Counterintuitive perhaps, but the less you know about the topic you’re writing about, the more you’re likely to write stuff that will be useful to your reader.
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I’m not convinced that your boss really does like your bad corporatese, but if you believe this to be the case, perhaps you might like to direct your boss to a certain Warren Buffett.
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The title of this post is one of George Orwell’s oft-quoted rules of writing. And it’s a rule that business writers would do well to take more notice of.
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Only inexperienced writers believe that when you're quoting several people in an article, you need to avoid repeating the word “said”.
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Whenever a client wants to revise my work, the rhythm is always the first thing to go. And whenever I find myself criticising another writer’s work, it’s often their lack of rhythm that grates.
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Bad business writing is awash with filler verbs such as “driving”, “delivering”, “focusing on” and “achieving”.
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Reading noun-heavy prose is like having to complete an obstacle course, in which every word you encounter slows you down and depletes you of the energy to read on.
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When it comes to a successful business pitch, small, focused presentations are more powerful than 200-page tomes.
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Writers seem to have suddenly developed a mistrust of the word ‘after’, preferring instead the more cumbersome ‘following’.
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Ask any professional writer what the definition of 'professional writer' is and they'll likely tell you it's someone who doesn't very much like writing.
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I flinch whenever I see evidence a fellow writer has surrendered all power to their designer. The biggest give-away? When words are over-designed in a misguided attempt to be witty or allusive.
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