A, An, The: Little words, big meaning

"A," "An," and "The" are adjectives called articles. Special usage rules apply:

• "A" and "An" are indefinite and are used with general nouns or nouns not previously mentioned. I have a cat and a dog for pets; Geri has an octopus for a pet. A man and a woman walk on a path.
• "The" refers to nouns previously mentioned. The cat and the dog don't get along. The octopus is a baby. The man took the woman's hand when the path got rocky.
• "The" is used to refer to specific nouns: The elephant is a highly intelligent animal. The Nile is found in the African continent. The sun should shine tomorrow after the storm passsed overnight.
• "A" is used before nouns that begin with a consonant or consonant sound: A history assignment, an university degree.
• "An" is used before nouns that begin with a vowel or vowel sound: An assignment, an hour.
• "A" and "An" are also used to refer to your profession: I am an admin.

Writing Instructions

Procedures are a set of instructions. Instructions are a set of steps for doing a specific activity.

· Use numbers when steps must be taken in order; otherwise, use bullets.
· Use imperative sentences for action steps.
· Write one action per step.
· Identify main steps and provide detail in sub-steps.
· Identify the person who will perform the step if other than the reader.
· Start conditional steps with “If” or “When.”
· Use bold and/or all caps for conditional steps that are critical or safety issues.
· Limit branching, cross-references, or hyperlinks to action steps.
· Test the steps with end users.

"Restrictions" have become "options"

I've been fighting with a hotel chain to have money refunded because of a cancelled reservation. I received the following "spin" e-mail. Note how "options" has become a euphemism for "restrictions." Emphasis is mine:

"Thank you for contacting Guest Relations. When we received your email we became quite concerned that we had not adequately explained the choices available to you at the time of booking.

"We have recently implemented a new pricing structure that allows us the opportunity to offer deeper discounts to our customers. In order to offer these rates we must attach restrictions such as cancellation fees or full prepayment. Some of our lowest discounted rates carry full prepayment requirements while others carry a cancellation fee.

"If rooms are available for your travel date, we will always offer the option of booking either restrictive (with cancellation/prepayment requirements) or non-restrictive (can be changed and cancelled without penalty) rates. This will allow you more flexibility in making your specific travel arrangements. For example: if you are certain about your travel plans, the restricted rate will be a consideration, whereas if your travel plans are less definite the unrestricted rate may better meet your needs.

"It is certainly not our intent to inconvenience our valued customers, but to instead offer options that make sense. We always appreciate comments from our guests, and we will use this feedback in making decisions about our future pricing strategies.

"As a ... Rewards member you are one of our most important guests, and as a one time goodwill gesture the hotel has reversed the charges to your credit card. This credit should appear on your credit card in 1 to 2 billing cycles.

"Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact us. We look forward to meeting your specific travel needs the next time you require hotel accommodations."

Parallel construction keeps things equal

Parallel construction means that like parts of a document are treated in the same way. Parallel construction helps create consistency; the reader can move through the document. When parallel construction is violated, readers subconsciously know something is wrong, even if they can’t recognize what it is.

When you use bullets, numbers, heads, or subheads, pay attention to parallel construction. Most bullets are organized with a lead verb. With numbers, each number usually is a complete, stand-alone sentence. Here’s an example of proper parallel construction for bullets where each bullet starts with a verb:

Here’s the plan for communicating the new vacation procedures:
· Draft the procedures.
· Have the draft reviewed.
· Revise draft.
· Obtain approvals.

The Art of the Executive Summary

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/04/the_art_of_the_.html

Great information from Guy Kawasaki's blog.

Working Writers Newsletter: WOW! Women On Writing Celebrates its First Anniversary

Working Writers Newsletter: WOW! Women On Writing Celebrates its First Anniversary

Quick guide to capitalization

Capitalize:

• The first word of a sentence, of a line of poetry, of a direct quote.
• The days of the week, months of the year, and holidays (but not seasons).
• Proper names of persons, places, and things; trade names and commercial products; the names of geographic regions, continents, nations, cities, bodies of water, streets, languages, government agencies, specific landmarks, streets, buildings, works of art, religious groups, companies, holidays; educational institutions, degrees, courses, and academic departments; and acronyms.
• Titles that appear before a proper name, e.g., “President George W. Bush” and abbreviated titles appearing after a name, e.g., "John Smith, CEO."
• Titles of books, magazines, CDs, films, white papers, etc. Do not capitalize articles, prepositions, and conjunctions unless it is the first word of the title.