Breaking Down Your Writing

Completing a writing project, for many people, is overwhelming, even intimidating.  But it doesn't have to be with some careful planning and a sensible approach.  A common mistake is to just jump into a writing project with little or no forethought as to the purpose or structure of the piece. This is akin to building a house by grabbing a board and pounding some nails without having a blueprint or any idea of structure or design.  It would be crazy to build a house in such a haphazard manner and it's just as nonsensical to build a writing project that way.  With any writing project, as with a house, you start with a foundation, then add the framework, and conclude with the finish and design work. It's a time-tested process that has worked well for builders and writers alike. Breaking the process down into "doable" steps makes the project less overwhelming and more likely to succeed. Here are some ways to make that process work for you:

• Understand your foundation.  When faced with any kind of writing project, whether it's an article, essay, short story, novel, or poem, having a good grasp of the foundation for your work is critical to its success.  In writing, the foundation is what supports the piece - its premise or basis. For example, if you're writing an article proposing that a historical event would have turned out differently if news coverage of it had not been so biased, do you have a sound premise for this opinion?  In other words, do you have credible sources and research material that will support your proposal beyond mere speculation?  In building terms, is the foundation you've poured solid and structurally sound enough to support the house you plan to place on top of it?

• Envision your framework.  Once you have a solid foundation for your writing, it is important to visualize the framework that will be supported by that foundation.  In writing, the framework is the structure of your work - the sections, chapters, heading, summaries, stanzas, etc., that organize your content.  It's how you will put the piece together for maximum effectiveness. This involves layouts and timelines, determining what will appear in what order and in what format.  For example, if you're writing a novel, will your flashback chapters come early or late in the story?  Will you tell different parts of the story from different points of view?  Will you start at the beginning of your story or somewhere in the middle? Will your story be told in chronological order or stream-of-consciousness order?  These are all framework questions that help you determine a shape for your work.  In building terms, does the framework you've designed create the style and shape of house you've envisioned?

• Keep your plan fluid.  Having your ideas for a foundation and framework solidified doesn't mean your planning work is done. Things will happen that will require you to change.  It's natural and it's part of the process.  Staying flexible is the way to deal successfully with these unexpected obstacles.  In writing, flexibility means not becoming too attached to your work so that you are unwilling to make necessary changes.  For example, if you're writing an essay and some information you're particularly fond of makes its way into the essay but changes the essential focus of the essay, you have a dilemma to face.  Should you leave the information in and thus change the focus of your essay?  Or should you leave the information out, fond of it as you may be, because it is a distracting tangent to your focal point?  Knowing that your decision will affect the overall outcome of the piece, you will need to revisit your plan to see if it needs modifying.  In building terms, does the extra room you decided to add create instability in the rest of the structure or should the structure be redesigned altogether to make the extra room a possibility?

• Complete your finish work.  Just as a house isn't done when the walls and roof are up, a writing project isn't done when the initial composing is done.  There is still much left to do.  In writing, finish work involves revision and polish.  No matter what type of writing it is, significant effort needs to be put into it to make it shine.  This can involve simple word changes, grammar and punctuation changes, or complete overhauls of sentences and paragraphs.  The purpose of finish work is to get your work to the best possible form it can be. Just as you wouldn't want to have a house without trim, staining, painting and all the other finishing touches that make it beautiful as well as functional, you don't want to leave your writing in a rough shape either.  Taking the time to make your work shine is well worth the effort.

Writing doesn't have to be overwhelming if it's broken down into common sense steps.  Taking the time to build a solid foundation for your project, building a framework that expresses your primary focus, staying flexible with changes that are necessary to improve your work, and spending the time to polish your work will help you get the job done efficiently and effectively. Breaking down your writing into clearer, smaller steps will make writing less formidable and more enjoyable for both you and your readers.