Myths of Writing

However, much writing on the job is about facts. Facts, especially numerical information, stand out better when they stand alone, as in the following example: Our marketing projection is based on the following information:

• 10% of the population of the city is Spanish-speaking,
• Another 15% consists of refugees and immigrants from more than 30 countries, and
• Most of this group lives in two-parent families with an average of 3.2 children per family.

Myth 5: "Don't repeat words, especially at the beginnings of sentences." What your teacher was objecting to here was the kind of writing immature writers do:

Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin. He grew up poor. He worked as a rail splitter. Lincoln became a lawyer. He was elected President. Then he was assassinated.

In the above paragraph, the sentence are short and simple; the subject matter is not complex. So the frequent repetition of "he" or other substitutes for "Abraham Lincoln" becomes boring and irritating. However, look at the following paragraph:

Blue chip stocks are those that have shown the most consistent returns over time and offer the lowest risks for the investor. Some of the most stable blue chip stocks over the past several decades have been IBM, General Electric and Coca-Cola. These stocks are often recommended for investors who prefer steady income over high, but chancy, returns.

The subjects of the three sentences are: Blue chip stocks Some of the most stable stocks These stocks

Again, similar words and phrases appear at the beginning of each sentence. But the effect on the reader is different because the sentences are longer and more complex. Also, the subject matter -- at least to the intended reader who is probably not an expert on the stock market -- is fairly complex. In this case, the repetition of the subject in each sentence helps to orient the reader -- to repeat what the paragraph is about, and to lead to the new information being added in each sentence.

So the next time you hear your freshman English teacher's voice in your ear, stop and consider: Are you writing an essay on metaphors in the works of Milton -- or a memo to your boss explaining why you need to make that field visit to the plant in Honolulu? Choose your writing tools accordingly.

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