Saturday, June 28, 2008

Writing non-linearly

Something I need to work on is writing non-linearly. I'm a very A to Z kind of gal--I like to start at the beginning and work my way through the end. Since the beginning is often the hardest part, I will stall and stall getting started on a piece because I don't know how to start it. I will play games, blog, surf the internet, get a snack...anything that will distract me from writing this thing. What a silly waste of time!

When I can wrench myself away from this desire to start at the beginning, I manage to be much more productive. I break the piece into sections and write the parts where I already know what I want to say. This helps me to set the direction for the piece and get my fingers working. Often, after writing the body, the opening and conclusion come very naturally.

OK, now I need to take my own advice and quit stalling and write this article!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You may find my spiral method useful for drafting.

Jennifer Walker said...

Thanks, Dale, I'll check that out!