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Through my various websites and my editing service, over the years I have received scores of letters (as well as other types of documents) that people have drafted but want me to review, revise, and finalize for them.

Over time, I have noticed that there are a number of common errors that many people make when drafting letters in particular. So, based on those observations I have put together a list of what I call “The 7 Deadly Sins of Letter Writing”. Keep on reading to find out what they are…

In case you’re wondering about my use of the term “deadly”, in my view, that term is entirely appropriate here! After all, it just takes one sloppy and/or unprofessional letter to cause serious damage to your personal credibility or that of your business.

So, here are what I have observed to be “The 7 Deadly Sins of Letter Writing”:

1. Too Long
   Most people have a tendency to draft their letters too long. Letters involving business (personal or corporate) should be concise, factual and focused and should not normally exceed one typical single-spaced page of 350 to 450 words. If you can’t get your point across in 4 to 5 short paragraphs you probably haven’t done enough preparatory work prior to drafting the letter. If necessary, phone or e-mail the recipient to clarify any fuzzy points and use the letter to summarize the overall situation.
   
   
2. Weak Opening
   Many letters I receive launch straight into the details of the subject without setting things up to provide a clear context. The introductory paragraph of your letter should be one or two short sentences that state the specific reason for the letter and specify what the primary focus will be.
   
   
3. Lack of Focus
   Many letters I receive for editing are all over the place, in terms of subject. In other words, it is often not at all obvious to me what the main point or the desired outcome of the letter is. Prior to drafting the letter you should decide on a number of specific points that you want to focus on and what the bottom line of your letter needs to be. Ask yourself what exactly you want the letter to achieve in terms of an action or a response from the addressee.
   
   
4. Too Confusing
   People often jump straight into their letter without first organizing their thoughts in some sort of logical order. Even if you have a clear idea of the points you want to cover, it is important that when you present them, one point should flow naturally and logically into the next. It is always worth the few minutes it takes to jot down the logical sequence of your letter in sequential point form before starting to write the letter. This practice will invariably result in an improved final product.
   
   
5. Poorly Formatted
   If your letter isn’t properly formatted, in terms of layout, it will look unprofessional which will diminish its credibility and thus its impact. Once you have your words finalized, make sure you clean up the format of the letter in terms of margins, paragraph breaks, address blocks, signature blocks, etc., before sending it. A very common error that I see these days is when people add their own extra space after a period at the end of a sentence. This is NOT necessary since word processing programs automatically insert some extra space at the end of each sentence. This practice is a carryover from the days of the typewriter (Anyone remember those?) and is no longer necessary.
   
   
6. Weak Closing
   Frequently I see closing paragraphs that don’t clearly sum up what went before and what is supposed to happen next. Similar to the opening paragraph, the closing paragraph should also be short, comprised of one or two sentences. One sentence should briefly summarize the overall conclusion that can be drawn from the points presented in the letter; a second sentence should clearly state what you will do next and/or what you expect from the addressee as a result of them receiving the letter. Depending on the situation, the final sentence can also provide contact info such as phone number and/or e-mail address.
   
   
7. Too Many Errors
   You would be amazed at the number of spelling and/or obvious grammatical errors I see in the letters submitted to me. That’s fine if you are asking a professional to edit your letter. However I have the impression that many people send their letters out riddled with these types of errors. Sending your letter in such a condition is a serious credibility destroyer and will definitely hurt your reputation as a professional in the eyes of any knowledgeable recipient. Make sure you use the spell checker feature of your word processing program and if you aren’t sure of your grammar get a professional to edit your letter before it goes out.

As I said above, I see these kinds of errors on a regular basis. In addition to getting professional help if you need it, I recommend that after you have drafted your letter you read it out loud to yourself. I find that if something doesn’t sound right when I read it aloud it’s usually something that needs to be corrected.

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Letter writing is the primary writing-related subject that prompted me to start my network of writing help websites many years ago. It turns out that I definitely chose the right subject, because that’s the number one writing issue that most people need assistance with in their daily personal and business lives.

This has been confirmed thousands of times over the years by the feedback that I have received from visitors to my writinghelp-central.com website. As a result, I have no doubts that letter writing is definitely the area where most people are looking for help and/or guidance when it comes to day-to-day writing.

In fact, over 55% of the visitors to my site are seeking some sort of letter writing information or assistance. The following lists the types of letters that people request information on, in order of popularity:

• recommendation letter
  
• business letter
  
• introduction letter
  
• thank you letter
  
• complaint letter
  
• sales letter
  
• cover letter
  
• reference letter
  
• resignation letter
  
• application letter
  

THE 7 STRATEGIES
Here are a few practical letter-writing tips and strategies to help you when writing that next letter:

1. Keep It Short And To The Point
   Letters involving business (personal or corporate) should be concise, factual, and focused. Try to never exceed one page or you will be at risk of losing your reader. A typical letter page will hold 350 to 450 words. If you can’t get your point across with that many words you probably haven’t done enough preparatory work. If necessary, call the recipient on the phone to clarify any fuzzy points and then use the letter just to summarize the overall situation.
   
   
2. Make It Clear, Concise, And Logical
   Before sitting down to write, make a brief point-form outline of the matters you need to cover in the letter. Organize those points into a logical progression that you can use as your guide as you write the letter. The logical blocks of the letter should be: 1. introduction/purpose, background/explanation, summary/conclusion, action required statement. Use this outline process to organize your approach and your thoughts, and to eliminate any unnecessary repetition or redundancy.
   
   
3. Focus On The Recipient’s Needs
   While writing the letter, focus on the information requirements of your audience, the intended addressee. If you can, in your “mind’s eye”, imagine the intended recipient seated across a desk or boardroom table from you while you are explaining the subject of the letter. What essential information does that person need to know through this communication? What will be their expectations when they open the letter? Have you addressed all of these issues?
   
   
4. Use Simple And Appropriate Language
   Your letter should use simple straightforward language, for clarity and precision. Use short sentences and don’t let paragraphs exceed three or four sentences. As much as possible, use language and terminology familiar to the intended recipient. Do not use technical terms and acronyms without explaining them, unless you are certain that the addressee is familiar with them.
   
   
5. Use Short Sentences And Paragraphs
   Keep your sentences as short as possible, and break the text up into brief paragraphs. Ideally, a paragraph should not exceed two to three sentences. This will make the letter more easily readable, which will entice the recipient to read it sooner, rather than later.
   
   
6. Review And Revise It
   Do a first draft, and then carefully review and revise it. Put yourself in the place of the addressee. Imagine yourself receiving the letter. How would you react to it? Would it answer all of your questions? Does it deal with all of the key issues? Are the language and tone appropriate? Sometimes reading it out loud to one’s self can help. When you actually “hear” the words it is easy to tell if it “sounds” right or not.
   
   
7. Double Check Spelling And Grammar
   A letter is a direct reflection of the person sending it, and by extension, the organization that person works for. When the final content of the letter is settled, make sure that you run it through a spelling and grammar checker. To send a letter with obvious spelling and grammatical errors is sloppy and unprofessional. In such cases, the recipient can’t really be blamed for seeing this as an indication as to how you (and/or your organization) probably do most other things.

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