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THE OFFICE WRITER
by Peter B. Mann
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So you’ve been hired as an
assistant editor. That means you'll be doing a lot of writing. Maybe you will
be named editor of the company newsletter, but you are likely to be writing the
newsletter. Or maybe you will be writing news releases, reports, speeches, or
simply memoranda. Whatever the assignment, the main thing to remember is that
you have to communicate.
To communicate most effectively, keep your
writing simple, straightforward, and easy to understand. Never use two words
where one will do. Use short sentences. Avoid dense text by using bulleted
lists, brief paragraphs, and subheadings.
Give the readers your full
attention; always put yourself in their place and keep your writing
conversational. Read it aloud -- or at least mouth the words -- to verify that
it is conversational. If your readers can simply go with the flow, they are
most likely to catch your meaning and remain interested.
Remember,
writing should never get in the way of communication.
The
Heading
The title should be interesting and informative. It should
let your readers know what you are writing about -- and why that is important
to them.
In some cases, the title is merely part of the heading. A
memorandum, for example, will usually have a heading that is standard for the
company or organization. It will include this information:
To: (the
recipients)
From: (the official or department)
Subject: (the
title)
Date: (the date of issue)
In other cases -- for
example, articles in the company newsletter -- the title will be a headline,
choice words drawn from the opening paragraph and fitting into a snug space on
the printed page.
If the document is part of a series, the heading
will indicate that. For example: The Primary Concern, Fifth in a Series; or
Insight No. 7: The Primary Concern.
Subheadings
If an
article is lengthy -- that is, a full page or multiple pages -- use subheads to
break it into readable segments. Unless the content dictates otherwise, there
should be no more than two subheads on an 8 ½” x 11” page of
double-spaced copy. Usually, a subhead will consist of few words and won't take
a full line; it should grab the reader’s attention and reveal something
about the subsequent material.
The Paragraph
A
paragraph should consist of a few sentences related to the same subject matter.
In general, a paragraph should contain between 150 and 200 words. If it must be
longer, look for ways to break it up. For example, if it contains a series --
James collected Rolling Stones CDs, DVDs, and concert posters -- change it to a
bulleted list. James collected Rolling Stones:
*CDs
*DVDs
*Concert posters
Doing so adds “air” to the page,
diminishing the density of the type. It makes the page an easier, quicker read.
Style note: There is disagreement about the proper punctuation for
this bulleted list. A particular style is not sacrosanct, however. The
important thing is to adopt a style and use it consistently.
The
Sentence
The sentence is the basic building block of every written
product, whether it is a memo; a book review; a press release; a news article;
or a feature story. So it is in constructing the individual sentence that the
writer establishes an article's readability and interest level. Here are some
guidelines for ensuring it will score high on those scales:
*The
sentence should be concise.
*It should be simple and straightforward.
*It should flow conversationally.
*The reader should be
pulled by the flow.
There are two essential elements in a sentence:
the subject (a noun or pronoun) and the predicate (a verb, one word or several
words that tell what action the subject is taking or has taken).Most sentences
also contain articles (a, an, the) and modifiers (adjectives, adverbs).
An adjective modifies a noun; it is a word or phrase that names or
describes an attribute of the noun. For example: the blue room, the tall woman,
the balding man, the once and future king. An adverb, on the other hand,
modifies a verb. It is a word or phrase that expresses time, place, cause,
manner, or degree. For example, he read slowly, she spoke articulately. Adverbs
may also modify adjectives, other adverbs, or adverbial phrases.
Frequently, a sentence will include a prepositional phrase. A preposition
is a brief word (of, for, by, at, to, under, over) that introduces a phrase
modifying a noun, verb, or clause. Every prepositional phrase has its own
object. For example, to the movies, under the bridge, after a few minutes,
across the lake.
Note: “Concise” is not a synonym for
“brief.” A long article may consist of concise writing. The test is
whether every word is necessary. Check each word in a sentence; does it clarify
or add meaning, or is it superfluous? If all superfluous words are eliminated,
the writing is concise.
Brevity, of course, is desirable, too. If the
writing is concise, the article is likely to be as brief as the subject matter
allows.
Punctuation
*The period (.) marks the end of a
sentence; it also separates elements of an Internet site name [the
“dot” in “dot com”].
*The comma (,) separates
items in a series; divides a compound sentence; sets off interjected material;
with a small conjunction (but, for, and), connects two independent clauses;
sets off introductory phrases; sets off the name of the larger geographical
entity when citing city, state, or province, nation; separates discrete
adjectives (“short, stocky fellow”).
*The colon ( : )
follows a phrase that introduces a list; follows an independent clause that
introduces an explanation; follows the salutation in a business letter;
separates an independent clause from a quotation it introduces; in a script,
separates the speaker’s name from his/her speech. Note: If the clause
following a colon is a complete sentence, it should begin with a capital
letter.
*The semicolon (;) separates two complete thoughts; separates
items in a series if one or more of them contain a comma;
*Quotation
marks (“ “) begin and end quoted material; enclose titles of lesser
works, such as chapters and episodes (for titles of books, television programs,
and films, use italics); serve as a symbol for inches.
*Quotation
marks (’’) begin and end quoted material within quoted material;
serve as a symbol for feet.
*Question mark (?) at the end of a direct
question.
*Parentheses ( ) begin and end interjected material, as well
as references and other information that is related to but not suitable for the
main text.
*Brackets [ ] set off parenthetical material that occurs
within parentheses.
