3.3  Guidelines for Effective Organization

Amy was doing just fine until you came along and asked for shapes she didn't recognize. She couldn't build what she couldn't recognize. Not only couldn't she choose colors, she couldn't even group the candies into shapes.

She could do the bicycle, the potted flower, and the landscape because she already knew the shapes. She knew the parts and how they were organized. The same rule holds true for you as a writer. If you don't know the shape of a sonnet, you can't write one. If you don't know the shape of an editorial or story or recipe, you can't organize one effectively.

However, if you do know the parts and how they are you can instantly organize almost anything you have to write.

The point is this: When you select a pattern for the writing, you have already organized it. If you select opinion-reason pattern for that editorial, you will have decided that your opinion, backed up by reasons, will be followed by what you want the reader to do.

If you select the narrative pattern for the story, then the pieces of your writing have already been established: background, conflict, climax, and resolution.

Using a familiar organizing pattern is like using a cafeteria tray that has separate compartments for different foods. It's easy to keep things where they belong. Using a Pattern is like sorting your clothes into dresser drawers instead of throwing them all into a bag. Organizing with a familiar pattern also makes the reader's work easier. The reader can get a sense of what is to come and can actually read faster and better when the writing is organized in a familiar pattern.

Here are three guidelines for organization: You should decide how to organize the writing before you write it. Your decision about organizing pattern should be based on the purpose of the writing. You should plan the beginning and middle after you plan the end.

Even if you don't play golf, you must have seen it played on television. The golfer chooses the club before the shot, based on the purpose of the shot, and based on the where the ball is supposed to end up.

---

< Previous page    Table of Contents    Next page >