I just completed a complex research white paper, which is why I haven’t published a new post recently. When I get into this type of assignment, I tend to block out everything else, less the bits of information I’ve gleaned from numerous documents and Web sites leak out of my ears and are lost forever. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
As I was finishing up the draft this morning and basking in the glow of “I love to have written,” I reflected on the process of working on a large project and how overwhelming it can be. The following are a few ideas to make your next large writing assignment go a little more smoothly and keep you from going barking mad in the process:
Get clear instructions from your client on the five basic questions of journalism: Who are you writing for? In other words, who is your audience, what problems will this writing assignment help your audience solve or what information needs will it fill? What reading level is your audience? What are you writing (topic and key concepts)? Where are the best places to find information? Chances are your client / supervisor has some good ideas and may have some background information to get you started. When is the project due? If possible, negotiate a deadline that gives you enough time to do a quality job. Why is this project being undertaken? What are the goals for this assignment? What call to action do you want readers to take?
Break the project down into manageable tasks. Make a list of everything you need to do to successfully complete the assignment. Starting from the deadline, work backwards and estimate how long it will take you to do each task. This will give you some target dates to shoot for that will let you know you are on schedule for completing the assignment on time. If you’re working with a team, share the schedule and make sure everyone is on the same page.
From here on out, use the task list and schedule as your guide. Don’t think about the entire project as a whole or look at the full task list. Its length may spark a momentary panic attack. Once a week, review the schedule and make any necessary adjustments – then put it away. Look at the single tasks and as you complete each task, check it off the list. There’s something very satisfying about checking things off a list.
Give yourself permission to get bogged down and spending some time in the “I hate to write” phase. In fact, budget some time into your schedule for this. Writing is hard work, and sometimes it takes awhile to get your creativity and writing going.
Once the draft is completed and submitted for review, take a few deep breaths and a day off, if you can, to relax, catch up and have some fun.
As a final task, review the process so next time you’ll have a better idea how long it took you to do certain tasks and what worked or didn’t work so well. You can then employ what your learned during your next project.
Good luck and let me know if I can assist you or answer any questions.