| My wife works in a stressful job as a | | | | the lap-top. That sounds harsh but she is in too |
| membership and careers advisor, and part of her | | | | deep and sometimes it is best to ditch and |
| job is to write articles for submission into various | | | | restart. If I try to fix her article it is going to take |
| trade magazines. | | | | hours. If we start over, the article can be done in |
| I know it's going to be a tense night when she | | | | less than half and hour. |
| comes home from work and sets up her lap top | | | | What I do then is simple. I use a writer's formula. |
| up on the dining table. She doesn't come in and | | | | First I ask "Who is the target audience?" In this |
| say something like, "Honey, tonight I have to do | | | | case it is the membership in a construction |
| an article on the recent careers expo, could you | | | | environment so I draw a cartoon hand with the |
| help me please?" Partly because words like Honey | | | | thumbs up to convey the thumbs up that guys |
| went out of our vocabulary a long time ago. | | | | give each other when they like something. Real |
| Partly because as a Taurus, or spouse, she is too | | | | boys stuff but it is also the target audience so |
| bloody stubborn to ask. So I set about getting | | | | the quick draw picture helps maintain focus. |
| the meal. Tensions build. | | | | That step sounds trivial but it is really important. If |
| The way she goes about her article is wrong. She | | | | I can get my wife to move into a talking mode, |
| builds up the tensions. She resents having to bring | | | | as if she was just chatting with to one of the |
| work home, hates computers, hates writing and | | | | guys, then her writing to that audience will |
| hates me because I won't just do the articles for | | | | improve. The stiffness and uppity office language |
| her. If I was a word inside her computer, the | | | | disappears from her writing and her work |
| moment she opened the lap top, I would run and | | | | becomes far easier to read. A lot of people try |
| hide. If I was a good word, I would let all the | | | | and write to too broad an audience. It doesn't |
| crappy words go out before I made my | | | | work. |
| entrance. Words take on feelings and you can | | | | Then, I ask how many words are required. Usually |
| sense the feelings when you read an article. | | | | it is 200, 500, or 800. In this case she wanted |
| I have suggested to her that she use either voice | | | | 250. Now I know who I am writing to and how |
| recognition software or writing enhancement | | | | much. I can break the task down, 250 words. 5 |
| software to make the process a lot easier and | | | | paragraphs, is 50 words per paragraph. (47 words |
| quicker. Do the article as a spoken piece, even if | | | | in this paragraph) |
| she is in a foul mood, (I didn't actually say that bit | | | | Next, on a blank sheet of paper I space five |
| to her) and then use enhancement software to | | | | words or short phrases equally down the page as |
| coax the good words back out into the article. | | | | follows: Intro, point 1, point 2, point 3, and |
| The enhancements introduce diversity of language | | | | conclusion. Then I get her to give me a few |
| and can be used to help create better emotional | | | | words on each heading. Up to ten is fine. I do a |
| tones. She reckons that is my job but, by that | | | | word count 30 words - 120 to go. |
| time we have gone five rounds and all my good | | | | Because there is a structure in place, and we |
| words have also gone into hiding. If it was on my | | | | have been mulling over the whole piece for a few |
| computer I would let her White Smoke her | | | | minutes now, ideas are starting to flow. I ask for |
| articles and save her massive time and energy | | | | about 10 to 15 words for each point. That gives |
| and help her to find the article tone she is looking | | | | enough information to define the point but not |
| for. | | | | enough to run out of ideas. It also adds another |
| In addition to being too uptight, every time she | | | | 50 words. The total now is 80 with 130 to go. |
| has to write an article she starts at paragraph | | | | I go back to each point and build it up a bit. As |
| one and then tries to just keep going. That is a | | | | we discuss each point I will pick up the elements |
| habit she learned from the old typewriter days. It | | | | and jot down about 20 to 30 words for each |
| was the way she learned to use a keyboard so it | | | | point. Let's say 25. That adds 125 words so we |
| is her primacy learning experience and therefore | | | | are now up to 205 words. This whole process has |
| instinctive and hard for her to go beyond. | | | | taken less than ten minutes and we are almost |
| Sometimes you just have to learn how to let go. | | | | there. |
| She will get a few words down and then just | | | | I then get my wife to open up a blank sheet on |
| stare at the screen like a startled jellyfish with | | | | her lap top and put in the material we have just |
| stinging glances in my direction. Anyway, she | | | | done on paper. We could have gone straight to |
| freezes up, gets massively tense, and doesn't | | | | the lap top but she had frozen and locked up so |
| enjoy the process so her creativity shuts down. | | | | we needed a fresh start. Also, I wanted her to |
| Why don't I just write her articles? I could, but | | | | use the blank paper approach because one of the |
| pretty soon she would be found out. I can teach | | | | great tricks is to jot down the outline in the |
| her tricks and short cuts and she can use them | | | | morning over a cup of coffee, forget it for a |
| to develop her own style as a writer. | | | | while, and then just pick it up from the rough |
| She is not a writer and writing is a necessary part | | | | notes and write the article. |
| of her job so cheat. Well not really cheat, but use | | | | She gets the first draft less than 20 minutes |
| the available technology to speed up the | | | | after we started. She chucks a few more words |
| processes and create more time for other things | | | | in each paragraph, give or take a bit as required, |
| in her life, like, being nice to me. When she is really | | | | and the word count is up to the required 250. |
| bogged down (and I have finished the dishes and | | | | She reads the article, is not happy with the fourth |
| cleaned up) I will gently ask "Would you like me to | | | | paragraph so she ditches it and writes a new, |
| help?" If she is frustrated enough and the article | | | | single paragraph in a few minutes and presto - |
| has to be in the next day, she will reply "Yes". | | | | the article is done and it is her article, not mine. In |
| At that point I stipulate that we have to start | | | | the morning, on her way out she said "Oh, thanks |
| again and do it my way and I get her to close | | | | for helping me with the article" - and she meant it. |