Four ways to use your writing skills in a down economy

Writing is writing. Unless you write sonnets or haiku or dig iambic pentameter, if you can write, you can write. It's just a matter of doing it, learning how to apply your skill to the needs of a specific type of writing.

If you believe the prognosticators, 2009 is going to be a difficult year. And let's face it, in a down economy, if you get laid off today, it might be months before someone hires you to another "permanent" gig. Now is the time to expand your horizons and prove your writing flexibility. And if you can't prove it now, start laying the foundation so you can prove it later.

Here are a few possibilities to consider:

1. Technical writing. Technical writing doesn't mean computer manuals. A technical writer can develop anything from process documentation to recipes. If you can write instructions, you can write technical documentation. My first technical writing assignment was about playing baseball.
2. Blogging. If you aren't blogging, you need to. Blogs are great ways to build an online network. Combine your writing ability with a blog. If you're a technical writer who restores antiques, create a blog describing how to restore antiques.
3. Courseware. Courseware isn't much different than technical writing. You're providing steps that tell readers how to do things they need to do, and backing it up with exercises. The key is determining the most important thing users need to learn.
4. Press releases. Press releases are a specialized form of writing and require practice and instruction. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources on the Internet that can help you learn.

Whatever you do to expand your writing, you need to be able to prove you can produce output that will help someone make money. In other words, you need samples. If you can't get someone to pay you, volunteer your time. The local church or senior center could probably use some computer documentation. Local public-service organizations can always use press releases. The senior center might like to use your courseware to teach basic computer skills to seniors.

Whatever you do, get referenceable clients and a portfolio. And blog about it. Talk to people who write for a living. Offer to help if they need it.

Getting laid off is a horrifying experience. But expanding your skills and keeping the mortgage paid in spite of the obstacles can provide a heady high.

Method Writing

A guy named Lee Strassberg changed cinema in this country by popularizing a technical called method acting in the middle of the 20th Century. The concept behind method acting is simple: as an actor, you come as close as possible to re-creating the condition under which your character lived so you can fully understand his or her motivation and emotions. Method acting made a lot of money for people like Paul Newman, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, and Meryl Streep.

As much as possible, method acting is a construct that provides a basis for success in business, marketing, and technical writing.

In technical writing, method writing is easy: whenever possible, you should have done what you're documenting. If you're documenting how to use a program, you should use the program. If you're describing how to assemble something, you should assemble it. And if you're documenting a process, you should either perform the process, or spend a lot of time with someone who's performed it--enough time that you could perform the process with minimal supervision.

Granted, performing everything you write about isn't always feasible, but when you can, you should. And don't just talk to experts. Whenever possible, talk to the users or to the performers of the actions. I've learned valuable information about every major product I've documented from users, who can figure out shortcuts no one on the project team ever considered.

For business and marketing writing, a method approach would seem less of a match, but only at first glance. In almost every instance, my business writing really is marketing writing. Because whether your reader is a potential client, an internal resource you're trying to convince, or a boss whose confidence in you is invaluable, you're marketing something.

And the best way to reach your goal is, once again, to understand your audience and its needs. I've done ample ghost writing in my career. I've assisted my leaders in navigating tricky political situations, pursuading their bosses and stakeholders to take a specific position, and presenting product information to potential clients.

In each case, my success was tied to my knowledge: knowledge of the subject matter, the person for whom I was ghost writing, and the targets. When I ghost wrote for political circumstances, I asked as many questions about the targets of the piece I was writing, as about the content. Then I could present the material in a persuasive way that spoke to the target.

The most extreme cast came when I wrote a business plan for a startup to attract venture capital. We didn't get any venture capital, but the people who read the business plan loved it. At its heart, the business plan was a marketing document. We weren't trying to get people to buy our product, we were trying to convince them that we could make them money. So we deconstructed the original business plan and reconstructed telling the readers the story of how we could make them money.

Could it have been better? Well, we didn't get the capital we wanted, but the approach was right.

