Anyone who has read any of my articles on the subject of letter writing or resume writing will know how important I believe it is to minimize the number of pages, preferably limiting them to one page whenever possible.
And, we all know how tacky it looks when we put the finishing touches on a letter and it overflows onto the second page by one or two lines. Very unprofessional!
So, there are a number of handy little tricks that I've used over the years that can help "squeeze" a letter or other document onto one page without it being noticed by the average reader. These tricks can be applied using any standard word processing software program.
I'm not sure whether a purist at a secretarial school would approve of some of my methods since they may deviate from certain technical standards, but I have used them hundreds of times and nobody has ever been the wiser. The main point being that I was able to keep a letter on one page when the first version overflowed by a few lines onto a second page.
Below are my "page compression tips", listed in the order in which I suggest you apply them:
1. Adjust Side Margins First
Move both the left and right margins out about 1/4 in. closer to the edge of the page.
2. Top and Bottom Margins Next
Move the top and bottom margins out about 1/4 in. closer to the edge of the page.
3. Eliminate The Overflows
Edit out the one or two word "overflows". What I mean here is this: After the letter is drafted take a good look at each paragraph. See if there are any that have an ending sentence that "overflows" onto an additional line for the sake of one word. If so, make a minor edit or two in the paragraph that shortens it a little so that the last word or two will not overflow onto the following line. Using this method, you can often gain two or three extra lines in a one-page letter.
4. Play With Your Spacing
Adjust the line spacing on the page. You can gain considerable space on a page by adjusting the line spacing of the text. For example, if the default line spacing is set to "single" at 12 points try setting it to "exactly" at 12 points if your font size is 12. If that doesn't do it, try "exactly" at "11 pts". Often you have to experiment a bit with this one to get the look just right.
5. Reduce The Font Size
As a last resort, try reducing the size of the font by 1 point size, say from 12 to 11 points.
6. Edit One More Time
If it still doesn't "fit", there's one final thing you can try if you're the author of the letter. Go back and edit it one more time. Look for redundant thoughts and phrases, or those that can be combined into one sentence rather than two. Is every word and phrase absolutely essential to your message? You'll be amazed at the space savings that this process can result in.
As I stated earlier, try the above methods in sequence, one-at-a-time, checking each time to see if your latest change has done the trick for you.
What happens if it still won't fit?
Now, if you've used all of the above tricks and you still can't get the letter to fit onto one page, it's time to admit that you've got a real two-pager. In which case, you should then think about "reversing" some of the compression tricks that you applied when you tried to "squeeze" the letter, and then concentrate on making a balanced looking second page.
There's nothing worse looking than a letter with a one or two sentence second page! So in this case, you may want to actually "stretch" the letter out a bit.
Often, at this stage I actually increase the line spacing and reduce the margins slightly so that there will be a decent sized overflow onto the second page.
For example, try reversing steps 1, 2 and 4 above. So instead of decreasing the top, bottom and side margins on page one, try increasing them by 1/4 in. all around. Then increase the point size and see if that helps. Ideally, try to get the page to break cleanly at a paragraph break, for a nice tidy page-to-page transition.
Again, I have used these little "compression" tricks thousands of times, and nobody has ever pulled out their ruler and chastised me for inaccuracy.
The important thing is to end up with a professional "looking" letter.
In fact, if you do a very detailed check of the real-life templates included in any one of my Writing Toolkits you would find that I have used one or more of the above tricks on many of them. But, I'm not telling which ones!
Click the link below my name to see a full list of all of those Writing Kits.
© 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
Productivity begins by recognizing and valuing your brilliance, time, and... Read More
Chances are, you'll be busy over the next several weeks.... Read More
So you want to be a successful author? You want... Read More
So you've decided to crown yourself with a title that... Read More
Characters in a good novel really carry the story along... Read More
Q. I'm staring at a blank screen with an equally... Read More
You can make a lot of money by writing and... Read More
If you are a serious writer who wants to publish... Read More
Our Image-Driven SocietyWe live in a new image-driven society. It... Read More
If you have been online for any length of time... Read More
Kallu was a tenant of Santosh Kumar Nayak. Santosh Kumar... Read More
Good writing requires self-examination. Why is one writing? What part... Read More
There are various forms of structure, including frameworks, work processes... Read More
Open up your favorite calendar and circle today's date.Why? Because... Read More
Some writers are just too kind.They hate to put their... Read More
I recently set up a website to promote a new... Read More
If you have an online home based business you know... Read More
I've noticed a big shift away from traditional horror recently,... Read More
During my 25-year career in a variety of professional positions... Read More
~TYPES~You Want Us to Write What? Understanding the Task AssignedWhich... Read More
There are three ways to write a first draft. One... Read More
A writer writes. Bet you've heard that one... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?How we usually begin the preparation stage... Read More
Creating incredible characters can be easy if you know of... Read More
Writers are an insecure lot.It's easy to understand why. You... Read More
Writer's Block can strike like a King Cobra, paralyzing every... Read More
Many of us have always wanted to write. We have... Read More
Self-examination is brutally honest. Self-indulgence is brutally maudlin.Writing requires the... Read More
We writers are a powerful lot. We control time. We... Read More
Writers often get stuck because they make assumptions about writing,... Read More
Self-examination sheds light on a writers motives, goals, and aspirations,... Read More
By far, I have found that the lack of discipline... Read More
Way back in your early school years, you were probably... Read More
Is your book nearly finished, finished, published, or even in... Read More
Beginner's Blues: How to Collect Samples, Testimonials, and References as... Read More
Someone once commented that there were no new ideas to... Read More
Many of the most effective low-cost marketing strategies require writing.... Read More
What is this annoying, insidious angst that permeates my psyche?... Read More
If your articles aren't getting published very often, or you... Read More
Is it possible to improve your writing instantly? The answer,... Read More
Dave, I just got a contract for a book... Read More
IntroductionSometimes it may be beyond a companies or individuals budget... Read More
In his book, "Achieving Financial Independence as a Freelance Writer,"... Read More
SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER?Many people have entertained... Read More
Writing engaging articles and energizing ad copy takes... Read More
Riding on the fumes of potential, you take pen to... Read More
Short Story Writing Tips:Your title is your selling tool. It's... Read More
Human beings seem to be born with a gene for... Read More
There are various forms of structure, including frameworks, work processes... Read More
There is no doubt that a staff writer enjoys advantages... Read More
It would be very selfless or noble of me to... Read More
I have added a new word to my vocabulary. Logorrhea.... Read More
Eight or nine times out of ten, picking up and... Read More
When attempting to understand Creativity and Innovation, it pays to... Read More
My husband is no poet, so when I offer my... Read More
Style manuals are all well and good, and in fact,... Read More
1. Make your goals achievable.By achievable, we mean realistic and... Read More
It is satisfying to be a part of such a... Read More
Do you know what a query letter is? If so,... Read More
I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of... Read More
FIVE MINUTES ... Is All You Need ........to phone a... Read More
Writing can be more difficult that just compiling your thoughts... Read More
Before you even begin writing your novel, you need to... Read More
Are you ready to abandon your short stories? Before you... Read More
More Tips For New Writers (Part I)Explain in your own... Read More
So many clients come to me as a book or... Read More
Writing |