General principles of drafting

Drafting is the primary stage of writing. A good writing is an outcome of a good draft. The
principles of good drafting and good writing are identical.

The principles of good writing irrespective of the purpose are the same, though the subsidiary
rules differ according to the different purpose of working.

Qualities of good Drafting

a. Conciseness- A good draft should be in a concise form. The concise form means the
material facts and necessary words should be used and a good draft or writing should
avoid inclusion of unnecessary and immaterial statement, which in no way is in relation
to the subject matter.
Therefore, draft should be to the point only and as far as possible vagueness should be
avoided otherwise the draft will be unnecessarily lengthy. A good draft, therefore,
should contain only essential facts and appropriate words and phrases. The lengthy
drafts/writings also does not give a good impression to the reader. Therefore, keeping
in mind the interest of the reader too, a good draft should be in a concise form.

b. Clarity – There should be absolute clarity in writing so that the reader is able to
understand its contents without stress and strain. The language used should be such so
as to enable the readers to understand easily. As far as possible, simple words should
be used, this will avoid any confusion in the mind of the reader. However, it should be
answered that thoughts are exactly expressed. A good writing should contain various
paragraphs for expressing various ideas or subject matter. It will avoid mixing of
different ideas and matter.

c. Completeness- A writing should be free from all deficiencies in order to ensure the
completeness about the matter on which it is intended. A good writing should contain
all the essential information and it should answer all the possible questions, which may
strike in the mind of the reader. It means nothing material related to the subject matter
be left out.

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 d. Preciseness- Precision is another important factor of a good writing. The facts
contained should be accurate and there should be no ambiguity. There should be
perfection in the statements made. The writing should be free from grammatical,
spelling and punctuation mistakes.

e. Pleasant accent- It is an art of good writing to create an impression on its reader by

using courteous and polite words. A good writing should reflect all the desired courtesy,
of course having regard to whom it is addressed. Politeness plays a good role in writing.

The salient features of good drafting are deduced as follows:

i. Selection of correct words- The selection of the right word at the right place is the
golden rule of good writing. The words used should be such so as to convey the real
meaning of the writer to the reader. Therefore, one has to be very careful in using
the correct and right words for the convenience of the reader in understanding the
contents; words should always be used in the same sense. The choice of right words
is also necessary in order to make the meaning clear not only to the reader but also
to the writer himself. It is also important that, as far as possible, familiar words
should be used. Use of words with precise meaning is preferred to give clarity. Use
of vague words will create confusion about the contents in the mind of the reader.
To avoid such a situation words with accurate meaning are to be used, words should
be used to the extent only that are necessary to express the meaning and no more
words should be used. Use of superfluous adjectives not be made. Strong words like
urgent, crisis, essential should ne used only when they are really needed but these
words lose their force if used frequently. A document should be so worded as to
convey the clear meaning to any person who has knowledge of the subject matter.
Use of long and uncommon words be avoided, instead short and simple words be
employed in the construction of sentences. In drafting the technical documents,
technical words that are appropriate may be used.

ii. Clear and firm thinking- It is an important aspect of good drafting that the writer
should have clear thinking about the subject matter that he is going to write. In
absence of clear thoughts, the writer will not be able to express himself with clarity
and the document in question will create a confusing situation to the reader.

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 Therefore, it is essential that the draftsman should conceive the ideas and thoughts
before reducing them to writing. Clear thinking will result in the systematic
arrangement of the subject matter in a draft. Undoubtedly clear thinking is hard
work but loose thinking will produce loose writing. Clear thinking often takes time
but that is fruitful rather than making a mass of subject and its contents. Therefore,
it is pertinent to mention that lucidity in drafting is an important factor, which plays
its part gainfully.

iii. Courtesy and Politeness- It is an important and significant ingredient of good

drafting. The utility of due courtesy and politeness in writing goes without saying
pay its dividend. The reader is delighted to read and usually gives prompt response.
Thus by observing politeness in writing the reader achieves its objective of
receiving prompt reply. A draftsman must possess the skill of using polite language.

iv. Logical arrangement- A good draft should contain logical arrangement meaning
thereby that statement/events should be so arranged in chronological order that the
reader is able to understand the subject matter properly without being trapped into
any confusion. This is an art of writing and describing the subject in an orderly
manner. There should be consistency in writing to create a good impact on its
reader. A logical arrangement obviates the chance of omission or repetition.

Arrangement of paragraphs should be very carefully done in order to segregate the

different items of a document. It will ensure non-mixing of different items in the
same paragraph. In a long document the writer will find it convenient to be orderly
and systematic in the use of numbers and letters for sub-clause and paragraphs.

v. Short sentences- Simple and short sentences be used which must be complete and
accurate. Use of long sentences should be avoided. The language need not be
intricate. If long sentences are used there is apprehension that the meaning of the
same might not be clear. Therefore, to avoid such a situation, it is always useful to
construct short and simple sentences. In commercial documents also, the ordinary
and simple business language shall be the right course to be undertaken. However,
while preparing technical document, use of technical terms and phraseology is an

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inescapable necessity. Language should never be changed unless it is desired to
change the meaning.

Piesse and Gilchrist propounded the following rules:

a. Before commencing the draft the draftsman should conceive the whole design
of it.
b. Nothing is to be omitted or admitted at random.
c. The order of the draft should be strictly logical.
d. The ordinary and accustomed forms of instruments and technical language
should be employed.
e. Legal language should be, to the utmost possible extent, precise and accurate.
f. The draft must be readily intelligible to laymen.