61 The Seven Cs of a Good Letter

What is the secret of writing a good letter? Here are two main ones. Don’t try to be fancy. Don’t try to impress your reader. You’ll be successful if you follow these seven Cs.

Clear: Use short, direct sentences. Make them easy to understand. Talk as if the reader were right there with you. Above all, don’t use an introduction.

Correct: Make sure what you say is correct. Don’t guess, even for spelling. Flip open your dictionary. If you need to, check a reference book too. Use them as much as you need to.

Complete: Don’t scatter your points. Finish one point completely before going on to the next. This is good organization too.

Courteous: Be friendly rather than flippant. Present your information nicely even if you are complaining about something. In all letters, treat others as you want them to treat you.

Concise: Make each point as clearly and briefly as you can.

Conversational: This is really the secret of good writing. Just “talk” to the person. Such a letter has a natural, friendly tone. Let your personality come through naturally.

Considerate: Think of the reader’s point of view as you write. Write about what you believe the reader needs or wants to know. Try to be helpful. This will build good feeling toward you.

The seven Cs are about writing letters. But how about school papers? Use the seven Cs. Write as if you are talking to your teacher or professor. You’ll be surprised. You’ll almost instantly become a good writer. And you might even enjoy writing from now on.

61 一封好信的七个C原则

写一封好信的秘诀是什么？主要有两点。不要追求华丽辞藻，不要试图给读者留下深刻印象。如果你遵循这七个C原则，就会成功。

清晰（Clear）：使用简短、直接的句子，让它们易于理解。说话时就像读者就在你身边一样。最重要的是，不要使用引言。

正确（Correct）：确保你所说的内容正确。即使是拼写也不要猜测，翻开你的字典。如果需要，也可以查阅参考书，尽可能多地使用它们。

完整（Complete）：不要分散你的观点，在进行下一个观点之前，先完整地阐述一个观点。这也是良好的组织结构。

礼貌（Courteous）：要友好而非轻率。即使你在抱怨某事，也要友好地呈现信息。在所有信件中，要像希望别人对待你那样对待别人。

简洁（Concise）：尽可能清晰、简洁地阐述每个观点。

会话式（Conversational）：这才是良好写作的真正秘诀。就像和对方“交谈”一样。这样的信件具有自然、友好的语气，让你的个性自然地展现出来。

体贴（Considerate）：在写作时要考虑读者的观点，写你认为读者需要或想了解的内容。尽量提供帮助，这会让读者对你产生好感。

这七个C原则是关于写信的，但学校论文呢？也可以使用这七个C原则。写作时就像在和你的老师或教授交谈一样。你会感到惊讶，几乎会立刻成为一名好作家，甚至从现在开始可能会喜欢上写作。