100 Documents

Almost nobody is ever taught to write the documents that decide things. The letter that gets the refund. The notice that ends the tenancy properly. The reference that changes somebody's year. The report that gets read rather than filed. These are learnt by getting them wrong, usually at the worst possible moment.

This is a hundred of them, written out in full.

Not templates. There is not a square bracket in the book. Every one of the hundred is a complete, specific piece of writing, from the subject line to the signature, so you can see how it actually holds together instead of guessing what goes in the gaps.

Every document gives you four things: when you need it and what the reader is looking for; four things it must carry; the whole document; and three things to avoid, each with the reason.

Asking for something. Covering letters. Speculative letters. References. Leave. Flexible hours. School and course applications. Payment plans. Information you are entitled to. Quotations. Landlords and neighbours. Grants. Extensions. Discounts. Promotions. Public bodies. Repairs. Confidentiality. Getting it in writing.

When something has gone wrong. A first complaint. Escalating one that has been ignored. Disputed invoices. Refunds. Missing deliveries. Poor workmanship. A repair a landlord has not done. A concern at a school. A formal grievance. Replying to a complaint about you. Insurance claims. Appeals. The final letter before further steps. Ombudsmen. Cancellation periods. Penalty charges. Service charges. Withdrawing a complaint, and accepting a settlement.

Telling people something. Notice. Tenancies. Cancellations. A change of address. A price increase. A delay. A change to a team. An out-of-office and a handover. Meeting notices. Notices to neighbours. Not renewing. Withdrawing from a course. Closures and moves. Telling clients you are leaving. A handover to your successor. A change to terms.

Writing it down. One-page status reports. Incident reports. Minutes. Proposals. Business cases. Risk notes. What went wrong. Recommendations. One-page summaries. Visit reports. Self-assessments. Audit responses. Comparisons of options. Briefing notes. Closing reports. Records of decisions. Approval requests. Committee reports. Expense explanations. Notes to file.

And the ones that are about people. A reference for somebody who worked for you. A character reference. A letter supporting an application. An introduction. A thank-you worth keeping. Congratulation. Condolence. A letter to somebody who is seriously ill. An apology. Repairing a falling-out. Asking somebody to stop. Saying no. Invitations. A letter to a doctor. Consent and permission. A personal statement. A letter to somebody you have lost touch with. A letter to go with a gift. A letter to be read later. And a note of where everything is.

At the back: how to open and close a letter to anybody, in sixteen situations; forty-eight phrases and what to write instead; twelve sentences worth knowing by heart; how to keep a record so the fourth letter is stronger than the first; a fourteen-line check to run before you send; and a finder that takes you from a situation to the documents that cover it.

This book is not legal advice and does not give it. It shows how documents of various kinds are commonly written. What your rights are depends on where you live and on your own circumstances.

100 documents · 400 things they must carry · 300 things to avoid