To paraphrase Gus Sands, Darrin McGavin's character in The Natural, you've got great talent, but it isn't enough. You can't write what you know until you know what you're writing.

One Message, Many Approaches

A little more than a year ago, I met with a communications expert, and several training experts to discuss our combined efforts for rolling out a company-wide application and business process for 30,000 across the United States.

We faced major hurdles: we couldn't communicate directly with most of our users and we couldn't require them to take training. We could, however, create training and make it available and we could contact them through their groups' internal newsletters.

We spent the first meeting covering one simple point: every single word we spoke, recorded, wrote, or disseminated had to speak to our main points or we didn't say it. It took us two weeks to assemble our talking points before we even started to design our various products.

Then, we went off and created a plethora of multi-media delights, from newsletters, to table placards, to online live and recorded demos, to content-rich on-line training, to townhall meetings, to a comprehensive FAQ and help file. The effort included marketing, change management, training, user acceptance training, and support. And through the entire process, when determining if we were on course, we went back to the talking points.

Our roll-out was as smooth as it could be, considering its constraints. But the process was enlightening. Our approach went beyond single sourcing. It combined our marketing, technical documentation, training, and change management approaches to assure that every aspect of the message was in sync across all components.

I've written technical documentation for nearly twenty years now, and never have I worked in a circumstance that allowed this convergence. Tech docs is content in their silo, adjacent to the developers--but not too close. Marketing sits someplace else. Training might talk with marketing, or might not. But an alliance between marketing, tech docs, and training is rare.

And that's too bad. If all user-facing activities, from marketing to end-user support, follow the same well-conceived and focused message, a user-focused approach is easier to develop and maintain. In a world where getting more with less is the rule, this approach is an easy, inexpensive way to serve customers and build loyalty.

How technical writing can be marketing writing.

If you ask technical writers if they write marketing materials, they will often turn up their noses at your insult. And if you ask marketing writers if technical writing is marketing, they won't be much happier with your question.

And yet, when done correctly, technical writing may be some of the most subtle marketing writing that will help you keep the customers you have. Here's how you can do it:

1. Write to keep customers. I've written everything from end-user click-this-to-do-that manuals to complex programmers guides. In most cases, the documentation was well received and added to the word-of-mouth buzz among users, regardless of the complexity of the application. Writing a manual, it might seem, is easy. If you can't do that correctly, why should I expect you to program the application any better? Write it well, and users will notice, and tell people.
2. Be positive. When your customer uses the manual, you've already made the sale, so you don't need to market them, right? Wrong. Users talk to users and you want them to say good things. Highlight how your product's features are useful. Try to get in your users' heads and tell them specifically how to exploit your product to make their lives better or easier. If possible, provide samples. You want them to love your product, and you can help make that happen.
3. Write with an eye to future enhancements. If you know your product has functionality holes and the solutions are in the pipeline, tell your users. It builds trust because you're showing you understand their work. The issues better be relatively minor, though, and you'd better deliver on the promise.
4. Solicit feedback. Add an e-mail address and ask your users to pass along their feedback. When they respond, thank them for doing so and acknowledge what they said. You don't necessarily have to instantly solve every problem, but if you work with your support function to craft appropriate responses, your user community will respond.
5. Support can be a marketing tool, too. If your company has support functionality, include support contact info in your manuals and online help.

As the online world moves toward more interaction, these steps can add immeasurable value to your users. Marketing shows your users that they'll get return on the investment they make to use your product. Your writing, and the steps you take around it, should clearly demonstrate that value.

Following these steps will provide that demonstration, whether you write manuals or just get to deal with the users on a regular basis.

Is your information appropriate for an e-mail?

In the world of online communications in 2008/2009, e-mail is one of many arrows in your quiver. It's not the only possibility for you to use in getting out your message.

