With this approach I have to estimate the level of knowledge of my readers to find the right structure. A text for non-professionals looks very different from a text for professionals.
If I don't know the main message of my text at the beginning, I can use the main question as a starting point. So I don't have to wait until I have planned the whole text. I ask myself: Which sub-questions do I have to answer in order to find the answer to the main question?
As soon as I have found a subquestion, I can start working on it: I acquire the necessary thematic knowledge and try to write down the answer to the sub-question right away. This first draft doesn't have to be perfect. I have often been annoyed that I didn't write down my thoughts on a question immediately. Later, however, I had to work my way back into the question.
When I have written the text for a subquestion, it usually leads to the next subquestion that I have to work on. I often come to the linear (logical) structure of my text all by myself. I only have to check whether I have not forgotten a subquestion. But it also happens that I don't include a edited subquestion in my text at all.
A good starting point for finding subquestions is to look at the definitions of the terms that the text will be about. Defining something precisely is not easy and raises many questions.
When I finish writing the text, hopefully I will have found the answer to the main question. Now I check the chosen structure. A text must not be a list, where the items follow each other without logical connection. Such a text is boring. A logically structured text is easy to read and gives the reader the opportunity to think along.
Nowadays, the advice is often given: "Tell a story!" A story comes from the description of consecutive events. In a good story, the audience thinks along with the story and asks, "What happens next?" With a text, it should be the same.
3. Obstacle: The lack of appropriate formulations
In a language there is a word for every thing, for every appearance and for every process. If we relate the words to each other and formulate sentences, we can make statements. A statement is the linguistic representation of a fact. (Seiffert, H. (1975). Introduction to Philosophy of Science 1, Munich: Publisher C. H. Beck, p. 53 and 60)
In other words, if we want to say something meaningful, we have to bring the appropriate words into a meaningful relationship. Such a relationship of meaning is called a sentence. (Klein, H. W., Strohmeyer, F. (1967). Französische Sprachlehre, Stuttgart: Ernst Klett Verlag, p. 13).
In order to be able to formulate understandable sentences about a fact, I must
1. ... have understood the fact (see above).
2. ... have the appropriate vocabulary.
Which technical terms are used for a particular issue, I see in texts that others have written on this issue.
3. ... master the grammar and spelling.
4. ... choose the right style for my statements.
When we do something, it is not only important what we do, but also how we do it. Style is the way how we do something.
If I want to remind a friend of a meeting today, I have different ways to formulate it: "Do not forget our meeting today." "Be punctual today!" "Please come on time today!" "If you do not come on time today, you're in trouble." … Which is the most appropriate phrase depends on the specific situation. Everyone knows how embarrassing it is to use the wrong words.
"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter:it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning."
(Mark Twain, Letter to George Bainton, published in "The Art of Authorship" by George Bainton)
If I want to write a text, I first need an idea of what I want to say with the text. Then I consider whether the planned text belongs to a certain type of text. Sometimes I can choose between several possible text types (e.g. between a letter and an email).
"If texts have the same characteristics, forms, objectives and are used in similar communicative situations, they can be assigned to specific types of text." (Fischer, C. (2010). Texte, Gattungen, Textsorten und ihre Verwendung in Lesebüchern. Dissertation, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, p. 15)
Style rules have been defined for each type of text. So if I want to write a text that belongs to a certain type of text (for example, a business letter or a poem), I need to learn about and follow the style rules that apply to that type of text.
Since the style rules for the types of text are usually only rough rules, there are still ways to write the text in a personal style. Always strive for a style that makes the text easy for the reader to understand.
"The approach to style is by way of plainness, simplicity, orderliness, sincerity." (William Strunk, jr. (1959). "The Elements of Style")
If a text is difficult to understand, then the author has not tried hard enough.
"Everywhere there is a lack of insight that someone always has to work hard […]: the writer or the reader. Writers tend to shift this plague onto the readers ..." (Wolf Schneider, quoted in www.uni-wh.de/fileadmin/user_upload/00_Startseite/Stil-Leitfaden.pdf, 09.02.22, p. 1)
4. Obstacle: Often there is no time for a thorough revision
"Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair."
(Zinser, W. (2001). On Writing Well, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, p. 12)
It is not difficult to describe a simple fact, such as "We meet today at 5:00 p. m. at the station." However, it is not possible to describe a complex situation in the first attempt. The human brain is unable to consider at once all the factors that are important when writing a difficult text.
In a finished text, the reader must recognize a "logical flow" and the style must fit the content (the formulations and the design of the text). Therefore, demanding texts must be revised several times, for which time must be planned.
What is the writing plan for a difficult text?
1. I estimate how much time is available for writing the text.
2. I decide which main question the text should answer.
3. I try to imagine what the answer to the main question might be.
To do this, I do a literature search to find other texts that also say something about this main question. Using these texts as a model, I develop an idea for the answer to the main question = for the main message of my text. (Maybe there are other sources I can use as a model, like interviewing someone).
4. I think about which subquestions I have to answer so that a reader can understand my main message.
So I determine the structure of my text, that is, I make an outline.
5. I also do a literature search for the subquestions, read the appropriate texts and check my outline.
When reading the literature, I always pay attention to the style used by the other texts (technical words, formulations, outline, visualizations). This makes it easier for me to formulate my text later.
6. Finally, I estimate whether I can complete the planned text in the time available.
I take into account that I will need additional time to revise the text. I also plan a time reserve for unexpected disruptions. If there is not enough time for the writing plan, I have to change the main question or my outline, or I have to answer the sub-questions shorter.
Even if my writing plan is not yet fully developed, I can start writing because I am now sure I will be able to write the text. Further insights will come as I write.
Insecurity is often combated by excessive "information gathering ... or by blind (because it is hardly based on information) actionism." (Dörner, D. (2000). Die Logik des Mißlingens, Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt Verlag, p. 153)
With good planning, I have enough time at the end to revise my text. I read it through several times and look for spelling mistakes and bumpy passages. If the text is easy to understand and can be read fluently, it is ready.
Writing good and understandable texts is a skill that can only be acquired by practicing.
Read on Learn-Study-Work: "How to structure a scientific text", "How to define words", "What is Respect", "How to respond to disrespect", "What is Science", "What is Health", "How to solve problems"
en français: "Qu'est-ce que le respect?", "Comment écrire un texte"
