Good writing is the basic building block of advertising and public relations and it determines the results you achieve.  Companies spend millions on marketing, yet many of their materials are dull, repetitive and confusing.  Often writers focus on compiling content rather than on how they organize and communicate it.

I'm reminded of the quip Truman Capote leveled against fellow writer Jack Kerouac.  Kerouac, author of On the Road and many beat-era books, was appreciated for the spirit and times he captured rather than for his literary ability.  He was known to feed a spool of paper into his typewriter, take amphetamines, and spend the next three days "writing" a book.  The result led to Capote's critique, "that's not writing, it's typing."

Recently, a large management association in New Jersey asked us to edit and rewrite its Annual Report and line of brochures.  The materials were full of solid information but they were too long and hard to read.  We adhered to basic principles to focus them, make them shorter, clearer and more engaging.  These principles are commonly available yet they are seldom embraced. They are:

1. Always start by writing a "brief" that summarizes what you intend to communicate, to whom, with what supporting information and toward what end or outcome.  The brief serves as a guide at the outset and as a checklist at the conclusion.

2. Write shorter sentences.  Try taking out words and phrases, then evaluate the effect on the remaining sentence.  Opt for simple sentences whenever possible.

3. Write in the active voice, not passive.  "A large company asked us to ..." is stronger than "We were asked by a large company to ..."

4. Be positive, not negative.

5. Minimize the use of "is" and "to be" verbs, which are lackluster and weak.  Replace them with more evocative action verbs.

6. Use periods more, commas less, be wary of colons and get rid of semicolons (saboteurs of simplicity).

7. Be sure to emphasize your "call to action" or the main point(s) you want your readers to retain.

Good writers may or may not be born that way.  But every writer can learn to communicate more effectively by adhering to time-tested, basic principles and having the discipline to use them.  For those too busy or not inclined to wordsmith, make sure you have a trusted communicator on staff or, as always, ask us to help.