Facebook/Linked In/Ning/Etc.
Social networking is The Next Big Internet Thing(TM). Its usage has largely been confined to teens and young adults posting pictures on My Space, but that's changing. Businesses are finding social networking sites are a cost-effective and efficient method for getting the word out.

Facebook is like MySpace for adults. It has a cleaner, more professional appearance, but still allows for networking. It also includes pages, which businesses can use as an online business card. As of June 2008, Facebook included an astounding 132 million users. Best of all, it's free. And its demographics are surprisingly diverse. According to its own numbers, its fastest-growing demographic is 25 and older.

Facebook allows you to post content, including posts, messages, videos, and events. It also allows you to post messages that show up on other users' home pages.

LinkedIn is a professional version of Facebook that allows you to create a network of professional contacts. It's a great tool for workers in industries with a significant number of consultants or turnover. Recruiters for major companies often have LinkedIn accounts.

Ning allows you to create group websites. If you have a finite number of customers, you can offer a Ning network to communicate with them, provided they sign up. They can also create blogs, post pictures, and post to forums.

All three allow you to include links in your profile to websites and other supporting information. All three are easy to use, allowing you to set up a profile in one sitting. However, to set up your own Ning website takes longer.

None of the three require you to employ developers to implement.

Twitter
Twitter is a very simple tool that is growing like wildfire. Its concept is simple: you can post--or tweet--strings of up to 140 characters, including links to external website. Twitter users can follow other users, which results in those users' posts appearing in their Twitter stream. When a Twitter use sees something to which he or she would like to respond, a reply function creates that reply, but also displays that reply to all users.

Users can also "retweet" which effectively forwards the Tweet from the original user's network of followers to the new user's network. Although Twitter can be an effective business tool, using it solely for promotional purposes can result in your losing followers.

A coffee house in Houston recently started accepting orders via Twitter and found its sales growing significantly. You can also use Twitter to post updates to blogs or websites, or to let users know about events.

Conclusion
Social Networking is becoming a tool for keeping in touch, but also to reach your customer base. In instances where e-mail isn't the perfect medium, consider these approaches.

Next: Blogging.

Your e-mail is a document, not a letter

For old people, like me, e-mail started out as a virtual way to write letters to people. Most of the letters I wrote were personal, to start. Then cc:mail came along and we could write letters at work, too.

But since then, e-mail has become a staple of work. If you need a record of your communication, you need to use e-mail. If you have colleagues in other locations, you'll probably use e-mail. If you're breathing, you'll probably use e-mail.

It's not 1995 any more. Your e-mail messages don't have to look and read like letters. You can make them documents, and use headings, bulleted lists, and font enhancements, such as bold and italics to make your point stand out.

Headings
Headings allow you to organize your content. Instead of the old-fashioned stream of consciousness flow, you can consolidate your points, then add a summary.

Bulleted Lists
Bulleted lists are a natural for e-mail. They allow your reader to:

• Individually identify all the items in a list
• Get a scope for the size of a list
• Easily digest the list.

Of course, you need to keep your list reasonable. Ideally, shoot for between five and nine items in a list. If you get past nine, you might consider whether multiple lists are appropriate, or whether you should re-organize your content.

Font Enhancements

You can already see the use of bold in this post, for section headings. You can also use bold to draw out important points, as long as you show restraint. Ideally, if you use bold for a section heading, you shouldn't use it for another purpose in most messages. The same goes for italics. Italics allow you to emphasize important points. Just don't go overboard. Also, italics are often used for document or book titles.

Summary

You should make use of the tools available in e-mail, but use them in the flow of your document. If you read over your content and you notice these tools, you probably haven't used them correctly. Sections, bulleted lists, and font enhancements are like offensive linemen in football: when they do their job, you don't notice them. When you notice them, it's often because they aren't doing their job.

How to deal with that which uses that and which

Paper or plastic? Ginger or Mary Ann? That or which?

Everyone knows that paper bags are better (unless you use those new cloth bags). Everyone also knows that Mary Ann is far superior to Ginger. Choosing between that and which isn't quite as simple.

