Half of You Will Make This Mistake: You’ll Neglect Blank Lines

White space is a writer’s best friend.

Transcript

1. Half of You Will
   Make This Mistake:
   You’ll Neglect
   Blank Lines
   for Business Writing
   

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2. How your work looks
   can be as important
   as what it says.
   

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3. How your work looks
   can be as important
   as what it says.
   

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4. Example #1
   

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5. 1. He’s extremely likable. While he is very smart, able, and
   passionate about all the work that he’s done, none of these
   words are the first adjectives that those who have worked
   with Pichai will use to describe him. In interviews with those
   who Pichai has worked for, who he has worked with, and
   those who have worked under him, all praise the new CEO
   as being extremely soft-spoken, captivating, and well liked
   in the professional environment.
   2. He’s loyal. Once Pichai started to rise up the ranks of
   Google, people started to pay attention. Not just people
   within the company, but high-ranking executives of other
   major tech giants were noticing this Indian executive and the
   alluring, yet precise way in which he conducted business.
   Both Twitter and Microsoft approached Pichai with upscale
   offers (Twitter has done this twice so far) before he was
   even given the title of Product Chief in October of 2014. Yet
   Pichai’s commitment and loyalty to his work and Google as
   a whole kept him zeroed in on the company’s mission,
   brushing away other offers without much of a second
   thought.
   3. He’s team-centric. Many savants, especially after
   realizing their skills and expertise, can become self-centered
   — sometimes to the point where it negatively affects their
   work. The opposite is true with Pichai.
   

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6. 1. He’s extremely likable. While he is very smart, able, and
   passionate about all the work that he’s done, none of these
   words are the first adjectives that those who have worked
   with Pichai will use to describe him. In interviews with those
   who Pichai has worked for, who he has worked with, and
   those who have worked under him, all praise the new CEO
   as being extremely soft-spoken, captivating, and well liked
   in the professional environment.
   2. He’s loyal. Once Pichai started to rise up the ranks of
   Google, people started to pay attention. Not just people
   within the company, but high-ranking executives of other
   major tech giants were noticing this Indian executive and the
   alluring, yet precise way in which he conducted business.
   Both Twitter and Microsoft approached Pichai with upscale
   offers (Twitter has done this twice so far) before he was
   even given the title of Product Chief in October of 2014. Yet
   Pichai’s commitment and loyalty to his work and Google as
   a whole kept him zeroed in on the company’s mission,
   brushing away other offers without much of a second
   thought.
   3. He’s team-centric. Many savants, especially after
   realizing their skills and expertise, can become self-centered
   — sometimes to the point where it negatively affects their
   work. The opposite is true with Pichai.
   

   View Slide

7. 1. He’s extremely likable. While he is very smart, able, and
   passionate about all the work that he’s done, none of these
   words are the first adjectives that those who have worked
   with Pichai will use to describe him. In interviews with those
   who Pichai has worked for, who he has worked with, and
   those who have worked under him, all praise the new CEO
   as being extremely soft-spoken, captivating, and well liked
   in the professional environment.
   2. He’s loyal. Once Pichai started to rise up the ranks of
   Google, people started to pay attention. Not just people
   within the company, but high-ranking executives of other
   major tech giants were noticing this Indian executive and the
   alluring, yet precise way in which he conducted business.
   Both Twitter and Microsoft approached Pichai with upscale
   offers (Twitter has done this twice so far) before he was
   even given the title of Product Chief in October of 2014. Yet
   Pichai’s commitment and loyalty to his work and Google as
   a whole kept him zeroed in on the company’s mission,
   brushing away other offers without much of a second
   thought.
   3. He’s team-centric. Many savants, especially after
   realizing their skills and expertise, can become self-centered
   — sometimes to the point where it negatively affects their
   work. The opposite is true with Pichai.
   Insert blank line
   

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8. 1. He’s extremely likable. While he is very smart, able, and
   passionate about all the work that he’s done, none of these
   words are the first adjectives that those who have worked
   with Pichai will use to describe him. In interviews with those
   who Pichai has worked for, who he has worked with, and
   those who have worked under him, all praise the new CEO
   as being extremely soft-spoken, captivating, and well liked
   in the professional environment.
   2. He’s loyal. Once Pichai started to rise up the ranks of
   Google, people started to pay attention. Not just people
   within the company, but high-ranking executives of other
   major tech giants were noticing this Indian executive and the
   alluring, yet precise way in which he conducted business.
   Both Twitter and Microsoft approached Pichai with upscale
   offers (Twitter has done this twice so far) before he was
   even given the title of Product Chief in October of 2014. Yet
   Pichai’s commitment and loyalty to his work and Google as
   a whole kept him zeroed in on the company’s mission,
   brushing away other offers without much of a second
   thought.
   3. He’s team-centric. Many savants, especially after
   realizing their skills and expertise, can become self-centered
   — sometimes to the point where it negatively affects their
   work. The opposite is true with Pichai.
   Insert blank line
   Insert blank line
   

