A letter is useful when the recipient can quickly understand why you are writing and what they need to do. Selecting information is therefore part of writing, not an optional step before it.
Start with three questions
Who is the reader? Why are you contacting them? What action or understanding do they need? Write brief answers before looking for a sentence template. The same history can produce a different letter when the recipient or purpose changes.
Sort notes by their job in the letter
Create three groups: information essential to the purpose, background that helps explain it, and details that do not help this recipient. A date, symptom or social detail belongs only if it contributes to the communication. Do not include a fact simply because it appears first in the notes.
Build paragraphs around ideas
A useful order might be the current situation, relevant background and requested next step. This is a planning aid, not a fixed template for every task. Group related details together so the reader does not need to reconstruct the story from disconnected facts.
Make relevance visible
Compare “She lives alone” with a sentence that explains why living arrangements matter to the requested support. Only make that connection when the case notes support it. Do not invent a difficulty, diagnosis or arrangement to make a paragraph sound complete.
Edit against the purpose
After drafting, underline the reason for writing and the requested action. If either is hard to find, revise it. For every other sentence, ask what the recipient gains from it. Remove repetition before polishing vocabulary.
Try it in your next practice session
Choose one writing task. Make a two-column plan: “detail from the notes” and “why this reader needs it”. Draft one paragraph using only details with a clear reason. Compare it with the course example after you have made your own selection.
Put the routine into practice
Compare these relevant course outlines and choose the topic set that meets your next goal.
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