There are three main types of writing models that can be used to produce documents in organizations: Model 1. The Lone Writer, where one person does most of the writing for the organization Model 2. The Writing Shop, where a bank of writing specialists produce documentation Model 3. The Collaborative Team, where various writers and subject matter…
Helping one another at different levels: A continuum of collaboration
When two or more people collaborate, they put their efforts together to achieve a goal that they hold in common. Their work can be carried out in different intensities of “togetherness.” Our awareness of the various types or levels of collaboration is very helpful. We can gauge our involvement in a project. Using the degree of involvement, we can then measure how we…
Law 4. Assess the requirements for the project (even if there’s no time)
You have already established your writing mandate with Law 3. So does the team start scribbling yet? Not quite. There’s an Arabic saying about good, expressive prose: (If it takes) No skill to understand it, (then it takes) mastery to write it.” — cited by Taleb in his book on anti fragility (I’ve added parenthetical notes) In writing,…
Law 3. Identify the writing mandate and agree on a process
When there is writing to be done, most people expect some magic to happen. The mystique surrounding the creative process is powerful. There is no magic, though. Setting words on the page is a process and having a plan is key. Very early on in the development process, your team must capture the expectations for the project….
Law 2. Respect thy collaborators as thyself
Collaboration is about working with other people. Many hands make write work! And cupcakes have been known to make projects hum along nicely. Collaborative writing involves many different kinds of expertise, since contributions are collected from various people and sources. Often that can be a lot of fun. When things don’t go well, though, nothing will smooth the…
Collaborative writing in history: The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is a great example of collaborative writing. All the elements are there: a writing mandate, plenty of source material, consultation with experts, a tight timeline, committees, key writers of great skill, various drafts, and a three-day meeting, during which the text is edited by many players. The writing team is even told to take…
Writing in organizations: Gaining a competitive edge
The need to create documentation is greater than ever. There’s text for the Web, sales and promotional material, product descriptions, manuals, reports, one-pagers—most organizations are pushing out a lot of text these days. With all this production happening, you’d think the writing process was getting better, easier and more effective all the time. But is this the…
The Write Stuff
Yikes, the report is due Monday and it’s Thursday already! Does your organization have a plan to meet tight deadlines? How would your team pull together the information and resources to meet your organization’s goals? First reactions to a situation like this would say a lot about how the team understands its mandate. What people say reflects…