Erin Crum reports:
"When writing a letter to a judge or to the court, it is essential to address the letter professionally in a formal matter. For many small-business owners who are just starting up a company, taking leave for jury duty is an impossible burden. In those instances, courts will often allow small-business owners to postpone jury duty for a later time, when it would be a less difficult task. Small-business owners also must communicate with the court when responding to lawsuits or when filing demand letters against other businesses. Regardless of the purpose, it is important to always maintain a polished tone in every piece of correspondence with the court...In the top left line, include the date you are writing the letter. Spell out the month, add the numerical day and put a comma in front of the year...Leave one blank line of space below the date and then type your name and address on the left. Put the name of your business under your name and above the address if the letter is business-related. Include your mailing address, including city, state, suite or apartment number (if applicable) and ZIP code...Leave one blank line of space below your name and address and type the name of the judge or the name of a member of the court staff for whom your letter is intended. If you are sending the letter to a judge, the words 'The Honorable' are always used before her name. On the next line below the name, include the name of the court in which the judge presides...Directly under the name, include the judge's address, city, state and ZIP code. If you are sending the letter to a member of the court staff, use a proper title, such as Mr., before his name. If you do not have the name of a specific person, use the title listed on any paperwork you have received from the court. If you are still unsure, you may use 'Clerk of Court,' 'Court Clerk' or 'Jury Commissioner.'...Leave one blank line of space below the name and address of the letter's recipient. If the letter is intended for a judge, type 'Dear Judge (Last name):' and include a colon after the judge's name. If you are addressing it to a member of the court staff, type 'Dear Ms. Smith:' and include a colon after the person's name. If you are addressing the letter generally, type 'Dear Clerk of Court:' and include a colon after the last word...Leave one blank line after the opening address to the judge or member of the court staff before the body of the letter...Include one blank line of space between each paragraph. End the letter professionally, such as 'Sincerely' or 'With regards' and a comma. Before sitting down to write your letter, have all important documents that you need to support your letter. It may be necessary to request some documents or information from a CPA or accountant in advance. Save a copy of the letter for your future reference. Never send original documents, such as sales contracts, insurance policies and invoices, unless required by the court...Be sure to use a professional tone in the letter so as not to offend the judge or the court staff. Include all of the necessary information, but try to keep the letter as brief as possible." Kaya Ismail reports:
"Writing down your dreams, goals, and business ideas helps you brainstorm on a more ambitious scale. There’s nothing quite like writing down a startup idea in the middle of a blank page and then branching out with a flurry of ideas. Plus, writing down your thoughts gives you a chance to explore dreams that you may not wish to share with others. It also affords you a physical space to keep track of those thoughts, and return to them later if needed...A study carried out in 2010 by Indiana University found that the areas of the brain associated with learning worked far better when kids were asked to write words like 'spaceship' by hand versus just studying the word off a whiteboard...Learning and remembering are two different things (outside of the school system, that is). Writing things down that you need to remember – like checklists – gives you a far better chance of actually remembering them when you have to. But don’t just take my word for it. In 2014, the Association of Psychological Science reported that students who physically took notes received a memory boost – particularly when compared to those who took notes via a laptop...Shunning your notepad to write on a device is a dangerous game. As you type, notifications will often slide into view to drag you away from your task. Plus, your favourite [sic] social media platform is always just a few taps away. [Good] old[-]fashioned paper will keep you focused – and focus is the key to thinking clearer, and thinking better...When you note down your ideas, thoughts, and emotions, it helps your brain to unload some baggage, giving it room to think about other things. Or better yet, with all that extra space, it could even begin to relax...According to the world[-]renowned science journal Neurology, writing things down will keep you on top of your memory game for longer...[I]f you want to remember where you left your keys thirty years from now, I suggest you start writing more today...The benefits of writing things down the old[-]fashioned way are very real, and they’ll make a serious impact on your daily routine – and on your life as a whole. And the best part is, unlike some other 'life hacks' out there, writing is an activity that’s hugely accessible to almost all of us." Kristin Masters reports:
"How much is a baseball worth? Maybe a dollar or two, right? Get that same baseball signed by Alex Rodriguez, and you have a collectible item. If that baseball happened to be a [home run] ball, [you’'ve] hit the jackpot! Signatures and autographs in books work much the same way. The rarity of both the book and the signature help[s] determine the value of a book...Not all signatures are created equal. In fact, signatures (autographs) and inscriptions fall into a few different categories.
