5. Be Specific
Most people use specific language when they talk casually: they tell stories with details, colors, and smells. Write the same way. Use words to paint pictures in your reader's mind, not to ask him or her to dissect abstract concepts. If you have numbers, use them. Don't discuss ideas without examples. Avoid abbreviations not everyone knows. Everybody understands words that apply to everyday life, souse everyday words and your reader will understand you.
6. Write Interesting Sentences
Vary the length of your sentences to avoid lulling your reader to sleep. Make some short and sharp. Draw others out by linking two or three together: clip with commas, stitch with semicolons; even staple with dashes -- if you like. Don't make all your sentences the same.
7. Write to Your Readers, Not Down to Them
Most people understand far more words than they use, either in writing or speech. If you read any general how-to book, business letter, newspaper, or even these writing guidelines, you will find each written at roughly the same level of language. None treats its readers like children, but none is likely to use the word "turpitude" either. Even if you are writing to tell your readers something they know nothing about, think of them as intelligent but uninformed, not dumb.
Avoid using "we" if you don't have to -- use it if you are really talking about a group opinion, position, or action (such as a company policy or a decision voted on at a meeting), but don't use it to replace "I" with something more pompous. Readers like to see that you are a person, not a vague corporate "we" or an impersonal "the writer." Your reader isn't stupid and doesn't like being talked down to.
8. Use a Positive Tone
Use negatives such as "don't," "won't," and "not" only to deny, not to evade or be indecisive. Instead of "We can't decide until tomorrow," write "We should decide tomorrow," or, better yet, "We will decide tomorrow." Even many negative statements have single words that work better than negative statements: "disagreeable" instead of "not nice," "late" instead of "not on time," "wrong" instead of "non-optimal," "rarely" instead of "not very often," and so on.
9. Be Correct
Good writing is correct in two ways:
In technique.In facts.
Reference books, such as style guides and dictionaries, will help you write with proper spelling, punctuation, grammar, and formatting. The facts, however, are yours alone. Letters serve as records of what you say, often spending years in filing cabinets for later reference, so your facts must be correct.
If you have relevant information, present it. If you are uncertain, say so. If you merely suspect something, make the suspicion clear so your reader does not think you know more than you do. Check your letter over before you send it, to save the awkwardness of correcting a mistake after your reader sees it.
10. Be Clear
Good business writing is all about being clear. A letter is not a poem, a mystery story, or a morality play. It should not have subtle allegorical overtones requiring careful study, or different shades of meaning. In short, it should not be open to interpretation.
Every word should mean one thing, each sentence should say one thing, and together they should create a tool for achieving your goal. If your reader understands you, then does what you intend, then your writing -- whether a letter, e-mail, memo, fax, or report -- succeeds.