A Quick Look into the Writing Rumor Mill

There are more writing rumors than tabloid sightings of Elvis. Here are some of them.

The reader is always right

Somehow, a rumor got circulated in the business community and it prevails todaya — another person’s opinion is always right. Thus, well-meaning businesspeople cut great opening lines, add tired expressions to otherwise lively writing, and imitate styles that went out decades ago just because someone told them to.

Another, more insidious, problem is that the unknowing reader may drop a line such as, “I guess writing isn’t your forte,” or “Maybe you should look into a writing class.” Rather than being constructive, the comment hits your ego like a wrecker’s ball, and for the next four weeks you’re debilitated, word use wise. At times like these remember, the reader is not always right.

The reader is usually wrong

This opinion sprouts from two seeds and gets cultivated in the competitive workplace. The first seed is defensiveness. How can a coworker know how to write better than you? And professional writers and editors? They don’t understand your point. Their suggestions might make sense for some people, but not for you. The other seed is the old decide-for-yourself attitude. Don’t like a comment? Forget it. Don’t think an opinion’s on target? Then it isn’t. Throwing away good comments is like throwing away dollar bills. Don’t do it.

This rumor contains smudges of truth. When you get a comment, be skeptical, especially when it comes from a coworker. Determine the logic behind the comment, too. Is the opinion based on taste? Forget it. If possible, show the document to two people. Find similiar comments? If so, they’re probably valid.

Some people will never be good writers no matter how much help they get

It’s true, some people will never be good writers. In fact, most people will never be good writers if by good writers you mean such authors as William Faulkner, Alice Walker, or William Safire. On the other hand, almost everyone can cultivate the skills critical to writing basic business documents. People who can’t may have a learning disability that affects their skill and can see a specialist who can reveal different routes to writing well.
I’ve Gotta Be Me!

In businesses everywhere you can hear the sad lament that bosses or coworkers edit out the writer’s voice in favor of a more generic one. Writers are perplexed. After all, their names are at the bottoms of these letters. Their initials on those memos. Why can’t they write in their own voices?

The answer is simple. Because at the top of the fax, memo, or letter page is another, more important, name — the company’s. And you, the business writer, ultimately don’t represent yourself even if you’re writing a sales letter to someone you spoke to for hours. Wise companies understand the importance of a single, unified voice and work to make every correspondence consistent.