Guide to Polished Writing - Plot the Course, Phase 1: Design Your Project
June 1st 2008 00:14
Note: This post presents Part 3 of my Guide to Polished Writing series. For more thorough coverage of the topic, please consider reading Parts 1 and 2 first.
Plot the Course
Once you’ve decided on your destination and thus prepared the way for the writing journey ahead, you can then begin to focus on the specific course you’ll need to follow to get there.
Phase 1: Design Your Project
Ask yourself these questions to help you choose the best writing route:
• Which format would be best suited to the type of content I intend to deliver to my audience, as well as the message I hope to convey? Should the piece be long, short, or medium-length? Should it be presented in narrative form, Q & A, dramatic monologue/dialogue, stanza form, free form, or…?
• What voice will I use to express my message most effectively? What style will work best for the material I’ll be presenting? Should I be authoritative, warm and engaging, sympathetic, casual, ethereal, descriptive, scholarly, incisive?
• What will be the scope of this piece? How much information will I include? How detailed will my coverage of the topic be? Against what standard will I evaluate my information to determine what to put into the piece and what to leave out?
• Where will my material come from? Internet research? Print publications? Interviews? Personal experience? My own imagination?
• When will I begin the project, and when do I hope to complete it? How much work will I need to do to meet my writing or publishing deadline? Do I have a deadline at all? Is my deadline realistic? Can I change it, if need be? If not, what alternatives will I have for making sure that the project gets done in time?
The above questions should help you clarify the direction you’ll be taking, as you move forward toward the actual completion of your writing project.
Happy designing!
Jeanne
Stay tuned for the next installment of this series: "Plot the Course, Phase 2: Create Your Framework."
Did you enjoy this post? Have any thoughts, experiences, or tips on designing your writing project? I'd love to hear them!
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Comment by tlcorbin
Raven
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks for saying so. My goal with this series has been to break down the writing process into all the individual parts that make it "tick." Glad to hear that my analysis has helped you connect with a few of the points you might not have otherwise.
Thanks for the visit!
Jeanne
Comment by Lillie Ammann
This is really a detailed series on the nuts and bolts of writing. Thanks for all the hard work to put it together.
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
I've enjoyed preparing this series and really appreciate your kind words. Thanks for stopping by to read and comment!
Jeanne