2nd & 3rd Phase of Writing Process

• 2nd phase of creating letters

  1. Researching

  2. Organizing

  3. Composing
• Researching


  finding info on the actual topic
• Organizing


  • arranging information
  • scratch list - random enumeration
  • outline - identify major and minor points
• Composing


  • transforming effective sentences
  • creation of structure
  • removal of errors
• Informal research methods


  • Look in your organization's files
  • Talk with your boss
  • Conduct an informal survey by interviewing the target audience
• Formal research methods


  • Search manually (books, magazines, journals)
  • access data electronically
  • go to the source
  • conduct scientific experiments
• Direct strategy


  deliver the message straight away after your salutation
• Indirect strategy


  will include some kind of buffer before you deliver your message
• Advantages of direct strategy


  • saves reader's time
  • prevents frustration
  • best for delivering bad or sensitive information
• Advantages of indirect strategy


  • sets a proper frame of mind
  • appears businesslike
  • respects feelings of audience
  • encourages a fair hearing
• Different types of sentences

  • Simple
  • Compound
  • Complex
  • Compound-Complex
• Simple sentence


  has a subject and a verb
• Compound sentence


  2 independent clauses connected by FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
• Complex sentence


  2 clauses where one is independent while the other is dependent (uses subordinating conjunctions - when, where, if, etc)
• Compound-complex sentence


  multiple clauses where 2 clauses are independent while the others are dependent
• Use the active voice for most business writing.
• Use the passive voice to emphasize an action or the recipient of the action (New laws were passed; drunk drivers were targeted).
• Use the passive voice to break bad news (Although your lease cannot be renewed, we can offer . . . ).
• Sentence fragments occur when a sentence is missing a subject, verb, or both.
• Fused sentences occur when two independent clauses are joined without proper punctuation.
• Comma splices occur when two independent clauses are joined with only a comma.
• Misplaced modifiers occur when a modifier is placed too far from the word it modifies.
• Dangling modifiers occur when a modifier has no clear subject to modify.
• Lack of parallelism occurs when similar parts of a sentence are not grammatically consistent.
• 3rd phase of creating letters - revising

  • Grammar
  • Mechanics
  • Design
• Grammar


  Proper use of words as they relate with other words in a sentence
• Mechanics


  Writing conventions (how words are formed)
• Design

  Physical appearance of the whole business message/readability
• Redundancy is committed when two words are used to mean the same thing within a sentence.
• Buried verbs are those words that would have been more effective if they had been used as the actual verbs in sentences
• You have to avoid the use of filler words. Filler words are those words that make your sentences longer, but if you try to remove them, they don’t mean anything.
• Revise your writing to include precise words. Strive for specific verbs, concrete nouns, and vivid adjectives. Beware of unclear pronouns.
• Serif: Useful for body text.​

  ​

  Times New Roman​

  Century​

  Georgia​

  Garamond
• Sans serif: Useful for headings & signs​

  Arial​

  Tahoma​

  Verdana​

  Calibri