Lauren Treadwell reports:
"Special needs assistants must be able to put concepts into terms the students can understand and keep cool in difficult situations. Although formal education is usually not necessary, employers look more favorably on candidates with at least some educational background in special education or teaching...Type your name, address and contact information at the top of the page, on the right side. This is preferable to stating your name in the body of the letter or waiting until the signature line at the end, because employers can easily spot this important information if they need to contact you...Address the person doing the hiring by name, if possible. If there was no contact name included in the job announcement, start the letter, 'Dear Administrator,' 'Dear Superintendent' or 'To the Recruitment Department.'...In the first section of the letter body, tell the employer that you're applying for a special needs assistant job. If someone referred you for the position, note the name and the relationship of the referral to you and to the school or school district. Otherwise, mention the newspaper, online classified ad or other source from which you heard about the job...In the second part of the letter, provide a three- to five-sentence explanation describing your education. Mention any teaching assistant or special education certifications you received. If you don't have a formal education in special education or teaching, list relevant college courses...To demonstrate your specific knowledge, cite your understanding of the school district's procedures and regulations regarding special needs children...In the third part of the letter, tell the reader about your previous teaching or special needs care provider experience. Draw parallels between the duties you performed and the qualifications the position calls for. Because special needs assistants often spend the most one-on-one time with special needs students, highlight your interpersonal skills and any specific examples of your patience, flexibility and creativity when working with children. To keep the letter concise, make this section no more than eight sentences long...Close the letter by thanking the readers for their consideration and stating that you look forward to the next steps of the hiring process. Invite the employer to contact you to ask questions or to schedule an interview. Type your name three lines after the last paragraph. This leaves room for your signature, if you're sending the letter via mail or delivering it in person." David Aston reports:
"People enjoy great writing. They want to be involved and understood. And by empathizing with your readers, you’ll inevitably develop a following. People will visit your site longer and rankings will go up because your content is being shared. You don’t have to be a literary genius. You just need to connect with your audience and deliver the information they want – without problems, obstacles, or extensive thinking...You don’t have to write like William Shakespeare to produce engaging content. Actually, it helps not to be too eloquent or wordy. In other words, lose the words. Don’t write lengthy sentences. You’ll lose people. Stick to a 5th grader’s reading level and vocabulary. A great way to make sure you’re writing at a proper level is by simply running your articles through spell check on Microsoft [W]ord. Aside from identifying any spelling errors, spell check will show your readability statistics. This is a great tool to help gauge your content and make sure it’ll be fully absorbed...[W]rite shorter sentences that don’t drag on. And they obviously need to be easily understandable...Commit to integrating power words into your writing – you’ll INSTANTLY produce more engaging content...Great writers use specific words to tap into your emotions at will. If you learn the words they use, you’ll be a better writer. Facts are facts, but learning to engage your reader emotionally is another thing. Good content writers get the facts right and that’s the end of it. Great content writers engage readers emotionally while emphasizing the facts with trigger words. Certain words set off emotional alarms...People don’t read online, they scan. Nothing makes a user want to click back quicker than a huge wall of text. If a user doesn’t think he can instantly scan to find his answer, he’ll click back and find a shorter page or another attention[-]grabbing headline. [Subheadings] show that, as an author, you have a structured and purposeful outline...Because you’re a content writer, it can be a little challenging to set your writing apart. The way you set yourself apart, and make your blog, journal, or site updates more memorable is to use a storytelling approach. Incorporate your facts, statistics, and points into relatable stories that your reader will remember. Simply recount your own experiences, invent fictitious stories[,] and/or pull from across the web and paraphrase others’ experiences...When telling your stories or utilizing power words, be sure to maintain the 2nd[-]person writing style, and incorporate words like 'you' and 'your.' This will significantly impact your audience. It engages them directly and pulls them into the narrative, making it more likely they’ll take action. Never allow your readers to obtain your content from a detached perspective...Do not doubt yourself as an author. Be firm and resolute in your writing. Never say 'IMO' or 'in my opinion.' Your reader already knows it’s your opinion. Speaking that way screams uncertainty, and casts doubt on the content you’re presenting. YOU are the expert. Don’t forget...Read a lot of blogs and websites in your industry on a regular basis to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s going on. This keeps you informed and on top of trends. You’ll be able to write from a solid frame of reference and won’t appear detached...You need mental energy to write creatively in a compelling, concise[,] and clear way. Taking walks before and during my writing helps focus my thoughts and produce engaging content on a regular basis...Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love you...The headline can be the best part of reading an article. Think of your headline as the gift, not the wrapping on the gift. Put effort into making a headline that makes your reader want to share your content. Just be sure not to neglect keywords. The keywords will help your post live on in the search engines long after it’s published. Remember, don’t just write for search engines, write for people. It’s important to write from the heart, keeping your content concise and to the point. Creating engaging content is the best way to generate tons of backlinks to your site from other bloggers and website owners. This increases traffic and enhances your visibility in the search engines." Karo Kilfeather reports:
