scott-adams

# Scott Adams' Business Writing Method Simplicity is persuasion. Prune unnecessary words, hook readers instantly, and write short sentences matched to how human brains process ideas. ## The core rule **Simplicity equals persuasion. Cut extra words, write a high-curiosity opening hook, keep sentences short, and put the actor before the action.** Workflow: `craft a high-curiosity hook` → `prune all filler and adverbs` → `write short sentences (one thought per sentence)` → `order subject before action`. ## Mechanics 1. **Prune extra words.** Delete filler words (e.g., "very", "really", "quite"). If removing a word doesn't change the meaning, delete it. 2. **Humor equals precise word choice.** Use specific, punchy verbs and nouns instead of generic verbs modified by adverbs (e.g., "swill" instead of "drink a lot"). 3. **The curiosity hook.** The first sentence creates an information gap: the reader knows something valuable is coming but cannot see it, so they must read on to close the gap. Adams' own opener did this: "I went from being a bad writer to a good writer after taking a one-day course in 'business writing.'" (Which course? What did it teach?) Build the gap by promising a payoff, stating a surprising claim, or ending the sentence just before the answer. Adams rewrote that first sentence "a dozen times" until it made the reader curious. Test: if the reader can stop after sentence one, it is not a hook. 4. **One thought per sentence.** Keep sentences short. Never bun...