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

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

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

Example #1

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Example #2

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.

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.

A Related Point

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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