Effective writing

Effective writing is not about grammar, punctuation, and spelling. It is about hitting your mark.

Effective writing is clear and has only one interpretation.
Effective writing is credible. Your reader will only believe you if you know what you're talking about. They will immediately sense if you ramble or are dishonest.
Effective writing is persuasive. It sparks a reaction within your reader and inspires them.

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What Is Effective Writing? A Definition - Darius Foroux

dariusforoux.com

Key Ideas

Effective writing

Effective writing is not about grammar, punctuation, and spelling. It is about hitting your mark.

Effective writing is clear and has only one interpretation.
Effective writing is credible. Your reader will only believe you if you know what you're talking about. They will immediately sense if you ramble or are dishonest.
Effective writing is persuasive. It sparks a reaction within your reader and inspires them.

Writing as a tool

Writing is a way of communicating. When you use clear, credible and persuasive language, you don't have to worry about a beautiful sentence or fancy words.

If you are not clear from the start, you will end up wasting a lot of time clarifying your message. Aim to get it right from the start.
You can write the wrong thing that will land you up in an argument. If you didn't mean it that way, don't write it that way. Write what you mean.
Ineffective writing can cause lost opportunities.

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10 Simple Ways to Improve Your Business Writing Skills

moneycrashers.com

Stop and think about how many emails you write each day at work. According to a study conducted by Carleton University, professionals spend one-third of their time at work reading and answering emails. You might spend more than this, or less, but chances are, a significant portion of your day is spent writing something.

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The value of solid writing skills

Being a good writer helps you stand out from the crowd.
Repeated writing mistakes affect your reputation and credibility in the future.
Your writing is ...

Kurt Vonnegut

"Why should you examine your writing style with the idea of improving it? Do so as a mark of respect for your readers, whatever you’re writing.”

The “5 Ws + H” method

... for establishing what and how you will write:

Who: Who is my audience?
What: What do they need to know?
When: When does this apply, when did this happen, or when do they need to know it by?
Where: Where is this happening?
Why: Why do they need this information?
How: How should they use this information?

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Writing Tips for Remote Workers (And Everyone Else)

doist.com

When you work remotely, a few misplaced words can become an occupational hazard. Without the context of face-to-face cues and body language, every message, sentence, word, and punctuation mark becomes loaded with meaning. Opting for a period over an exclamation mark can be the difference between coming across as helpful or passive aggressive.

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“Be A Strong Writer”

This is one of the first pieces of advice people give to those seeking remote work.

When you work remotely, a few misplaced words can become an occupational hazard. Every w...

Accessible Language

Use of caps lock, emojis, italics and tildes (~) to make your language flowery, fun and human is a great idea for remote working. You can also use memes and gif images, provided they are not offensive to anyone.
Robot speak is not a good way to freely collaborate with your remote peers. Use simple words, and keep it on the casual side, skipping the inaccessible and stilted language. You can also opt for contractions like writing isn’t instead of is not.

Be Clear And Concise

Do not obscure your message by words that are there to decorate the sentence and make it sound wordy while camouflaging what you mean.
Make good use of qualifiers ("I think, In my opinion") while not coming across as a perpetually confused person. Don’t use qualifiers while making a strong point.
While writing documentation, it is prudent to avoid jargon and acronyms.
Use complete words and sentences. Shortcuts and acronyms block any actual communication, acting as roadblocks. On the same lines, avoid cliches, idioms and any idiotic sounding phrase that catches the ear well but doesn’t really do any good to anyone.
Remote working is often on a global scale, and certain expressions will not be understood by some participants, or worse, will be misunderstood.
Your words and tone should be tailored according to your audience. The words are different when you are writing to a client, and when you are in a small group chat with your peers. More people in chat also means adopting a polished, professional tone.

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The Write Stuff - 5 Ways to Practice Expressive Writing

jcmh.org

Whether you use pen and paper, keyboard and computer, or thumbs and a touchscreen, most of us spend our days writing. If you add up the minutes that you spend composing emails, text messages, Google searches, social media posts, calendar entries, and grocery lists, you might be surprised

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Expressive writing

Is writing for the purpose of putting your own thoughts and feelings into words and it can be a powerful way to enhance overall wellbeing.

It focuses on expressing and describing...

Expressive writing activities

Try Journaling: Putting words to our emotions often helps us understand them in a new way, and process them more effectively.
Schedule writing into your routine: e.g. Morning pages.
Find inspiration in music: Put on a random playlist and transcribe the images, memories and emotions that the music evokes for you.
Practice letter writing: Unspoken thoughts or feelings can feel like a heavy burden to carry. Consider putting these sentiments into a letter.
Expressing gratitude: Writing about people or experiences that we feel grateful for can help us maintain focus on the aspects of life that are hopeful and meaningful.