准备工作做好以后，我们就要开始来起草合同了。在起草合同时，有几点需要注意：

1. Start with a simple, generic contract form. Like a house, a contract must have a good, solid foundation.

从简单、典型的合同入手。像房子一样，一个合同必须有一个牢固的根基。

2. State the correct legal names of the parties in the first paragraph. As obvious as this is, it is one of the most common problems in contracts. For individuals, include full first and last name, and middle initials if available, and other identifying information, if appropriate, such as Jr., M.D., etc. For corporations, check with the Secretary of State where incorporated.

在合同的第一段要写清楚双方的名称。这个问题很简单，但也需要重视。如果是个人，要写清姓和名,中间名可能的话应写上大写首字母，其他身份信息如果需要也应注明，例如：Jr.，M.D，等等；如果是公司，为避免弄错，写名称时可以到公司注册地的相应机构去核对一下。

3. Identify the parties by nicknames. Giving each party a nickname in the first paragraph will make the contract easier to read. For example, James W. Martin would be nicknamed "Martin."

确定合同双方的别称（简称）。为便于阅读，一般要在合同的第一段为双方设定一个别称，如：将詹姆士·马丁简称为“马丁”。

4. Be careful when using legal terms for nicknames. Do not use "Contractor" as a nickname unless that party is legally a contractor. Do not use "Agent" unless you intend for that party to be an agent, and if you do, then you better specify the scope of authority and other agency issues to avoid future disagreements.

使用法定术语作为双方当事人的别称时，要小心。除非一方当事人在法定上就是承包人，否则不要将"承包人"作为其别称。同样，除非你想让一方当事人成为法定上的代理人，否则不要称其为"代理人"，如果坚持要用，最好明确一下代理范围并找到其他可以避免将来争执的方案。

5. Include a blank for the date in the first paragraph. Putting the date in the first paragraph makes it easy to find after the contract is signed. It also makes it easy to describe the contract in other documents in a precise way, such as the "December 20, 2000, Contract for Sale of real estate."

在合同的第一段要为书写签约时间留下空格。把签约时间放在第一段，当合同签署后，你就可以很容易地找到它，而且，这样做还可以给你在其他相关文件中准确地描述这个合同提供帮助，例如：不动产买卖合同，订立于2000年12月20日。