Do you find it hard to write documents successfully? Do you sit at your desk racking your brains, not knowing what to write or do you have the opposite problem - there is too much to write and you don't know what to include or what to omit?

Writing successful documents - and that includes any type of document - requires certain guidelines and rules. Successful writing can be learnt, like any craft, whether you need to write business letters, reports, brochures or any other type of text.

I have compiled the top writing success tips that can help anyone produce excellent documents and will reveal several of those tips here in this article.

Firstly, any successful document requires planning. What is it you need to write about? What sort of document is it (report, flyer, marketing material etc) and who is your target audience (a client, a prospective employer, a manager and so on)? How many pages or words are required? If you know this in advance it can help you judge what you can include in your writing and also gauge how long it will take you to write. The planning stage of your writing is crucial. You do not want to rush into writing either. Sit down and give yourself time (if you have any!) to mull over your text. Giving yourself some time to ponder over the task at hand can really help your brain "work behind the scenes".

Always write out at least one rough draft of the text, perhaps jotting down some notes as you go along. Check that your language is appropriate. Is it too formal or not formal enough? Are the names and places spelt correctly and are all the figures and numbers and data correct? Any errors will detract from the credibility of your work, so it is essential to check for mistakes. This is another top tip. Always proofread your work once you have completed your writing. Sure, you can use the spell and grammar checkers on your computer, but even these will not flag up every error. In fact, some grammar checking programmes offer some very dubious, if not incorrect, advice! Most of these programmes cannot pick out omitted words or words used in the wrong context, so use them only as a last resort, to check for glaring spelling mistakes. Always re-check dates, numbers and other facts.

Another tip is to read your work aloud or, better still, get someone else to read it for you (unless of course your work is confidential). A fresh pair of eyes is always a bonus for any piece of writing. It is often the case that we can become "blind" to our own writing if we have been working on it for a long time. Another person's perspective and view can be a real asset.

KJ Hutchings is the owner of KJ Language Services, providing proofreading, editing and writing services to businesses and students. To download a copy of her no-cost report The 10 Writing Success Secrets, please visit http://www.kjlanguageservices.com/page26.htm