Stage 4 : arrange the content
Sometimes, at the end of the previous stage, you have a note you can follow and no more is necessary. Often however, what you have in front of you is a bit of a mess. By arranging the content I mean simply turning it into a neat list; this could also be the stage at which you type it out to finish the job on screen. Most people seem to input their own written material nowadays[I sometimes think the typing is harder work than the writing!].
Final revision is, of course, still possible at this stage but, that done [and it might include getting another opinion about it from a colleague].you are left with a clear list setting out content, sequence and emphasis to whatever level of detail you find helpful. Some experimentation may be useful here;certainly I am not suggesting over-engineering the process. This sheet is the blueprint from which you write .You must decide the from in which such is most useful.
Stage 5: Final review
This may not always be necessary – or possible deadlines may be looming] – but it can be useful to leave it a while [sleep on it}, and only start writing after you come back to it fresh. You can get very close to things, and it helps you to see it clearly to step back from it and distract your mind with something else.
Now, with a final version of what is effectively your writing plan in front of you, you can – at last – actually draft the text.
Stage 6: writing
Now you write, or type or dictate. This is where the real work is, though it is much easier with a clear plan for the task. What you have done here is obvious, but significant. You have separated the two tasks, one of deciding what to write, the other deciding how to put it. Being a bear of very little brain, I for one certainly find this easier, so too do many other people.Some further tips.
Choose the right moment
If possible, pick a time when you are ‘in the mood’. There seem to be times when words fflow more easily than others. Also, interruptions can disrupt the flow and make writing take much longer as you recap in your mind, get back into something and continue. It is not always possible, of course, but abit of organization to get as close as possible to the idea is very worthwhile.
Keep writing
Do not stop and agonize over small details. If you cannot think of the right word, a suitable heading – whatever – put in a row of xxxxxxxs and continue, you can always return and fill in the gaps later, but if you lose the whole thread then writing becomes more difficult and takes longer to do.Again the idea of preserving the flow in this way can quickly becomea habit, especially if you are convinced it helps.
So now you have a draft, though already you may feel that it needs further work. Now What?
Stage 7: Editing
Few – if any – people write perfect text first time and alter nothing. If you write, then some editing goes with the territory. So, rule one is not to feel inadequate, but to accept that this is the way it works and allow a little time for revision.
Careful preparation, as suggested in earlier stages, should minimize alterations; at least you should not be finding things you have left out, or needing to alter the whole structure. The words may need work, however. Computer spelling and grammar checkers are very useful but be warned: Not every grammar spelling is corrected automatically [for example, their and there]; proper name and such like may need care too.
Grammar checkers should not be followed slavishly, espically for the punchy style you need for some persuasive messages.
Perhaps a sensible rule here is not to ignore messages .
Perhaps a sensible rule here is not to ignnore anything highlighted as grammatically incorrect unless you can give yourself a good reason for doing so,
Editing may be helped by:
Sleeping on it as mentioned earlier]
Getting a colleague to check it [maybe you can do a swap with someone else who would value your looking at some of their written material – it is amazing how a fresh eye and brain picks up things to which you are, or have become, blind incidentally, listen to what they say and consider it carefully; it is easy to become automatically defensive and reject what, with hindsight, may turn out to be a good advice).
Being thorough [do not regard editing as a chore; it is an inherent part of getting something right].
Editing is an important stage. Seemingly small changes: replacing a word, breaking a long sentence into two, adding more and better-placed punctuation; all may make a real difference . This is the time to bear in mind style and use of language [see next chapter] as well as sense and clarity. Then, when you are happy with it, let gpo – just print ‘print’ or do whatever comes next.
It is easy to tinker forever. You will always think of something else that could be put differently [better?] if you leave it and look again; productivity is important too.
Let your vision of this systematic approach become a habit and you will find your writing improves, and that actually writig gets easier and quicker to do. As a rule of thumb, allow a proportion of the total time you allocate, or simply need , for writing for preparation. If you find that, say, 15-30 per cent of the time, whatever works for you, is necassary, you will also find that rather than an additional preparation increasing the overall task time,such jobs actually begin to take less time.
Reference: Direct Marketing: Patrick Forsyth