Focus Your Writing
Finding the right duck isn’t always easy. In my quest to find Indian runners, I found that the only way to get the pure white ones was to get them “straight run.” In other words, the ducklings were unsexed: males (drakes) and females in equal numbers, as they hatched.
The difficulty is that when mating season comes about, the healthy ratio for confined ducks is about one drake for every three or so ducks, or even fewer. Thus, I now have too many drakes, and I need to find homes for them, for the good of the flock.
So too, when writing, it is important to have the right ideas present in your book, article, course, or dare I say it, blog entry. Something that I see with books—particularly by first-time authors—is that there is the desire to include too many ideas. If we are motivated to share what we know, we want to give a complete picture. But this can be to the detriment of work, as a clutter of ideas can be distracting and unfocused, and ultimately not in the reader’s best interest.
The following approach can help you focus your ideas for the good of the flock. Er… book. A deeper discussion of this is in my article “How to Write a Music Method Book,” which currently resides on the Artists House Web site. (I also periodically give a writing seminar on this topic.)
1. Title. Focus on crafting a working title for your work that articulates your over-arching most important theme. Though the ultimate title will likely be a decision by a marketing department, a good working title will help you focus. For example:
“Beginning Didgeridoo.”
2. Objectives. Write about five short points articulating what the reader will learn from your work. Make sure that they support your title.
• Learn effective circular breathing
• Develop effective and healthy embouchure and playing posture
• Choose the instrument that’s best for you
• Perform six didgeridoo songs
• Imitate twelve animal noises
3. Topics. Confirm that every topic you want to include in your book supports at least one objective.
Let’s say that your first draft turns out to be 400 pages long, so you know you need to cut out some data. Topic 1 is a breathing exercise. That supports the first bullet, so it can stay in. Topic 2 is about the history of the didgeridoo. Since this isn’t listed as an objective, you should seriously consider cutting it, especially since the book is running long. Do this with all topics, and eventually, you will wind up with a much more focused work. It will be easier for your readers to understand what you are trying to communicate.
The mantra is: Deleting is Delightful. Or, save your rejected topics for another work. There is always another opportunity to write. Do this for every single topic you write or consider writing. Be ruthless.
Now, would you like a free drake? Indian runners are a bit too scrawny to eat, but they make good company.
