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Picked up a couple of useful lessons working at the State Department. A very effective proofreading trick is to start at the end of your text and read it back to front. This helps prevent you from seeing what you expect to see rather than what’s actually “on the page”. Read your text out loud as you review it, again this helps prevent you “reading” what you expect to see. Trying to write quickly on a deadline is hard, I used to complain that i didn’t have time to write short - so begin be sticking to the barest text with noun, verb, and subject and no adverbs, adjectives, or conjunctions (I.e., short simple sentences). BTW, in retirement I regularly violate all of these rules so it takes focus and practice.

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For me this has long been the key to success: “decide what you want to say and then say it.” The first part is always the hardest part for me.

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Thanks, Ted. I've found that my thinking is rarely fully formed in my head. Drafting helps me clarify what I want to say. In many cases, it helps me discover if I have anything important to say (I've got a folder full of half-written drafts).

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I am thrilled to find that the military prioritises excellent writing. Thank you for this piece, Sir Mosher.

I live in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.

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