"What separates good writing from great is not always a better writer—it’s often a great editor...Whether you’re writing a blog post or the next great American novel, you’re likely to benefit from a keen editorial eye. If an experienced editor isn’t readily available, you can still improve the quality of your writing by thinking like an editor and applying a few simple rules...An editor can catch any grammar, spelling, and usage errors, yes, but he or she can also see your work from the vantage point of the reader. A good editor can help you clarify what you’re trying to say and point out when you stray from your intended direction—or don’t seem to have any. Editors will also hold you accountable for answering whatever the central question of your written piece is, find any redundancy or contradictions, and help strengthen your premise. Lastly, editors can also refine your work by helping ensure every word is essential to communicating your message, creating and sustaining a tone, and building a rhythm or momentum that will propel the reader forward. With astute editorial feedback, your writing can be transformed and made more powerful. But how you approach your writing from the start can also help you craft something stronger that will yield a great result without the need for in-depth editorial intervention...Great writing requires clarity of thought. If you don’t really know what you’re saying or trying to say, how can you expect readers to understand your meaning?...[Y]ou owe your audience something that is both enjoyable and frictionless as a method for delivering ideas and information. An outline will keep you focused and enable you to get a lot of writing done without having to complete it all in sequence. Some ideas and information will be easier to jot down quickly, while others will require additional research or follow[-]up. Having the framework in place will ensure you don’t lose track of everything you need to say and can keep your thoughts organized...The best way to understand how your writing sounds to the reader is to actually hear yourself reading it. This will also slow down your brain to read in a more engaged way...There’s no better way to ferret out missing words, poorly formed thoughts, or awkward phrases that you would never actually say in real life...In Everybody Writes, Ann Handley advises writers to 'embrace the ugly first draft.' Don’t expect to end up with an elegant final product in one sitting. No one does. Expect to rewrite and revise several times. Your changes and corrections will become smaller and more focused with each revision, but also more powerful. Your first draft isn’t something to get attached to and your final version should be very different. If you were a sculptor, you’d start with a slab of marble that doesn’t look like much of anything and use a chisel and hammer to get a rough shape for your work. The refinement of small details comes later, once you’ve beat[en] up your material a few times. Another reason to start with a really terrible first draft is to take some of the pressure off. If you’re not worried about getting a perfect product at your first try, writing will be a less stressful experience and you will have a better outcome. You don’t have to be writing something long or complex, or even consider yourself a writer to take writing seriously, or to benefit from sharpening your editorial vision. What matters for a piece of writing can vary with format and context, but these three editorial practices will improve your work regardless of what kind of writing it is, or who is going to read it. Teaching yourself to step outside of your head when considering your writing and getting some distance from each word will make you a more astute reader of your own work, and in turn a better editor, and a writer better positioned to deliver outstanding content to your audience." Nancy Hart reports:
"Posting on social media sites is quick, but that doesn’t mean your writing shouldn’t be thoughtful. Readers can dismiss poorly written copy as spam, and businesses can miss their target audiences if their messages are unclear...Know what your message is, and deliver it succinctly...Focus on the key words you wish to convey and ask yourself whether the message is understandable and effective. Be careful with abbreviations; make sure they are commonly understood and use them sparingly...Journalists are taught about the inverted pyramid in school, and many news articles that appear in newspapers and online employ this technique, which values putting the most important information at the top. Supporting details follow, and relevant background information comes at the end. The inverted pyramid allows you to get to the point quickly, so readers -- even those who stop reading before the end -- know the key facts right away. Use the inverted pyramid style with social media, sticking with the big facts -- the point -- immediately so your message is clear, even to the most impatient online readers...Proper spelling and grammar are important in communicating with your audience, even if you’re limited by character counts and space. As with all written communication, poorly written copy and obvious typos can turn off readers quickly. Write deliberately, and if you’re not expert at grammar, enlist the help of someone who is. Proofread what you’ve written, reading it out loud, which can help you identify dropped or repeated words and basic structural issues...Once you’ve identified your audience, tailor your message to reach them. An older audience, for example, might respond negatively to copy that employs a lot of slang and abbreviations, while a younger audience probably would be more comfortable with such language." Megan Selin reports:
