Miss Weaver's blood-red slashes across my sixth-grade essays still haunt my dreams: "The rule says . and you will . " Her "or else" was clearly implied.

Kevin Ryan, author of Write Up The Corporate Ladder: Successful Writers Reveal the Techniques That Help you Write with Ease and Get Ahead, disagrees. He insists business writing should be measured by "two yardsticks and in this order: clarity of message and the mechanics (e.g. grammar, spelling and punctuation)." It is the clarity of the message that makes-or loses-money for organizations.

For a measly 10 bucks, you get three books for the price of one. Ryan even throws in a cheat sheet you can use until you master the system.

In Book I, Ryan explains his simple, four-step "Plan Then Write" method. His system is founded on time-tested, money-producing results of professionals. It is process, not rule-infested writing. It works because writing is a problem-solving skill.

In Book II, you get a surreptitious peek at how some of the top-rated contemporary business writers-Richard Bolles, Ken Blanchard, Suze Orman and Marcus Buckingham, to name a few-apply the "Plan Then Write" system. The techniques they use to write their best sellers apply directly to daily business correspondence. Don't hesitate to imitate their method.

Book III offers a warning from corporate America that insists your ability to write clearly makes a difference in your chances of "standing out from the crowd." Clear writing can help you "get a job, keep a job and climb the corporate ladder." Ryan reminds you that corporations equate clear writing with clear thinking, which is the way to get promoted.

Combining ideas from the three books will improve your writing, help you leverage your professional respect and offer new career opportunities. Please don't tell Miss Weaver who tipped you off.

-Judith Kolva, associate professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, International College