(I’ve also added a link to that article from this article.)

- Amy Gahran
Editor, CONTENTIOUS

When I was in the throes of my doctoral dissertation, I used a process very similar to the one you used with the homeland security expert. I drafted a list of talking points for an “interview” about my work, corralled a willing friend, and turned on a tape recorder.

I transcribed the tape myself — a very important step, because it made me pay close attention to my own words as well as my friend’s questions. Edited down, it became the core of my dissertation. Not only that, the process changed my approach to the material.

The result was an innovative, personally meaningful piece of writing, rather than a dry academic exercise.

The issue of helping the writer recognise the gem idea they have is vital (and so much easier to see when it’s not yours!) can feel like it takes more time than the work on polishing it too.

Maybe the concept of having clear compelling ideas and gems demotivates some people – could be a (scarey) success on their hands?

Read your sentence/paragraph aloud so you can hear the words and tell if you’re really saying what you meant to say and how you meant to say it.

Helped me tremendously in editing my book. Ya feel funny at first, doing it, but it really helps with the wordsmithing and thoughtsmithing… ooh, thoughtsmithing… there’s a new one! LOL

And when there’s no writing coach to feed back your spoken description, try writing as if talking to a colleague in a bar, full of slang, dangling sentences and venom.

Upon review, it’s amazing how the removal of a few four-letter words leaves a structured piece that is engaging and effective (without bringing on a lawsuit).