You will be judged

Fair or not, people will judge your intelligence, competence and even your integrity on how well you can write. Whether it is reports, minutes or simply email messages there is no escaping the need to write (and write well) in the modern workplace. Equally, in this high-paced world we’re likely to make mistakes in our haste to get things done, potentially coming across as uneducated, ill-informed and possibly even lazy! We pour our hearts out, onto the paper (metaphorically), where it sits defenceless against ill-considered judgement and poorly informed opinion. This is a common concern for many of us and peer or senior review is suggested to be one of the most feared work experiences, second only to public speaking. 

Having their work reviewed (and criticised) is often a concern of new medical writers when they join Niche. I always reassure them that all but the most self-confident writers fear that their work wont be well received. No one wants to look foolish. A common issue I have heard from medical writers over the last 20 years (and a question I have regularly asked myself) is “How do I assess my own work?”

Obviously, when we write for a client they are the ultimate arbiters of quality. However, I find that most of us are our own harshest critics – needing text to be perfect before anyone else reviews it – particularly if that is your in-house editor (who is only working to ensure that your audience sees a perfect document). I am no different from anyone else, I am still sensitive to the feedback of others, even after 30 years of writing professionally. 

There are several simple techniques you can adopt to review your writing objectively and improve its quality. In our recent Insider’s Insight we provide a comprehensive guide to steps you can take to help you develop your writing skills and build your confidence. I would strongly advise anyone hoping for a successful career to download and study our free guide. However, if time is tight and you need help with that request for a promotion or pay rise NOW this summary (below) will help.

Start with the mnemonic PERL:

Print your work: Working with the printed form may seem anachronistic but you should give it serious consideration if you want the best results. To approach your own work critically, you need to simulate an ‘outsider’ perspective by viewing it in a medium other than the one you wrote it in (typically on screen). In the printed form you not only have, with the aid of a red pen, the opportunity to correct any errors, typos and omissions but also introduce layers of new arguments and data (as you add and scrub-out edits), improving your content. 

Edit drafts: Good editing can transform a mediocre and confusing text into a great piece of literature (or business critical email). It is one of the most important aspects of the writing process – no one gets it right on the first draft. Once you have a draft, be prepared to craft your text through several review cycles so that it eventually speaks clearly. In the words of Louis Brandeis, “There is no great writing, only great re-writing.”

Read your work out loud: Reading out loud helps you notice mistakes and odd-sounding phrasing. The process of reading out loud (and listening) uses a different set of cerebral circuits which are independent of the internal narrative you used when writing. It may feel like you are back at school but it will give you a different insight, if the text causes you to trip or hesitate it probably needs to be rewritten. 

Leave your ‘paint’ to dry: Word-blindness makes it challenging to properly critique and/or correct your own work – you are simply too close to it. It’s hard to edit or proofread a paper that you’ve just finished writing – it’s still too familiar, and you tend to skip over many of your errors. A week, a day or even an hour later will bring a new perspective to your creation (the optimal period seems to be around 2 days if your schedule permits). 

The next step is to take advantage of the resources available to you.

• Ask someone to read your work. Embrace your fear of judgement. If you want to achieve the highest professional position you can you are going to have to accept that people are going to read your work – you need to become comfortable with sharing your writing. Start with someone you trust if you are particularly nervous.
• Keep relevant guidelines and writing style guides handy. You always need to ensure your work assumes the appropriate tone and meets with any local and/or international guidelines – including advertising and government regulations. Cross-reference guides when you have doubts. You might also want to think carefully about possible plagiarism – you can find a handy guide here <<plagiarism>>.
• Online readability and grammar checkers (Grammarly, Hemingway or Readable for example) can guide you on how best to structure and phrase your text. Free sites are available and different tools assess your work with different parameters. However, you might want to consider carefully possible intellectual property issues if you are writing for a commercial client. 
• Read around the subject you are writing about. I was a track runner when I was younger and my coach would always advise me to run through the line – not focus on the line. Where you are writing about a specific subject it can be useful to have an understanding of the background and a good grasp of the associated syntax.

Finally, I always tell writers that their ultimate goal is to become masters of their craft. So the best way to address this ambition is to take responsibility for your own development. We all need to be open to continued learning so that the next time we are faced with a challenge we are best placed to rise to it. Everyone's back catalogue is littered with failure. With this in mind you should:

• Take the time to study some examples of best practice in leading publications. Reading high-quality writing gives you a good idea of structure that you can use as a guide. It also gives you a benchmark and a standard to which you can aspire. I always advise our writers to build their own resource library of example texts relevant to their field of study that they can cross-reference easily.
• Review work you have written previously to see if you can spot any recurring mistakes or bad habits. Look for both strengths and weaknesses in your writing. Learn from your mistakes. Keep details handy of any errors, mistakes or content your reviewers, clients or editors have had issues with or amended. I still have a list tacked to a white board on the wall behind my screen. If you aren’t getting feedback on your work, don’t be afraid to ask for it.
• Attend writing courses, they are a good way of learning best practice – courses usually focus on specific types of writing (scientific manuscripts, journalism etc.). Take refresher courses from time to time. Some courses, like the Niche course on writing clinical study reports, will give attendees personalised feedback and will continue to respond to questions long after you have attended a course.
• Try writing something outside your comfort zone. For example, it can be beneficial for medical writers to try their hands at creative writing, travel journalism or fiction. Starting a regular blog can be helpful in making you focus on creating text that you feel could be useful to others. When writing becomes a chore, it’s time to stop and refocus.
• Start your own style guide to follow. Some people might call this a swipe file – a collection of work you find inspiring and useful. There is no set format for a style guide – it could be a Microsoft Word document including sample texts or it might be a physical file containing ads, articles, blogs or poetry. You might also include a record of why you have selected each example.
• Keep reading, particularly in the field in which you generally work. Regular reading is one of the best ways to become a better writer. Obviously, reading opens your mind to new voices and styles of writing, but that isn’t the only reason: our fields are constantly changing. We can’t expect to remain up-to-date on everything. Reading will help you to become a better writer without even realising you’re learning! But you can also read with the specific purpose of writing – try our Insider’s Insights if you want somewhere to start.

Sadly, not everyone is born a natural writer. There are a lucky few – but, for the rest of us, becoming a good writer takes time and effort. Improved writing does not happen overnight, but it will happen. Your skills will develop with a concerted effort, practice and patience. If nothing else, enjoy being creative. With time you will look back on a portfolio of documents of different shapes and sizes, all written by you.

Tim Hardman is Managing Director of Niche Science & Technology Ltd., a bespoke services CRO based in the UK. He is also Chairman of the Association of Human Pharmacology in the Pharmaceutical Industry and an occasional commentator on science, business and the process of drug development.