Clear Thinking > Good Writing

Good writing demands clear thinking. In my experience as a journalist, copywriter and technical writer, I've learned that it's impossible to write about something unless you know it inside and out, forward and backward.

I'm not talking about writing stories, screenplays or poetry. I'm talking about business writing -- writing to inform, explain, persuade, motivate and/or sell.

Michael Covington of the University of Georgia believes the world is run by people who can communicate, and that clear thinking leads to good writing. Covington has condensed his thoughts into a PowerPoint- style presentation for the web, titled "How To Write More Clearly, Think More Clearly and Learn Complex Material More Easily."

He points out that a good writer works hard, so that the reader doesn't have to. Covington explains there are five steps to good writing:

• Planning (deciding what & how to write)
• Drafting (getting it on paper once)
• Revising (getting it on paper better)
• Editing (fixing spelling, grammar, typing)
• Formatting (choosing typefaces, layout, etc.)

If you find it a struggle to communicate what you mean to your colleagues, customers, vendors, staff or superiors, check it out. It might "clear" things up.

How CEOs feel about blogs

They don't use them themselves, mind you. But about 59% of CEOs surveyed said they think blogs can be useful for internal communications.

Another 47% think they're useful for communicating with external audiences, according to a study conducted by PRWeek and Burson-Marsteller.

Only 7% of the 131 CEOs surveyed are actually blogging themselves, and only a few more plan to start. They probably figure that's what employees or outside consultants are for.

More at CNET.

Clever spoof of Rx ad

Ads for prescription medicines litter the evening news, magazines, newspapers. Their distinctive prose, delicately skirting FDA rules and regulations, are often so ludicrous they practically beg for a good parody.

Now it's here, under the heading "Panexa: Ask your doctor for a reason to take it." As the spoof explains, the fictitious drug is only for patients suffering from certain conditions, like:

"... circulation, menstruation, cognition, osculation... "

Side effects include:

"... the vapors, the willies; susceptibility to wedgies..."

Thanks to GMSV for the link.

Improve your Web writing

Gina Trapani of Lifehacker fame has posted an excellent guide to writing Web content. It's very different from writing for print or broadcast.

Among her best points:

• Use explicit titles and subject lines.

• Write a strong lead. Get right to the point immediately

• Use frequent paragraph breaks. (I'd put it this way: Keep paragraphs short. One thought per graph. White space is your friend.)

• Use obvious link text. Not "Click here" but "click here for our guide to writing for the Web."

• Be brief. Less is more.

She concludes with one of my favorite quotes from Strunk and White's The Elements of Style:

Omit needless words... Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences...