TIPS AND TRICKS FOR WRITING SUCCESS - PART 2 of 7
This Free mini-course is sponsored by:
http://www.WritingHelpTools.com
http://www.WritingHelp-Central.com
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Hi again Affiliate,
Here's Part 2 of the free writing mini-course that you
signed-up for.
At the end of the last session I gave you some links to
what I call "fully-formatted real-life templates".
I believe that this "final product" type of template is
essential whenever you're writing something, and is a key
element for fast-tracking your writing process.
Later, Part 7 of the course goes into more detail on the
benefits of using "real-life templates". The purpose of
Part 2 is mostly to explain what these templates are.
So, let's get on with Part 2...
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Use Real-Life Templates For Writing Success
(c) Shaun Fawcett
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At some point along the way, most of us have used what are
commonly called "fill-in-the-blank" writing templates. We
might have used them to write a letter, format an essay, or
set-up a resume or CV.
You know what I'm talking about here. It's those form letter
templates that you see in many writing texts and workbooks.
For example, in the case of a letter, a "fill-in-the-blank"
template would look something like this:
--------------------
Dear [NAME OF RECIPIENT]:
This is to advise you that your probation period in the
position [POSITION NAME] expired on [DATE].
The [NAME OF REVIEW COMMITTEE] met on [DATE OF MEETING]
and determined that your probationary appointment was
successful, and that you should be immediately appointed
to [NAME OF POSITION] [NAME OF ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT].
Accordingly, this is to inform you that effective [DATE OF
APPOINTMENT] you are officially appointed to the position
of [NAME OF POSITION] for an initial period of [NUMBER OF
YEARS/MONTHS]. Terms and conditions of your employment are
covered by [OFFICIAL CONTRACT NAME/NUMBER].
Would you please report as soon as possible to [NAME OF
OFFICIAL], [TITLE OF OFFICIAL] in the [OFFICIAL NAME OF
HR GROUP] so that the details of your appointment may be
properly documented.
Congratulations [NAME OF APPOINTEE]. All of us at [COMPANY
OR ORGANIZATION NAME] look forward to working with you in
the future.
Sincerely,
[NAME AND TITLE OF ORIGINATOR]
--------------------
Although this "fill-in-the-blank" approach can work, it has
a number of shortcomings as follows:
- Because of their generic nature, they tend to generalize
so much that they look like a computer generated form letter.
- They don't provide specific information on how a
professional would properly fill in the required information
[BLANKS].
- They don't provide mental stimulation or show how a
professional might word the letter in a specific real-life
context.
- The content is typically watered down to try and cover
every possible situation.
- Thus, they are virtually useless for 98% of real-life
situations, since they lack real-life content.
On the other hand, here's what a "real-life" template
would look like for a similar situation:
---------------------
Dear Jessica:
This is to advise you that your probation period in the
position Customer Service Agent (Temporary) expired on
November 30, 2006.
The Staffing Review Committee met late last week and
determined that your probationary appointment was successful,
and that you should therefore be immediately appointed as
Customer Service Agent (Ongoing).
Accordingly, this is to inform you that effective December
1, 2006 you are officially appointed to the position of
Customer Service Agent in the Customer Support Group for
an initial period of 36 months. Terms and conditions of
your employment are covered by the Customer Service Group
Employment Agreement.
Would you please report as soon as possible to Jim Jackson,
Chief of Human Resources, so that the details of your
appointment may be properly documented.
Congratulations Jessica! All of us here at MedWay Systems
Inc. look forward to continuing to work with you in the
future.
Sincerely,
Sharon Smithson
Manager, Customer Support Group
--------------------
Clearly, the "model" that most of us would rather work
with, if we had to write a similar letter, is definitely
the second one, the "real-life" template.
You can relate to it. It talks about real-life people in
a real-life situation that you can identify with. And, you
get to see exactly how a professional worded it.
There are other advantages to "real-life" templates.
FULLY-FORMATTED FINAL VERSIONS
"Real-life" templates are fully-formatted as final documents
so that you can see exactly how they looked when they were
sent out in a "real-life" situation. They don't look like
some kind of "draft" form letter.
CONTENT WITH VALUE
Working with "real-life" templates, it is much easier to
adapt them to YOUR actual situations because they give you
visual and intellectual cues that you can relate to.
Naturally, when you see how a copywriter or consultant has
dealt with a "real-life" scenario, in terms of word choice,
context, and punctuation, it is much easier to adapt to the
real-life situation that you are writing for. In that way,
the actual content has value.
EASY TO WORK WITH
"Real-life" templates are just as easy to work with as other
templates. You simply load them into your word processing
program and edit and adjust them to fit your own spefic
situation. Presto! You have a fully formatted real-life
letter ready to be printed and sent out in the mail.
You also have the comfort of knowing that what you are
sending has already been used successfully in other
"real-life" situations.
BOTTOM LINE
With real-life templates, it is much easier to find an
adaptable "fit" for the situation you are writing for.
Not only do they give you the final format of a document,
their content provides an excellent real-life sample and
gives food-for-thought to assist you in the writing process.
SAMPLE REAL-LIFE TEMPLATES
Here are a couple of sample "real-life" letter templates
and one "real-life" resume template from my Writing Help
Central web site:
http://www.writinghelp-central.com/cover-letter.html
http://www.writinghelp-central.com/thank-you-letter.html
http://www.writinghelp-central.com/resume-sample2.html
Now I ask you Affiliate, would you rather work from a
"fill-in-the-blanks" generic template or, a fully-formatted
"real-life" template?
---------------------------------------------------------------
That's it for Part 2 of your mini-course.
If you are finding this information useful and can't wait for
the rest of the course, you can get lots more just like it,
plus over 80 downloadable "real-life templates" at:
http://instanthomewritingkit.com
All the best,
Shaun Fawcett, M.B.A.
P.S.
Here's what one Kit owner had to say about "real-life
templates":
"The templates are excellent and the contents are rich compared
to some of the other books on the market. I recently used one
of your samples to write a letter of recommendation. The strong
point was that your samples are full length; whereas some of
the other books on the market use a paragraph as a sample."
--- Bob Fitzpatrick, Westport, CT, U.S.A.
http://instanthomewritingkit.com
STILL TO COME:
Part 3: Writing Business Letters That Get The Job Done
Part 4: Recommendation Letters Demystified
Part 5: 10 Tips For Writing A Winning Resume
Part 6: How To Write Resume Cover Letters That Work
Part 7: 7 Secrets For Beating Writer's Block
Your next course instalment will arrive on Jul. 9, 2008.
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Copyright (c) Shaun R. Fawcett, All Rights Reserved.
mailto:shaun@writinghelp-central.com
http://www.WritingHelpTools.com
http://www.WritingHelp-Central.com
http://www.instantHomeWritingkit.com
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