The Process of Writing

TipsforWritingBy: Baker Tilly Communications Firm

Great writing doesn’t just happen! Not all at once. It’s an iterative process that requires time and patience. When it all comes together your hard work will pay off, and people will be able to actually read about it! Here’s how to write Use the tips in this book to prepare, write and edit. The smallest emails and the largest documents all carry value. Let your brilliance show through your written works!1.

Save the skim for the milk Your writing needs to be clear and enjoyable. Nobody wants a novel of information, you know they are just skimming the highlights.Clear as crystalBefore you write;1. Know your main message2. Educate yourself on your topic3. Identify the target audienceIf you want readers to understand, you first need to know exactly what you’re talking about. Use simple wordsand short paragraphs. Remember, less is more. 2.

Write like you speak This isn’t a court case, so skip the legal styles. Keep your writing natural, follow the rhythm of how you speak. Contractions are okay, but avoid slang terms and choppy sentences.After writing, read your work aloud and listen for any mistakes. Once your structure and natural style are in place, find the gems in your work that make it entertaining. Business writing is only boring when there is no voice behind the words. Think, if you were the reader what would catch your eye and make you want to keep reading?3.

What you MUST do!1. Think • Understand your topic • Think about what readers want and what they need to take away from your work • How can you help them understand the message?2. Decide • Understand your topic • Think about what readers want and what they need to take away from your work • How can you help them understand the message?3. Act • Understand your topic • Think about what readers want and what they need to take away from your work • How can you help them understand the message? • Use power words, ‘it will’ and ‘does’ What NOT to do • Don’t fluff your writing or use excessive jargon • Don’t embellish • Don’t say ‘may be able’ or ‘will try to’ • Don’t be overly formal, remember write like you speak 4.

Active, Passive and Personal Oh my! Active Sentence An active sentence is when the subject preforms the action of the verb. These sentences make your message clear and engaging to readers. For example: Dennis filed the taxes As opposed to a passive sentence: The taxes had been filed by Dennis Active sentences are quick and to the point. The best way to fix passive sentences is to flip the words around. Ask, who did what? Dennis, Dennis filed the taxes. BOOM! That’s an active sentence. Passive Sentence A passive sentence is old news, seriously. The subject does not preform the action here, rather the action is performed on the subject. For example: The auditors will be freed when the last day of tax season arrives. What you want to say: The auditors are free on the last day of tax season.5.

Active, Passive and Personal Oh my!Personal SentencePersonal pronouns like ‘I’ and ‘we’ speak directly to readers, placing them in the center ofyour message. Tax auditors have We have Consultation We’ve been asking people Implementation strategy Getting things done! Helpful tip Feeling stuck? Start with a question, this engages readers and provides an easy way to state your point. You can further expand on the topic from there. 6.

Avoid these like the plague Flimflam You don’t need fancy adjectives or filler phrases to amp up your writing. State your message in a conversational style and move on. What not to do: “With quick and agile hands, we will carefully prepare the legal documents for the waiting and anticipating clients.” What you should say: “We will prepare the legal documents. Self-certified claims If you don’t have proof to back up a claim, then don’t write it. Have facts and evidence to back up last quarter’s incredible numbers. Writing toooooo much Opening a PDF to find it is some forty-page document is never an enjoyable time. Keep it short and concise, readers don’t need every detail. Your main focus is your message. Let them know what is happening and how it will effect the organization. 7.

What else to avoid . . . The shorterUnfamiliar Language and the plainerIf you don’t use words in real-life conversations such as‘trepidations’ or ‘endeavors’ then don’t use them in your thewriting. better.Long sentences -Beatrix PotterIf you don’t use words in real-life conversations such as Vary 8.your sentences. Like writing too much, sentences shouldbe between 15 to 25 words at most. Also, keep paragraphsbetween 5 and 7 sentences.Helpful tipDon’t be shy on using little words like‘and’ and ‘but’ in sentences. These arenatural connectors that will mimic speech inyour writing.

Editing! Decide on your content Get the order rightThe backbone of good writing is Make it memorableexcellent editing. Write like you speak• Editing is all about reading your work and asking, does this make sense? Read it aloud when finished• Start with your introduction sentence and as you go through, your message should be clear. Ensure there are no errors grammatical or spelling wise.Other considerations• Make numbers and statistics more comprehensible. Give comparisons, ‘2 million customers filed last year (that’s the same amount as the population of Slovenia).• Single word sentences. Yes! Add impact and capture attention with simple sentence structure rearrangements.• Repetition shows your serious, use it to drive, drive, drive that point across!• Repeat sounds to keep writing more natural and consistent.• Keep it casual, with words like ‘therefore’ and ‘thus’ just use ‘so’ or ‘to’. 9.

Be brave and tell your storyYour work may not feature dragons or knights, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be interesting. Youcan still apply storytelling techniques in your work, even the classic ‘Once upon a time’ if theaudience is right. Consider starters such as: But along came . . . the new year, and so the tax returns started all over again! So . . . Baker Tilly took on the new partner and their team grew. Now . . .we look ahead to the next event as we prepare the marketing strategy. Oh Captain! My captain! No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world. To be vague or timid makes for very dull writing, indeed. State your facts with vigor, drive home your message and round out your writing with your voice. Don’t be afraid to address negative topics, battling the dragon head-on gives your words, and message more power. Use writing as a tool, with it you can share information and ideas across time and space, not just now, but for years ahead. Use this book as your guide. Now, go out there and write! 10.