Scott Adams explains how he transformed from a bad writer to a good writer after taking a single business writing course, and shares the key techniques that made the difference.

The Core Philosophy:

Business writing is fundamentally about clarity and persuasion, with simplicity as the main weapon. Adams argues that a good argument delivered in five sentences will be more persuasive than a brilliant argument buried in a hundred sentences. The goal is to make your writing so clear and direct that readers can't help but understand and be swayed by it.

Key Techniques:

The first rule is ruthless pruning - eliminate unnecessary words like "very" that add nothing but clutter. Write "He was happy" instead of "He was very happy." For humor writing, the same simplicity applies but with more colorful word choices - say "swill" instead of "drink" when it fits the tone.

Your opening sentence is critical and should be rewritten multiple times until it creates curiosity that pulls readers in. Keep sentences short with one thought each, because readers process information differently than you might expect. Structure sentences so the subject comes before the action ("the boy hit the ball" rather than "the ball was hit by the boy") because brains naturally organize ideas this way.

Why It Works:

Adams emphasizes that readers aren't as smart as you think - not because they lack intelligence, but because they're processing your writing quickly and won't work hard to decode complex sentences. By aligning your writing with how brains naturally process information, you make it effortless for readers to follow your logic.

TL;DR:

• Main principle: Simple writing is persuasive writing
• Key rule: Ruthlessly cut unnecessary words and keep sentences short
• Structure: Put subjects before actions, one thought per sentence
• Opening: Rewrite your first sentence until it creates curiosity
• Result: These basic techniques cover 80% of good writing rules
• Application: Works for both business and humor writing with slight word choice variations