Guide to Polished Writing - Prepare the Way, Phase 1: Clarify Your Purpose
May 24th 2008 20:08
Writing Is Serious Business
No matter what kind of writing you do, writing is serious business—even if you happen to write humor. You might have them rolling in the aisles, laughing so hard they’re sure their sides will burst; yet, you, the writer, must be in total control of the entire process the whole way through. You can seem as if you aren’t, but that will simply be your well-thought out ploy to set the mood you’ve been planning to convey right from the start. You are the architect, designer, and creator of your written works, and it is you who make them what they are. They never happen by accident, but are always the result of choices—choices made by you.
Other than talent, creativity, inspiration, and imagination, the key ingredient in the writing process that will enable you to end up with the finished piece that you hope to produce is planning.
When you write, you must have a clear goal—a destination or purpose—in mind. If you have no idea what you hope to accomplish when you begin writing, how will you ever know whether or not you’ve succeeded? If you don’t know where you’d like to end up in your writing journey, how will you ever know what path to follow to get there, and how will you ever know whether—or when—you’ve arrived?
Prepare the Way
Before you can begin to create a coherent and well-organized piece of writing, you’ll need to do a little prep work.
Phase 1: Clarify Your Purpose
To clarify your purpose, goal, or destination, ask yourself the following questions before you begin to write:
• For whom am I writing this piece? Is it meant for a specialized audience, or am I seeking more widespread appeal? If it is intended for a specific audience, who is that target audience? What do I know about that audience that will help me connect with it?
• Why am I writing this piece? Is it intended to entertain, inspire, inform, encourage, persuade, teach—or perhaps a combination of these?
• What do I hope the reader will take away from this piece? Do I want her to act on my recommendations? Do I desire to change his way of thinking about an issue? Would I like to help her solve a problem?
• Which vehicle will best lend itself to the journey ahead? What kind of “package” would be most appropriate for conveying the type of content I hope to deliver to the reader? Article? Book? Short Story? Essay? Poem? Play? Web Copy?
• To what niche, genre, literary or stylistic category does this piece belong?
• What materials, supplies, and resources will I need to effectively complete the project? Will I have access to these with reasonable ease and without great expense?
By asking yourself the above questions, you'll pave the way for the next phase, during which you'll make some concrete decisions about precisely what you hope to accomplish through your piece.
Happy questioning!
Jeanne
Stay tuned for the next installment of this series: "Prepare the Way, Phase 2: Articulate Your Intentions."
Did you enjoy this post? Have any thoughts of your own to share about clarifying your purpose or about writing in general? I'd love to hear them!
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Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Tracy
Comment by AmyHuang
Project Job Search
Travel Debate
Travel String
Love Adventures
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Glad I've decided to post it just now, then! I've had much of this series completed for quite some time just sitting there waiting to be posted and finally decided to begin posting it today. Sounds like I made a good move.
Glad to help!
Jeanne
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Appreciate your stopping by to read and leave a few friendly words of support!
Jeanne
Comment by hotelmark
Very sound advice, as always. Possibly many people undertake certain tasks without clear objectives. Writing of course, as a creative means of expression, needs more careful planning than most things, and it's all too easy to get bogged down when the inspirations starts to run on empty. At those times, pre-planning and techique is what needs to be relied upon.
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
You are so right! Even when our inspiration wanes, we still need to meet our deadlines! During those times planning and technique can carry the day. And that being the case, just think what we can accomplish with the magical combination of inspiration, planning, and technique!
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your valuable insights!
Jeanne
Comment by krissyknox
Krissy
Really Long Link
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Glad to help! Hope this series will provide even more valuable info as you move forward in both areas! Best of luck to you with both your blog and your book!
Thanks for the visit!
Jeanne