But it's not that hard, either.

If you can remove the phrase from the sentence, then you use which. If you can't remove it, you use that.

For instance:

Baseball season is here that/which means Chris will be totally useless until late October.

You can remove the phrase and have Baseball season is here. as a complete sentence. Therefore, which is the appropriate choice.

However:

When baseball season arrives, that/which means Chris will be totally useless until late October.

If you remove the phrase starting with that/which, you have When baseball season arrives, which is not a complete sentence.

The Rule
If the phrase is parenthetical--if you could remove it and still have a complete sentence--use which. Otherwise, use that.

However, if you can remove the that and the sentence makes sense, go for it.

Just Do It (Then Revise It Later)

Writing is like any other skill: we learn by doing.

One of the reasons people don't like to write is a misplaced perfectionism. It's reasonable and appropriate to expect your writing to be coherent and professional. But it's not reasonable to expect everything to be professional the first time out.

My son plays Little League Baseball. Through his first two years, he was a timid hitter, afraid to swing the bat. In the batting cage, he had confidence and hit the ball well. In a game situation, he was like a deer in the headlights. I spoke to one of the coaches who told me not to worry. If he stuck with it, he'd eventually find his confidence and hit the ball. And he did.

It's the same thing with writing, except that you get another shot at it before you release what you've written. Instead of procrastinating, try writing it...even if the exercise is painful and the product is poor. Then sit on it for a few hours or even a day, look at it again, and revise it.

Revision and repetition are part of writing. JK Rowling didn't sit down and produce Harry Potter the first time out, and she didn't produce it without going back and changing a lot. It's the same for writing. As you write things, you'll get better at it, and the revisions will be less painful.

But the first step in writing something is figure out what you want to write, then write it. The second step is to let is sit a little and go back to revise it. The third step is to remember that it's a skill like any other. You wouldn't expect to solidly hit a baseball the first time you get in the batting cage. Neither should you expect to write well without having written much before.

Tell them what you want them to do

You've probably gotten it: the e-mail that goes on for eight or nine long, text-bound paragraphs. Then, when you finally slog through to the end, you don't know what it is you're supposed to do with the information in the e-mail.

You've probably also written a similar e-mail message.

If you want people to do things as a result of your e-mail message, you have to make it easy for them to see and understand that. Fortunately, some easy-to-use tools will help with that.

I typically try to treat e-mails like briefings, especially if I'm sending them to a large audience. I try to break up the information into three short sections. The names may vary, but the model stays the same. The sections are:

• Situation
• Background
• Actions Required

Situation. There has to be something that prompted you to write the e-mail. In two or three sentences, describe it. You can use any number of suitable section headers. For instance: Problem. Heavy snow is forecast for the area for the next 24-36 hours. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for the area, expecting 18-24 inches before the end of the storm.

Background. It helps people frame their actions if they know why this is important. How does it relate to them? Tell them, but do so briefly. Background. The heavy snow will block the driveway and sidewalk making passage difficult if not impossible. In addition, you stay here rent free and your mother and I arrange for your food, clothing, and shelter.

Actions Required. Tell them what you want them to do, as simply as possible. If possible, also include what they should do if they have questions. Again, your header for this section can vary, depending on the circumstance. What you need to do. Please shovel the sidewalk and driveway, placing the excess snow on the lawn until the driveway in cleared. Please repeat this process in the morning and again toward the end of the day tomorrow. If you have any question, ask your mother, and please consider that we control the keys to the car.

It's a silly example, but the structure is solid and useful. Use active voice, include all the required details (but no more), and clearly state what you want them to do.

Grammar Stuff 1: Passive and Active Voice

Eighth-grade English wasn't much fun. What I remember most was the grammar. Mind-numbing repetition that seemed to take an eternity. Diagramming sentences and all that. My English teacher never yanked me out of the chair by my ear like one of my sixth-grade teachers did, but diagramming sentences might have been more painful.

