Beginning with the end in mind may ease the writer’s ability to write coherent words on paper. When individuals get on a plane or in a car, they usually have a destination in mind. The destination might take detours along the way to accommodate new ideas, wishes, or unexpected emergencies. Each piece of writing is similar in its journey. Determining the initial direction or ending goal of the writing task usually eliminates unnecessary stresses along the way.
Individuals write for many different reasons. Many of the reasons require a different format of writing. Asking questions before you begin usually helps to create a clearer path of how to get to your destination. Many writers answer these questions automatically before they begin without much thought. Most writers, novice to professional, usually answer and map out their writing before they begin. Some use graphs, some index cards, some use whatever is available to write notes of ideas about what they are writing. Writers ask the following questions to establish a writing “map” that will navigate them to their destination.
The first question is “what is the purpose of the writing? Will I be writing:
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- for myself – journal, list, brainstorm.
- to inform individuals about how flowers grow or what types of rock formations you may find in a certain demographic area.
- to convince individuals that my point of view has merit.
- to express my gratitude or complaint.
- to have a written conversation with a friend.
- to tell about an experience.
- to write a book.
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The second question is “what is the topic of the writing?” Often, the purpose of the writing will dictate the topic, like an assignment about how butterflies migrate or about elephants. The depth and detail will still be for the writer to determine. The direction of the writing may change as the scribe gets get deeper into the writing project. The direction of the topic may also be influenced by the audience. The audience might be a group of individuals who have completed organized studies on the topic. Or individuals that have never heard about the topic.
The third question is “who is the audience?” Are you writing this piece to inform them about things in your life? Then you can leave out shared information or information that the two of you already know. The background information. If you are writing about the same topic to a larger audience that may not be aware of your past experiences. You will have to consider how much background information they will need to know before they can fully comprehend what you are writing.
The last question I usually asked myself is “what types of information do I need to include about the topic?” This question usually reverts to who your audience is and how much background information the already known about the topic. This might take some research on the writer’s part. Another consideration is how the information that you are planning to include should be included. In a writing about a topic, the writer might include more pictures, graphs, and sections of information than they would if they were writing a letter to a friend or writing a fictional piece.
Once a writing map has been developed the writer has a direction. Now the smaller detailed plan can be developed. There are different ways of developing a more intimate map that includes the bigger and smaller details to include within the manuscript. Some writers brainstorm – a) write a list of topics, b) gather things to include, like pictures or letters c) build a timeline, and/or d) draw pictures of scenes. Writers often use prewriting charts and diagraphs to gather and brainstorm information. A writer might brainstorm throughout the writing project, as the writer may need to adjust a storyline or include other details to better explain a point to an argument. This helps the scribe stay the course, to reach the intended goal of the writing manuscript.
