How Good Layout Makes Your Writing Attractive to Read?
Good layout helps to make your writing attractive to read. A good document is easy to look at and easy to read. Keep the format and appearance simple and clear. Here are some tips to give your text a good appearance.
- Use clear, short and specific headings and subheadings to guide your reader through the text.
- Use bold text instead of underlined text in headings.
- Use Mixed Case instead of ALL CAPITALS in headings.
- Do not justify text to the right if it leaves ugly spaces between words.
- Use single-spaced text for letters, memos and reports.
- Avoid dividing words at the end of lines if possible. Too many end-of-line divisions cause the reader difficulty or even confusion. For example:
Mr Christopher James was a not-
able administrator.
- Never leave fewer than three letters at the end of a line or the beginning of the next line if you are dividing words.
- Do not use several different typefaces or type sizes on one page.
- Use block paragraphs (without indents) and a line between paragraphs for general business writing.
- Try to avoid breaking paragraphs between pages of typed text, especially if you leave one line of a paragraph on the previous or next page.
- Make sure you leave the reader plenty of white space. Have adequate margins, headings and footers. Don’t crowd your page.
- Don’t overuse long paragraphs. Use short paragraphs. A good guide in business writing is to keep the average below six lines.
- Use dot points to break up lists – but don’t overuse this technique. Readers need sentences and paragraphs to read through your text and to follow your message.
