Date: December 18, 2009

To: Kevin Brooks

From: Kirsten Staloch
Subject: Explanatory Memo about Fact Sheet
I created a personal fact sheet that I can use throughout school as part of a final portfolio for my
class Writing for Design Professionals. In the fact sheet I included content about writing and the
English language.
In the fact sheet I included
1. Principles of Writing for Impact
2. Memo Format
3. Semi-colon examples
4. APA Citation Examples
5. General Professional Writing Tips
6. Websites that I learned about
7. Levels of Language
8. Marketing Letter Needs
9. Cover Letter Needs
10. Commonly Misspelled Words
I included important information that I learned from this semester and marks from my notebook
from class about items to know. The Principles of Writing for Impact were something I wanted
to remember because each element helps add quality to a paper I can write in the future. Other
bits and pieces I wanted to include as a general reminder, such as single space area when you
publish an essay or if you only have one thing to say then don’t use a bullet. APA is used for all
writings in the architecture department so I wanted to include the basic references of APA
citation. I also can use the citation machine website for rare references; I included websites I
frequently used in this class on the sheet. I also included an example of the use of semi-colons
because we just talked about the correct way to write with them.
On the second page I included the three levels of language to remind me about the correct format
to construct a document. I have had trouble in the past with matching the language and the tone,
so I thought it would be helpful to include this as a quick reference to help me remember the
right style. I found a list of content for marketing and cover letters in my notebook from one
class time that we spent on developing them. I did not know about the differences until the first
unit of this class and it is important to know these as I prepare applications for internships. I have
always struggled with spelling so I included a general list of commonly misspelled words for me
to glance quickly at while writing.
I did not include the five factors of writing (purpose, relationship to audience, genre, style and
social context) because I feel that I know them well enough to use in my future writings. I also
did not include pictures because they would not be relevant for my fact sheet on writing. I feel
confident as a reviser so did not include much about peer review. I know how to research and use
deep web and other sources, so I chose to leave out research tips. I did not want to fill this paper
with a lot of text because it is easier for me to read general areas without jargon. I want to be able
to use this as a quick reference of ideas I already learned.
The fact sheet includes open space so I can glance quickly at it and clearly read the information
that I need without searching. I listed the spelling words vertically so I can find what I need. I
chose to use different fonts to help differentiate each element on the sheet. The lines that I
included are similar to my previous writings and I really like that they carry the view between
each item. I applied yellow to the background because I like yellow since it is uplifting and you
can read black on it.
This sheet is meant for my use and I created it using my style to be comfortable for me to utilize.
I wanted to make something quick and flashy. Each item is specifically placed so I would know
where it was and I could quickly locate it if need be. I also put general tips on one page so I
could read through them briefly to find one. The fact sheet will be helpful to me to use as I finish
my degree and create my architecture portfolio.