Dilbert's Rules for Writing

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words
That you could not find
--Natasha Bedingfield

Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic strip series, claims that he became a better writer after taking a one day course in 'business writing.' To realize improvement, he suggests using the following tricks.

Simplicity rules (see?). Simple writing persuades. A good argument in a few sentences is better than a great argument delivered over many pages. Academics, even those from business disciplines, have yet to catch on here.

Writing can be simplified by pruning words. The example he uses, that of deleting 'very' from sentences, was a lesson from my first boss, He argued that words like 'very' and 'really' read like you are trying to sell the reader on an idea using emotional tags rather than on the merits of the idea itself. Take the 'sell words' out.

Grab the reader in the first sentence. Rewrite the beginning until you are satisfied that it will arouse curiosity.

Write short sentences. Multiple thoughts in one sentence confuse and fatigue readers.

Use active rather than passive voice. Focus on verbs. Action-oriented verbs convey more effectively. For example, "I wrote this sentence" engages human brains far more than "This sentence was written by me."

These practices apply to writing contexts beyond the business realm, of course.