Tagged

OK, so I've been tagged by Kendra, and I thought it might be fun to actually do it. The rules of this tag are: "Look up from the computer, look around the room where you're sitting and pick up the closest book. And closest really means closest. No cheating by running to another room to pick out a book. Open the book, turn to page 123, count down to the fifth sentence on that page, and then post the next three sentences."

Here's from the Handbook of Technical Writing, Fifth Edition. (Hey, I'm at work – what can I say? And I didn't count the numerous documentation drafts that surround me either.)

"Other readers may finish a letter that presents bad news at the outset, but they tend to read what follows with a predetermined opinion. They may be skeptical about an explanation, or they may reject a reasonable alternative presented by the writer. Furthermore, even if you must refuse a person's request or say no to someone, you still may wish to work with him or her in the future, and an abruptly phrased rejection early in the letter may prevent you from reestablishing an amicable relationship in the future."

I don't know anyone else who reads my blog that has one of their own, so I can't really tag anyone myself.