Writing Goals
Professional writers include authors, editors, journalists, media writers, and technical writers. Writers use the writing map to begin new projects or revise current ones. Also, if they encounter a dilemma while writing, a different phase may suggest a way out of it. Managers and editors use it to suggest ways to improve another person’s writing. Writing teachers use it to organize programs and lessons. Writers reach the Inspire phase through unique innovations or discoveries that combine practices from other goals or even other domains.
COMMON GOALS
OBSERVE. Where are you and what are you doing? Even if you write from your own point of view, you must imagine yourself in another time. How much can you remember about another person, your organization, or the disciplines that you write about?
THINK. Where will you go today? One great pleasure of writing is that every milestone brings surprises. Disconnected writing is “stream of consciousness.” Remembering to return to a topic inspires readers. Timelines are popular. Scientists end with conclusions, and journalists start with them. Can you reverse the order you started with?
INTERACT. Can you imagine where and when your readers will be while they read?
SERVE. What will your readers lose as well as benefit from reading what you wrote?
COMPLY. What tools can help you meet your readers’ expecta-tions? Dictionaries and style manuals are mainstays. Today’s word processors check spelling and grammar. RhymeZone finds 16 types of connections between words. AI programs give generic answers to all sorts of questions.
SPECIAL WRITING GOALS
SOURCES. What will you want or need to learn while you write? Your computer holds more information than the world’s largest library. But don’t underestimate yourself. If you know just 20 pathways like those in this book, they make more patterns than your computer
SYNTHESIS. What new ways can you put your ideas together?
REVISION. Why didn’t I see that before? The answer often suggests a new way of revising. Will writing with a friend be fun? Is error finding as fun as puzzle solving? Will a word-frequency program like Google “ngrams” help reach more readers? How can I help my readers? Is there a system of concepts for creating new ideas for this writing?
DIGITAL TOOLS. What should I learn next? Since 2000, the number of new apps has grown from thousands to millions yearly. Popular choices are operating systems (Windows, Android, or IOS), web browsers (Chrome, Edge, or Safari), productivity (MS 365 or Google Workspace), communication (Outlook, Zoom, Teams), graphic design (Adobe Photoshop or Canva), website building (Wix, Squarespace, WordPress), and reference (Wikipedia or Encyclopedia Britannica).