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9. Before
   1. He’s extremely likable. While he is very
   smart, able, and passionate about all the work
   that he’s done, none of these words are the first
   adjectives that those who have worked with
   Pichai will use to describe him. In interviews
   with those who Pichai has worked for, who he
   has worked with, and those who have worked
   under him, all praise the new CEO as being
   extremely soft-spoken, captivating, and well
   liked.
   2. He’s loyal. Once Pichai started to rise up the
   ranks of Google, people started to pay attention.
   Not just people within the company, but high-
   ranking executives of other major tech giants
   were noticing this Indian executive and the
   alluring, yet precise way in which he conducted
   business.
   3. He’s team-centric. Many savants, especially
   after realizing their skills and expertise, can
   become self-centered — sometimes to the point
   where it negatively affects their work. The
   opposite is true with Pichai.
   After
   1. He’s extremely likable. While he is very
   smart, able, and passionate about all the work
   that he’s done, none of these words are the first
   adjectives that those who have worked with
   Pichai will use to describe him. In interviews
   with those who Pichai has worked for, who he
   has worked with, and those who have worked
   under him, all praise the new CEO as being
   extremely soft-spoken, captivating, and well
   liked.
   2. He’s loyal. Once Pichai started to rise up the
   ranks of Google, people started to pay attention.
   Not just people within the company, but high-
   ranking executives of other major tech giants
   were noticing this Indian executive and the
   alluring, yet precise way in which he conducted
   business.
   3. He’s team-centric. Many savants, especially
   after realizing their skills and expertise, can
   become self-centered — sometimes to the point
   where it negatively affects their work. The
   opposite is true with Pichai.
   

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10. Example #2
    

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11. want to discuss and make them into a well-organized
    outline. This then allows me to often just take my main
    points directly off the outline and formulate them into
    well-structured sentences.
    Weaknesses
    1. Wall of Words. I often struggle to formulate my great
    ideas into sentences. This leads to overthinking a
    sentence and trying too hard to make a sentence
    “perfect.” Another other issue that often occurs in my
    writing is the wall of words that make my sentences
    seem laborious and tough to read. My writing sometimes
    seems dragged out and I often struggle to get to the main
    point that I am trying to make in the most efficient way
    possible. This may lead my readers to getting bored
    because my writing is not clear and concise.
    2. Proofreading. Proofreading seems like such an easy
    task, but when I often read over what I have written, I
    never seem to catch the obvious mistakes. These include
    simple errors such as sentence fragments, run-ons, and
    punctuation which are mistakes that should be easily
    caught while proofreading my paper. Sometimes when
    you are in the flow of writing you often focus more on
    what you say and don’t stop to check over what you
    actually wrote. This leads to many mistakes
    grammatically. Proofreading my papers has been
    something that I have consistently struggled with as a
    writer.
    Opportunities
    1. Newspapers and Magazines. I am always looking to
    improve my writing. Some ways that I can do this is by
    reading the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
    want to discuss and make them into a well-organized
    outline. This then allows me to often just take my main
    points directly off the outline and formulate them into
    well-structured sentences.
    Weaknesses
    1. Wall of Words. I often struggle to formulate my great
    ideas into sentences. This leads to overthinking a
    sentence and trying too hard to make a sentence
    “perfect.” Another other issue that often occurs in my
    writing is the wall of words that make my sentences
    seem laborious and tough to read. My writing sometimes
    seems dragged out and I often struggle to get to the main
    point that I am trying to make in the most efficient way
    possible. This may lead my readers to getting bored
    because my writing is not clear and concise.
    2. Proofreading. Proofreading seems like such an easy
    task, but when I often read over what I have written, I
    never seem to catch the obvious mistakes. These include
    simple errors such as sentence fragments, run-ons, and
    punctuation which are mistakes that should be easily
    caught while proofreading my paper. Sometimes when
    you are in the flow of writing you often focus more on
    what you say and don’t stop to check over what you
    actually wrote. This leads to many mistakes
    grammatically. Proofreading my papers has been
    something that I have consistently struggled with as a
    writer.
    Opportunities
    1. Newspapers and Magazines. I am always looking to
    improve my writing. Some ways that I can do this is by
    reading the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
    

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12. Mark Keystrokes Explanation
    Line Break
    (Hard)
    Enter Separates one paragraph
    from another (not visually,
    but technically).
    Line Break
    (Soft)
    Shift + Enter Moves the cursor to the next
    line but keeps the paragraphs
    together in the same “style.”
    Used often in headlines,
    to avoid breaking a phrase
    or leaving a short word
    on its own.
    Blank Line Enter + Enter Starts a new paragraph
    with space before the new
    paragraph.
    