Grammar is the art of making words work. Take passive and active voice. Yeah, yeah, I can picture your eyes glaze over now. But it's not that hard and you can master it pretty quickly.

Identifying active and passive voice

Here's an example of passive voice: The ball was hit by Daniel.

Here's active voice: Daniel hit the ball.

The second sentence is, in most cases, better. First, it has two fewer words, and the omitted words (was and by), didn't accomplish much anyway. Why keep them around leaching off the words that did the work?

Second, which sentence leads to a mental picture of someone hitting a ball? By economizing the words, you create more concise communication that people are more likely to read.

So how do I do it?
You can master active and passive voice by asking two simple questions:

1. Who is the actor in the sentence? If you can make the actor come first, you're probably okay. In the example Daniel is the actor. The ball is acted upon. Literally.
2. Does your sentence have the word was in front of the action verb?

If the actor comes first and you don't see a was in front of the verb, you're probably okay.

See, that wasn't so bad. Not as bad as being picked up by your ear.

Your e-mail is a document, not a letter

E-mail. It's the bane of our existence. But, if you structure an e-mail well, you can get your point across quickly, easily, and effectively. To do so, stop thinking of your e-mail as an online letter or memo, and start thinking about it as a document.

For instance, let's say you're writing your manager an e-mail message about how a specific group has done an outstanding job supporting your initiative. As a letter or a memo, it might look like this.

Elaine,

I met with the support center team lead and manager this morning. The meeting went very well, and I wanted to pass along how well the support team is progressing. First, they are taking the time to deal with the users' issues without rushing them off the phone so they can take the next call. Second, even though call volume has been heavy because of the product launch (up 59%), they have closed 84% of the tickets that have been submitted. Third, they have followed up personally when they've escalated tickets to assure that the user was satisfied with the support they've received.

Also, we held the last training session Thursday and I was very impressed with their knowledge of the system and participation. They came prepared and asked appropriate questions, several of which I had to follow up outside the meeting and get back to them. Overall, I think we should bypass the remainder of the probationary period and retain their services permanently.

Larry

Although this message is generally well-written, it reader can't skim it to pick up the main points because they're buried in a mass of text. The e-mail message looks like a letter, but is not as successful as it might otherwise be.

Let's try it again. This time, we'll forget that we're writing a virtual letter and treat the e-mail like a document.

Elaine,

I met with the with the support center manager and team lead yesterday and was impressed with their progress.

Areas of Improvement

• They spend enough time with user issues to make sure the issue is resolved.
• Although call volume increased 59% because of the product launch, 84% of the tickets have been closed.
• When a ticket is escalated, they follow up after the ticket is closed to assure the user is satisfied.

Training

The last training session occurred Thursday.

• They participated fully in the class.
• Their questions were well-thought out; I had to research the answers to several of them.

Recommendation

We should bypass the remainder of the probationary period and retain their services permanently.

The second approach actually results in a longer e-mail message, but it's easier to read. It calls out the important points so the reader can grab them at a glance. The desired action is easy to find, with the supporting information presented in an easy-to-digest format.

The second e-mail is more likely to produce results than the first.

Q. Why did you call it that?

A. Because it's a good name (read on)...

I once sent a woman an e-mail that explained everything she needed to know and do to handle the issue at hand. She called me and yelled at me because she didn't know how to handle it. I told her I sent her an e-mail that explained everything.

She said, "You didn't expect me to read that, did you?"

At the time, I was frustrated and thought her question to be a very selfish one. Since then, however, I've talked to the woman (she's really very nice), and thought about it.

The information I gave her was well-written and comprehensive. It covered everything she needed to know.

And it had too many large paragraphs. It was intimidating to the eye, and as a result, she didn't want to read it.

Since then, I've worked hard at reducing the information I need to convey so it looks quick, easy, and it pays back the reader's time and investment from the time they open the e-mail.

This blog lists the techniques I've found useful.