Powerful Wisdom for Powerful Writing: Applying Ancient Teachings to Contemporary Writing

By Richard W. Kelsey

Powerful Wisdom for Powerful Writing will catapult you into the 21st Century with a rock-solid foundation for a good business letter.

My primary purpose for this book is to give you a proven approach for any letter. In addition, you will be given many snares to avoid for getting your desired results. The Bonus Chapters will expand your awareness abouta person's silent message.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 29, 2008
• ISBN: 9781434364005

Richard W. Kelsey

My roots are in Texas. My past wife (married, 12/1964) and I graduated the same night from the University of Texas in 1966. My older sister, Carrie Cline (family name: Toots), reared me from age 10. Toots needed my help in 1998. I returned to Texas and began helping her and her husband, David Cline, for a pay-back time. My early retirement as a Civil Engineer ended after David and Toots died. I returned to Civil Engineering work with the Texas Highway Department. Working with Texas engineers who did not joke about me talking funny was my pleasure and privilege. Upon returning to Texas 1998, after 32 years of living in other places, my family told me that I thought funny, but never mentioned how I talked funny. I have been told that I now have a mixed accent, which is Texan spoken with a California flavor.

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© 2008 Richard W. Kelsey, PE. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse      1/21/2008

ISBN: 978-1-4343-6400-5 (ebk)

ISBN: 978-1-4343-5988-9 (sc)

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1:

Putting the Power into Your Writing

Chapter 2:

Big Words are an Ego Trip

Chapter 3:

Antique Words Baffle

Chapter 4:

Words, Words, and More Words

Chapter 5:

More Flaws that Plague Letters

Chapter 6:

Personality in Business Letters

Chapter 7:

Getting Your Things Done With Others

Bonus Chapter One:

ACTIVE LISTENING

Bonus Chapter Two:

BODY LANGUAGE

Bonus Chapter Three:

WIN-WIN NEGOTIATIONS

NOTES:

BOOK CLOSING

Preface

Overview

Powerful Wisdom for Powerful Writing will catapult you into the 21st Century with a rock-solid foundation for good business letters.

My primary purpose for this book is to give you a proven approach for any letter. In addition, you will be given many snares to avoid for getting your desired results. The Bonus Chapters will expand your awareness about what people tell you.

What is valuable about the past genius in writing? Building on the past can significantly strengthen your future writing. This handbook’s powerful wisdom includes some old secrets about letters that only a few famous (and not so famous) people used. Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, and Frank Dignan all stumbled on a secret. Who is Frank Dignan you ask? You will find out in Chapter 7.

Highlights

Many people in modern literature have danced around the simple formula given in this book. Others authors have called it, with great fanfare and hoopla, a three-legged stool. Abraham Lincoln and a few other people developed the secret to an art form. You will soon know some well-kept secrets about writing to get results. You will get the following tools:

1. A simple three-step approach is given and documented from past classical writers who used the approach, but never documented their methods.

2. Several common mistakes are addressed with examples of how to make your writing more readable and effective.

3. Personality in your writing can make or break your purpose of sending a letter. You will discover when and how to use your humor to not offend the reader.

4. Every letter should have a well-defined purpose. We depend on other people to achieve our success. Learn more about working with others on their level to solve their problems and earn their respect.

Bonus Chapters

Three Bonus Chapters have been included to hone your skills of writing to meet the needs and desires of others.

 Active Listening can be used to discover expectations of a client or reader. Personal interviews go a long way toward knowing the world as perceived by another person.

 Body Language is the visual argument of another person and of you. What we say must agree with our body language, or people will not trust what you say.

 Win-Win Negotiation goes into what matters in a controlled argument with exchange of viewpoints. Winning is not the most important issue.

False Wisdom of Our Time

This book concerns using TRUE WISDOM to better communicate with people in letters and personal conversations. BEWARE of false wisdom all around you that manipulates your mind toward what does not work. There is wisdom in simplicity and joy in kindness to others. Solomon enjoyed reducing the complex to a simple thought. Solomon records the following true wisdom:

Better a poor and wise youth, than an old and foolish king (or boss)…

— Ecclesiastes 4:13

Insanity is doing the same thing or writing the same way over and over again, then expecting (or hoping for) different results.

Acknowledgements

A special thanks to Mary Singh, my well-educated neighbor. She gave me help and encouragement during the early stages of my book. Mary graduated from Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas. I owe a debt of gratitude to my old friend Don D. in Redding California. Don and I worked together for many years with The California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS). My home-state friends, Judy (Hess) Jennings and Mike Stuart, contributed their time to final proof this book which I deeply appreciate.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my beloved past wife, Judy and our two children. Judy still lives in the big house that we built together in Northern California about 1980. We had a friendly divorce, and I still respect her as the mother of our two children. Our son, "Awesome Dawson," is a Smokejumper for US Forest Service. Our loving daughter, Alice, takes care of other people’s children in a Day Care Center.

Author’s Biographical Sketch

My roots are in Texas. My past wife (married, 12/1964) and I graduated the same night from the University of Texas in 1966. My older sister, Carrie Cline (family name: Toots), reared me from age 10. Toots needed my help in 1998. I returned to Texas and began helping her and her husband, David Cline, for a "pay-back" time.

My early retirement as a Civil Engineer ended after David and Toots died. I returned to Civil Engineering work with the Texas Highway Department. Working with Texas engineers who did not joke about me "talking funny" was my pleasure and privilege.

Upon returning to Texas 1998, after 32 years of living in other places, my family told me that I "thought funny," but never mentioned how I "talked funny." I have been told that I now have a mixed accent, which is Texan spoken with a California flavor.

Book Comments

Your comments about this book are welcome. This is my best effort to share some of my experience with writing and dealing with people. Please send any comments, good or bad, to me by email: [e-mail].

PART 1:

THE ANATOMY OF A LETTER

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Chapter 1:

Putting the Power into Your Writing

Solomon says in Proverbs 21:5, The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty. In other words, a failure to plan is a plan to fail.

Power writing with wisdom follows a simple format. Other literature gives the simple method different element names and divides the three basic elements into more parts. For example, special letters such as direct mailers, have the same three basic elements, but different element segment names, more segments, plus a PS to entice readers.

The Three Basic Elements

My first exposure to three elements of a good business letter came from L. E. Frailey’s book about business letters. I bought the book soon after graduating from University of Texas in 1966 because, as