"You may find it necessary to contact the clerk of courts for any number of reasons, whether it be to request information, submit a document for filing or request a pardon from jury duty. When you send a letter to the court clerk, you will want to use a formal letter format and a professional style of writing. Obtain the correct address and clerk contact information. Counties have many different courts, including civil court, family court and superior court. Confirm which court you need to contact and obtain the address and the clerk's name if it is available. This information can be found by doing a search on the [I]nternet or placing a phone call directly to the court. Use a block style format when writing your letter. This is the most widely used business style letter. In a block style letter, all of the text is aligned at the left-hand margin. Begin your letter by typing your return address at the top of the page, followed by today's date and the clerk's name, title and court address. Separate each paragraph by a single blank line. Use a formal closing...followed by your signature and full typed name. Use the correct salutation when writing your letter. If you were able to obtain the clerk's full name, it is appropriate to address him or her as Mr. Joe Brown, Clerk of Courts. If you were unable to obtain a full name, it is acceptable to use a formal title when addressing your letter, such as Clerk of Courts or Court Clerk. You can also substitute 'Dear Sir or Madam' if you are unsure of the full name. Type the body of your letter. Keep it short and to the point. Explain the reason you are writing in the first paragraph. Provide any additional information the clerk will need to know within the second paragraph. Use a formal, respectful tone in your writing. When you are finished, use spell check and remove any spelling errors. Sign your full name in blue or black ink prior to mailing the letter. Your signature should be placed between your closing (Sincerely) and your typed name. Confirm that you have included your contact information so that the clerk will be able to respond to your letter." Marissa Metcalf reports:
"If you’re bracing yourself to learn about some new writing technique or complicated literary device, relax. 'Poecilonyms' is just another word for synonyms, which you already work with on a daily basis...Synonyms are words or phrases that have the same meaning as other words or phrases. As writers, why should we care about using them? One reason is that repetition usually undermines our work. Consider how you feel while listening to someone who uses the same stock word or eccentric phrase in every other sentence. You might be amused, distracted or even annoyed by these reiterations. Readers often have similar reactions when they encounter something over and over...A varied vocabulary can make you sound more creative, informed or articulate. Finding new ways to express the same thoughts is also part of what makes writing fun...Of course, even the best writers can get stuck in linguistic ruts. One of my favorite things about working on a computer (besides the Undo command) is that discovering new words takes minimal effort. You only need a minute to search through a thesaurus online or in a word processor. What if you can’t find direct synonyms for terms that have precise meanings or lack widely known substitutes? You can always use paraphrased definitions...If you’re writing about a topic with specialized jargon, or if you know you have certain go-to words, try specifically searching for those terms in your work. You might be surprised to see how much you rely on some of them. Once you focus on shaking up your wording, though, it should be easy to start expanding your vocabulary and making even the dullest topics seem more interesting." Shell James Saras reports:
"Although the concept of an anecdotal essay sounds simple enough--you are, after all[,] simply telling a story--writing one can be quite challenging. As with any other type of writing assignment, the essay should capture and hold your reader's interest. Fortunately, if you take time to structure the paper properly, your anecdotal essay can be fun to write and[,] more importantly, fun to read...Come up with a list of ideas for your anecdotal essay. Think back to an important event in your life or other personal experiences that have affected you. Pick one story to use as the basis for your anecdotal essay. Discuss your ideas with a friend, teacher or peer and find out which story appeals to him or her...Determine the theme of your essay. Think about your reason for writing the story---do you want to make your readers laugh or do you want your story to offer insight about a serious issue? Tell your story in three to four body paragraphs. Because this is the most important part of your story, you should spend the most time on this section. Make sure your writing is clear, grammatically correct and structured logically. Write an introduction for your essay. Because it's the beginning of your essay, make sure your introduction uses an appropriate tone that prepares your readers for the story you're telling...Write your conclusion. This paragraph should sum up your reasons for writing the essay and offer any additional thoughts on the subject. Proofread your essay, checking for spelling and grammatical errors as well as structural issues. If possible, have someone else look over your paper as well...Try writing your paper in the first-person point of view ('I'). This style is especially effective in anecdotal essays and can often be easier to write than the standard third-person point of view. Consider your audience. Who will be reading your story? Is the subject appropriate for your readers? Reading your essay out loud can help you identify errors and inconsistencies in your story that may not be as apparent during your proofreading. Vary your sentence length. Although an abundance of long, complex sentences can frustrate your readers, consistently short, simple sentences can also bore them. As a result, it's best to use a mixture of sentence lengths." |
Writing and editing can be pretty rigorous processes if you want to do them well, but that's what this page is here for. Check out the latest tips here. Archives
April 2024
CategoriesJ.D. Parsons
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