GrammarPhile Blog

At ProofreadNOW.com, we give away our secrets. All the juicy goodness of how to be a great writer — expressing exactly what you want to in powerful, precise, as-close-to-perfect-as-possible language.

We also earn our keep with these secrets, by proofreading and copyediting business documents 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (and one extra in leap years).

On the surface, that sounds like a pretty dumb business model. Giving away our service, in a sense.

Aren’t we undermining profits? Putting ourselves out of work? Making ourselves obsolete, especially in the age of generative AI?

Not likely. Even the best writers use editors. In fact, the best writers are often the best writers because they understand that writing is an incremental, innately human, nuanced process of refinement, one that, if you’re serious about it, could last forever. But nobody has forever. So we’re bound to be around for a long time, helping time-strapped businesses that have a lot to say.

Still, our belief in our longevity doesn’t explain our primary motivations for helping people become better writers.

Focus on the Benefits of the Benefits

 Nine-and-a-half years ago, I made a batch of crêpes. More accurately, I attempted to make a batch of crêpes (don’t you just love that little caret symbol — circumflex accent — above the “e”? I know I don’t need to use it, but I’m writing this on a morose Monday and wanted the encouragement).

Crêpes are delicate things. You can’t slap them in the pan like bacon. They mustn’t be jostled. The pan must have a precise coating of butter or oil, so they don’t stick or become greasy, thin pancakes. They require gentle folding and lifting onto a plate. Frankly, I recommend you only speak in murmurs while you’re eating crêpes and apologize to them beforehand for the offense of being chewed.

I am the human opposite of a crêpe — a graceless, dirt-covered stampede on a white carpet — so you understand the peril of this story from the start. I was also eight months pregnant with my second child. My days consisted of throwing up, not sleeping, more throwing up, feeling tired, attempting to care for a household and another child, and struggling to stand in the shower. Each torturous day melted into the next. I felt like a gelatinous lump of uselessness.

So I decided to make crêpes. It was, in a word, disastrous. I improperly oiled the pan. I set the heat too high. I turned the crêpe too quickly. Three sorry attempts in, I lost it. I scraped the disgusting flop of a fake-pancake out of the pan and threw it on the kitchen floor, then burst into tears.

I’ve come to confess. When I laugh extremely hard and simultaneously attempt to speak, I sound like a severely asthmatic pterodactyl. When I’m cackling over a bad joke* with my children or polishing off a bag of chips while binge-watching Netflix, it’s a delightful addition to the atmosphere. At other times, it’s a liability.

A couple of years ago, I was teaching an English class that went awry. My roster was filled with extremely dedicated, serious students, the type for whom a score of ninety was akin to a death knell for their scholastic dreams. While explaining a concept to a particularly sober young woman, I referenced the world map behind me. As I touched on the surface with the tips of my fingers, the clasp on the left-hand side broke and the map went catawampus. My eyes widened and I lapsed into stunned silence. I was overwhelmed by the awkwardness of the map’s precarious position and giggled. The student stared at me, deadpan, her lips disappearing into a thin line and her back ramrod straight. I attempted to regain my train of thought.

The map fell off the wall.

I recently stumbled upon material on business writing that was written by Minerva Heller Neiditz and published in 1993. Although the material needs some minor updating, I was surprised that much of it still applies today in business writing. Neiditz, who is presently 87 years old, wrote this book when she was 61. She’s written several books since; her most recent was published when she turned 85. Neiditz has a varied background that includes advanced degrees, politics, activism, professor, wife, mother, writer, and world traveler. But this is not the complete list.

Her book “Business Writing at Its Best” (Irwin Professional Pub, 1993) is filled with commonsense material on how to write effective business correspondence. If you struggle with writing simple, effective business correspondence, take a page from the Neiditz business-writing playbook. Here are some highlights of her material. (The below outline is not verbatim from her book, and my comments are enclosed in brackets.)

Establishing a voice in your writing isn’t just beneficial for writers of novels and opinion-based columns. It’s beneficial for all types of writers, including business writers.

When you distinguish your voice in your business writing, you reveal your professional personality to your bosses, coworkers, clients, and a broader industry-wide audience. Instead of sounding like a robot rambling off statistics and numbers in a report, or coming across as an unreliable novice, you become an approachable expert who can offer real guidance and support when necessary.

Continue reading to see the benefits of establishing a voice in your business writing, as well as some tips for developing and maintaining your voice.

With the advent of new communication technologies and platforms, business writing in the 21st century has drastically changed. Regardless of your industry or occupation, there are certain things you’ll need to know as 2018 begins, if you want your business writing to remain effective.

Data Will Drive Your Business Writing

In 2018, every organization’s reliance on data will increase significantly, especially when it comes to business communications and reporting. According to The Economist, the world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data. And how each business decides to write about the hundreds of terabytes of data it encounters can make or break its success.

Does it seem as if sometimes it’s so easy for you to focus on your writing, while at other times even the whir of a fan can distract you?

If you haven’t discovered the best time to write, you’re not alone. It can seem tricky at first. In fact, there’s a science to it, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. But even though there’s a science to it, it’s not rocket science, and finding the best time to write can be simple once you know where to start.

Here’s how you can find the perfect time of day to write, step-by-step.

There you are, staring at a blank screen with a blinking cursor that’s mocking you. You have absolutely no ideas and a deadline that’s looming. You feel as if you’ve forgotten the entire alphabet overnight and couldn’t even write your name if the fate of the world depended on it. Panic starts to set in, and you finally realize that you’re experiencing writer’s block.

In the workplace, chances are good that every day you’ll have to write something to support your organization. Whether it's a marketing brochure, an employee review, a weekly report, an email or a sales proposal, there is always something that needs to be written so you can share information with others. And if you need the help of others to create your document, it can make the task even more difficult. Writing can sometimes seem to be a daunting task. 

Most writers want to believe their writing will be read, understood, liked, and shared with others simply because it’s well written. They believe the essence and content of their writing and its message is what really matters. But that’s not always the case. Many times documents and posts will go unread simply because they’re not properly formatted, regardless of their content.

Use the tips below to format your writing in a way that will make it stand out, and make it easier for your audience to read.