A couple of people were asking about books for business or technical writers, and we've just received one that is fabulous.
_How To Say It: Business Writing That Works_ (Prentice Hall Press, 2007) was written by Adina Rishe Gewirtz . . . . It is an amazing book for business writers.
Adina took the narrative structure -- complication, development, point of insight, resolution -- and applied it to writing everything from how-to books to letters to proposals to performance evaluations.
Adina explains story structure in clear, simple language,then shows how to apply this to the types of memos and reports everyone needs to write at work.
For example, she starts out with probably the most dreaded type of business memo: a request for a budget increase. Before you start ventilating, she urges you to think through the audience for the request and what he needs to know in order to make a decision. Then she shows you how to build the memo by outlining in story structure: Identify the problem, build the developmental focuses to the point of insight in which it's clear that only a budget increase will solve the problem, and conclude with the resolution.
By the end of the book, the reader will have a step-by-step formula for tackling any writing at work and should feel much more comfortable doing it.
But what's truly astounding is how much fun this book is to read. Jon has been saying for years that how-to books could be written in narrative, and Adina has done this. Crack open the book at any page and you want to read on.
One of my favorite examples is from Chapter 10, how to write how-to manuals:
"You are Ursula, the snake lady at Top Hat Traveling Circus. Binky, your beloved (but temperamental) 150-pound Burmese python, is your pride and joy. Unfortunately, you're needed out of town to tend to a family emergency, and Binky doesn't travel well. To see he's fed while you're away, write a how-to manual for fellow circus workers. Your goal is to keep Binky (and the circus workers) healthy while you're gone."
While the book will help people who are already out in the work force, it would also make a welcome graduation present for anyone who'll be working in an office. -- Lynn Franklin, moderator, WriterL
{Adina Gewirtz's} 10-step process . . . eases you through the system. And she hammers it home with seven chapters of examples, each targeting a common writing challenge, from basic reports to requests for proposals.
She holds the reader's attention with some creative examples, such as: the letter Thomas Edison's principal might have written warning the youngster would fail if he didn't start paying attention; the performance evaluation Attila The Hun's supervisor might have, with some trepidation, offered; and the proposal Mercenary Security, a fictional firm, might have developed to gain the contract to guard Julius Caesar on the Ides of March.
It adds up to an inspired, comprehensive package that can help you improve your business writing, based on the logic that drives great writing. -- Harvey Schachter, Special to the Globe and Mail
I really enjoyed Adina's writing style, and the book walks you through a helpful outlining system to make your business writing better. -- Mignon Fogarty, host of Grammar Girl, Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, episode 93, February 1, 2008
"Far and away the best basic book on writing I've seen for decades." -- Jon Franklin, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner.
POSTULATE, FORMULATE, AND COMMUNICATE.
Do you panic when you hear the words "business writing"? Are you a "techie" who has always struggled with writing? If so, there's good news: nationally recognized business writer Adina Gewirtz has developed the Target Outline System for people who need to communicate at work but don't know how to do it proficiently. Her simple, ten-step system emphasizes structure over style and offers step-by-step explanations and numerous samples of effective business writing -- so you can cut to the chase.
Through specific examples and instructive exercises, you'll discover how to: -- Identify problems and resolutions -- Determine your audience -- Know which words and phrases to use -- and which to avoid -- Craft polished, persuasive business prose -- Apply your knowledge to everything from memos and e-mail to the most complicated reports and proposals . . . and get to the bottom line -- every time.
