Thursday, July 3, 2014

Best Practices for Professional Writing

From the contractor to the engineering consultant, one thing should be very clear in the era of screens.  Every organization is a publisher.  Since we are all publishers, we need to start thinking and acting like professional writers.  This is my list of best practices for engineers:
  • Write a lot and read a lot.  Not just the engineering or technical journal.  Read good writing - things like the New Yorker.
  • Practice.
  • Read it aloud.
  • Be direct and clear.  Get to the point.  Don't over write.  Tell the story like you would tell the story to your friends in a bar.  Be yourself. 
  • Use active sentences.
  • Eliminate needless words.
  • Keep it simple.  Be specific.
  • Write for scannability.
  • Invite action - - give the reader a link!!!  When I read anything online anymore and the writer has not embedded links to take me to additional information - - very disappointed.
  • Revise - - good writing is about good editing.
  • Get the first draft 100% done before you start to edit and revise.
  • When you catch an adjective - - kill it.
  • Know when to violate some or all of the above.

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