7 Steps to Better Writing - Charles Maxwell 2020

Control the tone
Step 1 – Identify readers & Purpose

Tone is the mindset of the writer towards the reader. The writer’s feelings influence the written word. The writer expresses tone by selecting events and details and by constructing sentences that reflect those feelings. This happens subconsciously. What flows out is tone—be it objective, biased, cheerful, sad, angry, cordial, serious, whimsical, open, guarded, a combination of any of these, or something entirely different. (You will find more information on tone in the chapter on writing step 5.)

What is important is to match your document’s tone to its purpose. You will accomplish this by controlling how you feel about the topic and your readers. So, consider tone.