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ASK THE EDITOR Vol. 3, Issue 2 2002 http://kevinorf.tripod.com ----- IN THIS ISSUE: TOTAL QUALITY WRITING - TOTAL QUALITY WRITING - TENETS OF TOTAL QUALITY WRITING - PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUS WRITING IMPROVEMENT - QUOTES - QUESTIONS FOR READERS - PREVIOUS READER REPLIES - ASK THE EDITOR QUESTION ----- TOTAL QUALITY WRITING Those of you that have been reading this newsletter for a while know that if there's one thing I'm evangelical about, it's that writing is a recursive, continuous process of prewriting, writing, and rewriting. It struck me recently how similar this process is to the typical quality improvement process. In recent years, quality improvement has become all the rage in the corporate world. Today, most companies have adopted some systematic process for continuously improving their work. No matter what the management philosophy or acronym du jour (CQI, TQM, etc.), the tenets and processes are generally the same. In the past, traditional methods of assuring quality focused on product inspection and singling out individuals who were performing "badly." Quality improvement depends on continuously redesigning and improving processes to ensure an organization is doing the right thing the right way. Similarly, in the last few decades, composition theory has become a hot research topic in many top universities' English departments. Traditional methods of teaching writing expound a linear approach to writing that focuses on errors and evaluating the final product for mistakes. However, contemporary research on how real writers actually write has revealed that writing is a continuous process, not unlike the quality improvement process. ----- TENETS OF TOTAL QUALITY WRITING - Opportunities for improvement come not from identifying individuals who have made mistakes, but by correcting problems with the writing, editing, and production processes. There are many opportunities for introducing error when completing a writing project. Has this ever happened to you? A proofreader or designer receives an older draft that does not include recent changes or updated information, so these changes don't appear in the final version. Key partners should carefully flowchart and discuss each step in the process to identify where errors can occur. - Many problems in the editorial process occur during handoffs between people or departments, for example, a reviewer's or editor's changes can be lost. - Companies must listen closely to their customers--both internal and external--to understand their needs and determine what should be communicated. - Careful and accurate assessment of every writing project is necessary to understand if it has met an audience's needs. - A systematic method for improvement should guide the writing, editorial, and production processes. ----- PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUS WRITING IMPROVEMENT The writing process of prewriting (generating ideas, planning, and organizing), writing, and rewriting (revising and proofreading) is similar to a systematic method for improving performance. Applying a method for improvement can provide an effective model for successfully completing any writing project. Here's how you can apply W. Edwards Deming's famous PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) cycle to writing: PLAN Planning involves deciding how to approach a given writing project. Here are some questions you can ask: - What is our purpose for the assignment? To persuade? To inform? - How much time and other resources do we need to complete the writing project? Who is the writer? What is our deadline? - What is the best format or medium to communicate the message? (E.g., e-mail, Web site, brochure, press release, memo, proposal, speech, audio-visual presentation) - What do we already know about the subject? - What other kind of information do we need? Where can we find it? Who can we contact? - Who is our audience (age, status, education level)? - What does our audience need to know about the subject? What are our key messages? How will we organize this information? - Why would our audience care about the subject? - What would antagonize the audience? - What would persuade the audience? - What do we want our audience to do? - How will we determine whether our writing project has been effective? DO Doing means creating a draft. Questions: - Do I have enough material to address our readers' needs? - Does the information support our purpose? - Do I see an order in the material to deliver the information according to the readers' needs? - Am I writing to meet the needs of our readers? CHECK Checking means evaluating the quality of our writing and ensuring it satisfies our readers' expectations. A good way to do this is to have a colleague or representative of the intended audience review the draft. Here are some questions you can ask: - Where can we improve? - How can we improve? What new information or rhetorical strategy is necessary? - Have we met our goals and purpose for the writing assignment? Do we communicate what we set out to communicate? - Is our purpose clear? Have we effectively achieved our goals? - Are the paragraphs in logical order? Do they support our purpose? - Are the main points easily identified and understood? Are all the points relevant? Are any main points left out? - Does each paragraph communicate only one main idea? - Does the introductory paragraph arouse interest and explain our purpose? - Does the concluding paragraph sum up main points and call for action? - Have we included enough supporting facts and examples? - Are any sentences too long? Too short? - Are all words specific and unambiguous? - Is the tone appropriate for the intended audience? - After we've made revisions, did we actually improve? ACT Act means taking action to improve the writing. Because the writing process is recursive, that could mean revising the draft according to reviewer comments or even going back and doing more planning (for example, narrowing the subject or reevaluating the purpose or audience). Act also means delivering the final product to the intended audience. ----- QUOTES "I've never been big on the agony of writing. I see no evidence that Tolstoy suffered from writer's block." James Michener "The successful writer listens to himself. You get a writer's block by being aware that you're putting it out there." Frank Herbert "The great enemy of clear language is insincerity." George Orwell "The ambition of the novice is to acquire the literary language; the struggle of the adept is to get rid of it." George Bernard Shaw ------ QUESTION FOR READERS What kinds of things do you or your organization do to ensure quality in your writing, editing, and production processes? ----- PREVIOUS READER REPLIES How do you go about finding the "right" word when you are writing? Ah, yes. The "tip of the tongue" phenomena. A thesaurus is usually a good first stop, but you can't always find the answer there. I usually put a word in that works, even if it isn't exactly the word I'm looking for, so as not to disrupt the writing process. After I sleep on the piece and go back and edit it, I'll almost always come up with the word that I couldn't come up with earlier. Paul Krieger ----- ASK THE EDITOR QUESTION What's the difference between an en dash and an em dash? Gail Maier An en dash is half as long as an em dash, but is slightly longer than a hyphen. It is used primarily to indicate continuing, inclusive numbers, such as page numbers (pp. 29-31) or years (1939-1945). The em dash is the most commonly used dash. It is used to show a sudden break in thought in a sentence, or to set off an explanatory or digressive phrase. For example: "Each issue tackles common problems all writers--from business professionals to professional writers--often face." In manuscript preparation, an em dash is indicated by two hyphens. "The Editor" Stumped by a style issue or perplexed by a punctuation problem? In each issue, I answer a question submitted by a reader. Send your question today! ***** Copyright 2002 Kevin Orfield Need an immediate quote on a writing project? Or need an estimate for a customized business writing seminar? Call a writing consultant you can depend on. Kevin Orfield, MA Writing Consultant 262-236-0110 Fax: 262-236-0120
Orfield Communications 319 Woodside Ln. Thiensville, WI 53092 Visit our Web site! http://kevinorf.tripod.com ***** As a customer of Orfield Communications, you get a free subscription to the quarterly e-mail newsletter, Ask the Editor. Each issue tackles common problems all writers--from business professionals to professional writers--often face. You can also get expert opinion on any writing problem. Just "Ask the Editor." Subscription Notes: Feel free to pass this newsletter on to friends and colleagues. - To subscribe others, just have them send an e-mail to kevinorf@netwurx.net with "Subscribe to Ask the Editor" in the "Subject" box. - To unsubscribe at any time, simply send an e-mail to kevinorf@netwurx.net with "Unsubscribe to Ask the Editor" in the "Subject" box. But then, why would you want to miss out on free advice? ***** |
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