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13. A Related Point
    

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14. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
    Integer eu cursus justo, sit amet ullamcorper massa. Morbi
    commodo felis libero. Aliquam porta magna quis turpis
    maximus auctor. Ut est ante, cursus quis leo placerat,
    sollicitudin mattis felis. Proin a ligula arcu. Aliquam
    elementum risus maximus elit maximus varius. Vivamus ut
    volutpat mi. Donec mauris nisl, tristique a dui nec, pretium
    sagittis nibh. Vestibulum placerat dui dui, nec blandit velit
    pulvinar in. Aenean mollis luctus ultrices. Class aptent taciti
    sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos
    himenaeos. Donec in metus pulvinar sem sodales tempor.
    Proin pharetra tristique diam eget egestas. Aliquam erat
    volutpat. Vivamus pharetra enim ac massa consectetur, vitae
    imperdiet magna scelerisque. Donec non dolor ut erat
    vestibulum convallis id et nisl. Donec vitae imperdiet dui.
    Etiam luctus ac velit vel malesuada. Ut neque nunc, sodales
    ac tellus a, semper faucibus diam. Mauris in rutrum eros, sed
    accumsan odio. Nulla facilisi. Nunc et tristique velit. Proin
    vulputate dignissim ligula quis rutrum. Sed scelerisque
    ornare convallis. Ut id faucibus mauris, ac efficitur felis.
    

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15. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
    Integer eu cursus justo, sit amet ullamcorper massa. Morbi
    commodo felis libero. Aliquam porta magna quis turpis
    maximus auctor. Ut est ante, cursus quis leo placerat,
    sollicitudin mattis felis.
    Proin a ligula arcu.
    Aliquam elementum risus maximus elit maximus varius.
    Vivamus ut volutpat mi. Donec mauris nisl, tristique a dui
    nec, pretium sagittis nibh. Vestibulum placerat dui dui, nec
    blandit velit pulvinar in. Aenean mollis luctus ultrices.
    Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia
    nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Donec in metus pulvinar sem
    sodales tempor. Proin pharetra tristique diam eget egestas.
    Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus pharetra enim ac massa
    consectetur, vitae imperdiet magna scelerisque. Donec non
    dolor ut erat vestibulum convallis id et nisl.
    Donec vitae imperdiet dui. Etiam luctus ac velit vel
    malesuada. Ut neque nunc, sodales ac tellus a, semper
    faucibus diam. Mauris in rutrum eros, sed accumsan odio.
    Nulla facilisi.
    Nunc et tristique velit. Proin vulputate dignissim ligula quis
    rutrum. Sed scelerisque ornare convallis. Ut id faucibus
    mauris, ac efficitur felis.
    

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16. Before
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur
    adipiscing elit. Integer eu cursus justo, sit amet
    ullamcorper massa. Morbi commodo felis
    libero. Aliquam porta magna quis turpis
    maximus auctor. Ut est ante, cursus quis leo
    placerat, sollicitudin mattis felis. Proin a ligula
    arcu. Aliquam elementum risus maximus elit
    maximus varius. Vivamus ut volutpat mi. Donec
    mauris nisl, tristique a dui nec, pretium sagittis
    nibh. Vestibulum placerat dui dui, nec blandit
    velit pulvinar in. Aenean mollis luctus ultrices.
    Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent
    per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos.
    Donec in metus pulvinar sem sodales tempor.
    Proin pharetra tristique diam eget egestas.
    Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus pharetra enim
    ac massa consectetur, vitae imperdiet magna
    scelerisque. Donec non dolor ut erat vestibulum
    convallis id et nisl.
    After
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur
    adipiscing elit. Integer eu cursus justo, sit amet
    ullamcorper massa. Morbi commodo felis
    libero. Aliquam porta magna quis turpis
    maximus auctor. Ut est ante, cursus quis leo
    placerat, sollicitudin mattis felis.
    Proin a ligula arcu.
    Aliquam elementum risus maximus elit
    maximus varius. Vivamus ut volutpat mi. Donec
    mauris nisl, tristique a dui nec, pretium sagittis
    nibh. Vestibulum placerat dui dui, nec blandit
    velit pulvinar in. Aenean mollis luctus ultrices.
    Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent
    per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos.
    Donec in metus pulvinar sem sodales tempor.
    Proin pharetra tristique diam eget egestas.
    Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus pharetra enim
    ac massa consectetur, vitae imperdiet magna
    scelerisque. Donec non dolor ut erat vestibulum
    convallis id et nisl.
    

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17. 6
    That’s how many lines
    you should limit each paragraph to.
    

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18. How your work looks
    can be as important
    as what it says.
    

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19. How your work looks
    can be as important
    as what it says.
    

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