Before you write a letter, ask yourself the following questions—they are designed to help you select the appropriate language and amount of information your reader needs.

1. Describe your reader: 
1. how much does your reader know about your subject?
2. what values does your reader hold about your subject in his or her professional role?
3. what attitude does your reader have about this subject?
4. what attitude (if any) does your reader have about you?
5. imagine the circumstances under which your reader is reading the letter (i.e. is he or she very busy?  traveling?  is there a great deal of competition for what you are requesting or suggesting?)

2. Based on the above information, think about the following:
1. how much information should your letter contain?
2. what kind of style do you want to use (informal, formal, technical)?
3. do you need to appeal to the reader’s values or not?
4. what kind of appeal might be successful?
5. exactly what do you want the reader to do when he or she finishes the letter—include that in the last paragraph

3. Consider the following regarding letter formatting:
1. the first paragraph tells the reader what the letter is about
2. the second paragraph explains the request without getting too wordy
3. subsequent body paragraphs explain further (if needed)
4. one page letters are preferred to longer ones
5. the last paragraph usually contains a polite request
6. be sure your grammar and spelling are correct before sending the letter

You can go over your letter and have a tutor check it for correctness at the Writing Center.

PRE-WRITING STRATEGIES FOR LETTER WRITING

When you need to write a letter, you should use the proper format. Here is a model letter with the parts marked.

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