7 Essential Letter Writing Strategies

Based on the feedback that I have been getting from visitors to my writinghelp-central.com Web site, letter writing is definitely the area where most people are looking for help or guidance when it comes to day-to-day writing.

Over 55% of the visitors to my site are seeking some sort of letter writing information or assistance. The following lists the Top Ten letters that people request information on, in order of popularity:

* recommendation letter

* resignation letter

* thank you letter

* reference letter

* business letter

* complaint letter

* cover letter

* sales letter

* introduction letter

* apology letter

The 7 Strategies

Here are a few practical letter-writing tips and strategies to help you when writing that next letter:

1. Keep It Short And To The Point

Letters involving business (personal or corporate) should be concise, factual, and focused. Try to never exceed one page or you will be at risk of losing your reader. A typical letter page will hold 350 to 450 words. If you can't get your point across with that many words you probably haven't done enough preparatory work. If necessary, call the recipient on the phone to clarify any fuzzy points and then use the letter just to summarize the overall situation.

2. Make It Clear, Concise, And Logical

Before sitting down to write, make a brief point-form outline of the matters you need to cover in the letter. Organize those points into a logical progression that you can use as your guide as you write the letter. The logical blocks of the letter should be: 1. introduction/purpose, background/explanation, summary/conclusion, action required statement. Use this outline process to organize your approach and your thoughts, and to eliminate any unnecessary repetition or redundancy.

3. Focus On The Recipient's Needs

While writing the letter, focus on the information requirements of your audience, the intended addressee. If you can, in your "mind's eye", imagine the intended recipient seated across a desk or boardroom table from you while you are explaining the subject of the letter. What essential information does that person need to know through this communication? What will be their expectations when they open the letter? Have you addressed all these issues?

4. Use Simple And Appropriate Language

Your letter should use simple straightforward language, for clarity and precision. Use short sentences and don't let paragraphs exceed three or four sentences. As much as possible, use language and terminology familiar to the intended recipient. Do not use technical terms and acronyms without explaining them, unless you are certain that the addressee is familiar with them.

5. Use Short Sentences And Paragraphs

Keep your sentences as short as possible, and break the text up into brief paragraphs. Ideally, a paragraph should not exceed two to three sentences. This will make the letter more easily readable, which will entice the recipient to read it sooner, rather than later.

6. Review And Revise It

Do a first draft, and then carefully review and revise it. Put yourself in the place of the addressee. Imagine yourself receiving the letter. How would you react to it? Would it answer all of your questions? Does it deal with all of the key issues? Are the language and tone appropriate? Sometimes reading it out loud to one's self can help. When you actually "hear" the words it is easy to tell if it "sounds" right or not.

7. Double Check Spelling And Grammar

A letter is a direct reflection of the person sending it, and by extension, the organization that person works for. When the final content of the letter is settled, make sure that you run it through a spelling and grammar checker. To send a letter with obvious spelling and grammatical errors is sloppy and unprofessional. In such cases, the recipient can't really be blamed for seeing this as an indication as to how you (and/or your organization) probably do most other things.

The foregoing basic letter writing strategies and tips are mostly common sense. Nevertheless, you would be amazed how often these very basic "rules of thumb" are not employed when people write letters.

© 2005 by Shaun Fawcett

Shaun Fawcett, is webmaster of the popular writing help site WritingHelp-Central.com. He is also the author of several best selling "writing toolkit" eBooks. All of his eBooks and his internationally acclaimed f-r-e-e course, "Tips and Tricks For Writing Success" are available at his writing tools site: http://www.writinghelptools.com

---

Is Horror Dead?

I've noticed a big shift away from traditional horror recently,... Read More

Ten Tips to Help You Finish Writing Your Novel

1. Set aside a time to write and keep it... Read More

Get Rich Writing With Your Computer Word Processor

Your computer is a writing machine, a word processor, a... Read More

Balance Your Life

Balance your life ... Read More

Think Market!

Griselda spent hours polishing up her resume. No detail was... Read More

Write That Down! Compulsively Collecting Content for Your Writing

Have you ever read someone else's writing and thought one... Read More

How To Write Your Way To A Fortune

We've all seen those ads that grab our attention and... Read More

Blank Mind, Blank Screen: Need Ideas!

Q. I'm staring at a blank screen with an equally... Read More

How to Write Your Op-Ed Piece

Op-ed articles, also known as opinion/editorial articles, are a great... Read More

To Write Successful Business & Academic Communications, Learn the Architecture of a Story

Human beings seem to be born with a gene for... Read More

Writing Dialogue That Make Your Characters Come Alive

Characters in a good novel really carry the story along... Read More

How NOT to Get a Freelance Writing Job

In the business of freelance writing, it's not enough to... Read More

Advice for New Writers

With the advent of email communications in the workplace, it's... Read More

Understanding The First Rule Of Writing ? Before You Start The Great American Book

Chaos and confusion come when established rules and procedures are... Read More

Help! I Cant Write!

Writer's Block can strike like a King Cobra, paralyzing every... Read More

Writing and Self-examination

Good writing requires self-examination. Why is one writing? What part... Read More

Top Ten Ways to Write Like a Pro Checklist

Sure you can write, but can you write crisp, compelling... Read More

Why Manners Maketh the Freelance Writer

Lately I've been noticing an odd trend amongst the freelance... Read More

Use Real-Life Templates For Writing Success

At some point along the way, most of us have... Read More

A Writers Inner Battle

There is a psychological nuisance so powerful that can deflate... Read More

8 Ways to Write a Winner Book Fast!

Have you given up on getting your book out of... Read More

Inspiring the Poet in You!

Poems. Just the mention of them makes me smile. Why?... Read More

Publication Road

The journey to having my first novel for children published... Read More

On Giving and Receiving Feedback

Writing is a personal and introspective process. To share with... Read More

The Beginners Guide to Freelance Writing

The Big IdeaOkay. So youve figured out that you would... Read More

8 Tell-Tale Signs That Forecast Writing Success!

'Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented... Read More

Writing the PDA Way

When we think of writing it triggers many thoughts and... Read More

Realize Your Book Dream In 2005!

If you haven't realized the success you wanted last year,... Read More

Top Ten Reasons Its Great To Be A Writer

10 - You will always have a job. As long... Read More

How You Can Take Advantage of the Increasing Demand for Freelance Online Writers

The freelance writing market is a growing market to be... Read More

Writing with a Sense of Adventure

We've all been told that we need to use all... Read More

Persisting With Bulldog Determination

Persisting With Bulldog Determination [Book excerpt from Successercising} by Rick... Read More

Vital Verbs

Remember back in the dark days of your school years... Read More