How to Focus Your Writing

“That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

— Steve Jobs

Writing that wanders off point or contains unrelated ideas is frustrating to read and difficult to understand. In other words, it lacks focus.

How can I focus my writing?

Focused writing is unified. It expresses a clear main point and sticks to it. All other details relate directly to the main point, follow a logical pattern, and maintain a steady voice.

To check your writing for focus, follow these steps:

Locate your main point. Does it express the subject and purpose of the message in a single sentence?
Evaluate your supporting details. Does each detail relate to the main point and the detail that came before it? If the answer is “no,” add, delete, or reorder as needed.
For long writing projects, explore key supporting points in separate body paragraphs. Do the details in each paragraph focus on only the specific supporting point introduced in the topic sentence?
Follow a logical pattern. Do your details seem disorganized? If so, reorganize them using a logical pattern—time, location, classification, importance, deduction, induction, comparison/contrast, or cause/effect.
Maintain a consistent voice. Does your writing voice jump back and forth between formal and casual? Revise so that the voice is uniform and matches the writing situation.

Play the Editor!

Copy the sample email into a document and revise it for focus. (Scroll to the bottom to see our recommendation.)

Dear Mr. Chang,

I wanted to share with you a key detail from the annual report: This year’s referral rate increased by 10 percent over last year’s. And did you also hear about the new hire in accounting? I'm optimistic she will get our books (finally!) in order.

So anyway, about the annual report. According to the codes that new clients filled out on applications, several factors contributed to this increase:

Our summer marketing campaign reached many new clients.
Word of mouth traffic was RIDICULOUSLY great.
Our customer-satisfaction rating rose, bringing more repeat clients.

Please relate this good news to others on your team. There's no need to mention the accounting changes. Also, please use the results as you project the budget for next year.

Thanks,
Teri

Get More Support

Check out the Write for Business Guide for more ways to focus writing.

Editor's Recommendation

Dear Mr. Chang,

I wanted to share with you a key detail from the annual report: This year’s referral rate increased by 10 percent over last year’s.

According to the codes that new clients filled out on applications, several factors contributed to this increase:

Our summer marketing campaign reached many new clients.
Other clients reported hearing of us by word of mouth.
Our customer-satisfaction rating rose, bringing more repeat clients.

Please relate this good news to others on your team. Also, please use it as you project the budget for next year.

Thanks,
Teri Williams

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