Respond to expected criticism.

If you present your ideas well, most readers will agree with you. However, some won’t, and they may have valid reasons for disagreeing. To earn their agreement, you have to think like they think. You have to address their criticisms. This is part of understanding your readers.

When writing, ask yourself, “What reasons will my readers have for disagreeing with me?”

I recommend that you list those reasons. Then, you have two strategies for addressing them. First, you can address those criticisms directly. For example, you might write, “While the argument can be made that . . . , in fact . . . .” Although this strategy works, you might seem as if you expect criticism (which you do) and are insecure about your ideas.

Second, you can revise, expand, and strengthen your arguments and rationale so that those criticisms are not possible. This is the more difficult, but more effective, strategy.

---

This is the strategy for day 124 in 300 Days of Better Writing, available at Hostile Editing in PDF, Kindle, and paperback formats.

For a sample of 300 Days of Better Writing and other books by Precise Edit, download the free ebook.

Use a hyphen to clarify a prefix.

When we add a prefix to a verb, the resulting word may look like a very different word with a very different meaning than intended. We use a hyphen after the prefix to indicate which part is the prefix and which part is the main word. Consider this scenario.

We are leasing a house for 6 months. After 5 months, the owner sends us a letter asking whether we intend to stay in the house or vacate it. We want to stay in the house, so we communicate our intentions by letter. To our surprise, the owner starts showing the house to other people who may be interested in leasing it.

We confront the owner, asking why he is showing the house when we plan to stay. Once the confusion is resolved, he shows us what we wrote in the letter: “We plan to release the house when the current contract terminates.”

Release means let go and give freedom. This indicates that the house would be available for leasing because we would not be in it. What we wanted to communicate was that we would lease the house again. We should have written re-lease, meaning lease again. Without that hyphen, we communicated the opposite meaning.

More examples:

If your car cover (the cover you place over your parked car to protect it from dust and hail) blows off, you will have to re-cover the car (cover again). But if your car is stolen, you will need to recover (find and claim something lost) it.

An undercoat of paint is paint under the surface layer, but under-coat the paint means not using enough paint.

The misconduct (bad conduct or bad behavior) of the audience can cause an orchestra leader to mis-conduct (to conduct incorrectly) the orchestra.

When you add a prefix to a verb, analyze the result. Have you written a different word? Will the reader know what part is the main word and what part is the prefix? If not, then you will probably need that hyphen. If the prefix is obvious, you need no comma.

---

This is the strategy for day 72 in 300 Days of Better Writing, available at Hostile Editing in PDF, Kindle, and paperback formats.

For a sample of 300 Days of Better Writing and other books by Precise Edit, download the free ebook.

Express yourself confidently.

Another way to say this is “Don’t hedge.” Phrases such as “I think that,” “I assume,” “I believe,” and “It’s possible that” tell the reader that you are not confident in what you are saying. If you are not confident in your ideas, your reader will not be confident in your authority to make whatever statement you are making.

On the other hand, if you have a good reason for your idea, state the idea with confidence. Consider this sentence:

“I think cantaloupe is good for your health.”

As a reader, I can say, “Do you think so, or do you know so? If that is only your opinion, I can ignore it.” To encourage the reader to believe you, you can write, instead,

“Cantaloupe is good for your health.”

Confident writing is stronger, more active, more believable, and more likely to get the reader response you desire.

---

Free E-book to Improve Your Writing Skills

Top writing strategies and expert instruction from each of Precise Edit’s writing guides 1 critical article from Precise Edit Training Manual 8 days of instruction from 300 Days of Better Writing 5 top strategies from Bang! Writing with Impact 2 essential word choices from Which Word Do I Use? 1 major comma use from Zen Comma 1 section on main verbs from Concise Guide to Technical and Academic Writing Get the free e-book (PDF) OR Purchase the Kindle version ($0.99).

Guidelines for apologizing in a business letter.

You or your organization did something wrong. You overcharged a client. You missed a deadline. Something. And now you need to apologize. Whether or not you apologize in person, I recommend that you apologize by a formal letter. With this in mind, here are 11 guidelines for a formal apology.

1. Use company letterhead.
2. Send the mail to the actual person, and name that person by name and position.
3. Start the letter with the apology, using the word apology.
4. Follow with a description of what you did wrong. This lets the recipient know that you understand the nature of the error.
5. Provide a brief explanation of why the problem occurred, but don’t pass the blame or make excuses.
6. Take responsibility.
7. Provide a solution or steps that you will take to remedy the current problem.
8. Describe how you will prevent the same problem from occurring again.
9. Close with a brief apology (e.g., “Again, I apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you”).
10. Sign the letter with your personal signature. If you are sending the letter as an e-mail attachment, scan the document with your signature or, better yet, add your electronic signature to the document.
11. Don’t wait to apologize. Be proactive.

Think about your goal here. You want to keep that client. Do the work necessary.

---

This is the strategy for day 203 in 300 Days of Better Writing, available at Hostile Editing in PDF, Kindle, and paperback formats.

For a sample of 300 Days of Better Writing and other books by Precise Edit, download the free ebook.

FOR MYSPACE, DIGG, REDDIT, AND FACEBOOK:
Follow Precise Edit’s 300 Days blog on wordpress and get free tips from our book 300 Days of Better Writing posted every week!