Capitalization
In headlines:
Choose an “up” or “down” style and stick with it. The
“up” style: Capitalize all the words in the headline except articles
and prepositions that are no longer than four letters. The “down”
style: Capitalize only the first word of the headline and any proper nouns that
appear in it.
In the text: Here, too, you should choose an
“up” or “down” style. The “down” style:
Capitalize only the first word of every sentence, plus proper nouns. The
“up” style: Capitalize Federal, State, Department, and so on.
Your choice of “up” or “down” style will also apply to
any subheadings.
Whether you choose “up” or
“down,” you should always capitalize the pronoun “I” and
relatives’ titles when used with the proper name (for example, “Uncle
Dan,” but “my uncle“). Capitalize Mother or Father when
addressing the parent directly, but not when referring to him or her (“my
mother,” “my father”).
TYPES OF PRODUCTS
The News Article
A news article’s first sentence --
the “lead” -- is its most important element. The lead must contain as
many of the key ingredients -- who, what, where, when, why, and how -- as
possible. These facts inform the reader of the main thrust of the news and
provide a context for understanding what follows.
Subsequent
paragraphs provide further information. They appear in order of descending
importance for a very practical reason: If there is not space enough for the
entire article, it may be cut from the bottom without destroying its essence.
This factor distinguishes the news article from the feature story and the
editorial.
The Press Release
A press release is a news
article with spin, company propaganda. It reports the news about a new product
or business development in a positive manner. There is not likely to be a
downside included.
Of course, that describes a proactive press
release; a reactive one might very well include negative information -- if the
company perceives that it needs to acknowledge certain facts in order to
salvage its public image.
The Opinion Piece or Editorial
Writing an editorial or an opinion piece is similar to writing an essay,
although less formal in structure and style. In all three, the author asserts a
point of view and supports it with logical discourse or facts.
The
piece may define, describe, or explain a concept or a proposal; evaluate and/or
compare ideas, systems, processes, or activities; make and defend a choice
among options.Opinion pieces should always be labeled as such.
The
Feature Story
A feature article may take various forms -- a human
interest story, a celebrity interview, an in-depth explanation of a current
issue or development, a profile of a local leader, the saga of a successful
business. The list could go on and on. Feature articles are characteristically
longer than most news stories.
All features attempt to interest the
reader in something unusual. For instance, an article might examine the role of
women in Arab societies, the new elements in the revised SAT, or the Internet
business that is being outsourced to India. Perhaps a local man has been
selected to appear on Jeopardy! There is really no limit to the possibilities.
For a company publication, more likely topics might be staff
reorganization, United Fund drive progress, product development, and an officer
profile. And the CEO will probably want you to ghost-write a column bearing
his/her byline.
The Newsletter
As the editor of a
newsletter, you will have a number of key decisions to make at the outset.
*What size will it be? Most newsletters are 17” x 11” folded to 8
½” x 11.”
*How many pages? Four or any multiple of
four.
*Binding? If more than four pages, saddle-stitch binding.
*Self-mailer? Leave space for recipient name/address, return address, and
mailing indicia.
*Number of columns per page?
*How often will
it be published?
Matters of Style
*Typeface for text
and headlines? Type sizes?
*What font and size will the subheads be?
*Should type be flush left and ragged right or fully justified?
(Justified type is flush left and right. Ragged right lines end with the last
full word that fits.)
*What size will the masthead be? Where will it
be placed?
*Will articles jump from one page to another or be printed
in a continuum?
*Will you use artwork or photos? Cut lines or
captions?
*Where will you place the staff box?
*Will you list
all of the contents -- or selected items -- in an article or box on the front
page?
Matters of Content
*Chances are the topics to be
covered were spelled out initially, either by your boss or by the
organization’s leaders, or perhaps they were dictated by the
organization’s purpose/function.
*Don’t work in a vacuum.
Appoint a committee of people representing different parts of the
company/organization; meet with them in a planning session for each issue.
*It’s a good idea to have a mix of news items and feature articles,
plus brief notices in boxes that break up the page. Variety makes a newsletter
lively and keeps the reader interested.
Article Review
Establish procedures for review of your articles by staff members prior to
publication.
After type is set, arrange for another staff member to
proofread, backing you up.
About Layout
Whether you
are doing desktop publishing or sending camera-ready copy to a printer with an
offset press, you will have to lay out your pages. To do so, you should create
a template with the number of columns of the width you have chosen and feed
your headlines, articles, and artwork into the template. You will be able to
set type in multiple column widths to enhance the visual appeal of your
newsletter.
Artwork
You will probably want to use the
CEO’s picture with his/her column, and you may also use mug shots of
employees who are mentioned in other articles. Original artwork adds
sophistication to your newsletter, and if you can afford to hire an artist, you
will probably want to follow this course. It will be up to you (and your boss)
whether to use a mix of photos and original art or use original art
exclusively.
Speech Writing
If you’re assigned to
write a speech for the CEO, insist on interviewing her or him about the
purpose, the content, and the desired outcome. Listen carefully to the
CEO’s speech patterns. Short or long sentences? Serious or light demeanor?
Articulate or not? Terse or long-winded?
Discuss whether to open with
a joke or get right down to business, how to structure the material, how much
time the speech should take. The more successful this interview, the better the
speech.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author has more than 40 years
experience as a writer and editor. He was manager of corporate publications for
Educational Testing Service, a newsletter editor for Merrill Lynch, and held
various positions with educational agencies and as an education reporter for
three major dailies. He is retired now but offering his editing skills on the
Web at http://www.youreditoronline.com
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