Personally, I think great writing doesn’t happen until you start learning how to throw things away. How can you ever get specific if you’re so attached to the fluff?

And yet you’re spot on. The same people who, despite spending three months deciding on which stereo they want to buy, spend three minutes investing in getting one step closer to a job interview. I read about thirty cover letters a day. They all look a bit (or a lot) like this: generic, uninspiring, unspecific.

My question is this:

The cover letter above is 200 words. How would you rewrite it to be more effective in no more than 150 words?

Thanks – I don’t come to the site often, but subscribe via my reader. I enjoy your writing a lot.

One reason that I think most can’t write? It’s not a part of standardized tests in the schools; therefore, there’s not as much emphasis placed on writing today as there was in past generations…keep in mind that I’m 28, not some old geezer who starts every sentence with “When I was your age…”. Also, not as many parents read to their kids as they did before. I am very grateful that my parents read to me when I was young, was forced to visit the library on a regular basis (still have a library card in my wallet) and had great English teachers in high school. When I have kids someday, you better believe that they are going to get books as presents (maybe not from me, but Santa has a Borders card) and writing will be a #1 priority.

Amen for breaking it down and not sparing anyone’s feelings. Another great post, Jason!

I’m partial to Copyblogger and Write to Done, but your mileage may vary (as they say on the interwebz)….

Two things about that:
1. I’m not claiming to have great detail orientation. My strength is in getting people to see the world a new way. I need an editor, and am the first to admit it.

2. Thanks Willy Franzen for your email. I appreciate that you took the time to find as many errors as you could with my piece. It’s nice to recall a time in life when I could indulge in being so helpful. Seriously.

And I don’t mean just fantasy football breakdowns, tabloid schlock and pulpy genre fiction (although even these can be quite good sometimes, in their way). I mean work that stretches your abilities, like a good exercise routine; writing that’s proved its greatness over time. There’s a reason that the classics are classics, after all.

Short version: writing is thinking made visible. Make sure yours highlights your assets (instead of revealing your liabilities). And never stop growing those assets: the human brain is an *amazingly* plastic and dynamic organ.