lead the reader from point to point.

17. Ordering Information Chronological Beginning Middle End Sequential
First
Second
Third

18. Ordering Information
Descriptive
Left
Right
Middle

19. Good Writing is Re-Writing