Writing and Editing for Clarity and Impact
Sample agenda for a full-day program
(usually taught as two half-days, on successive days or weeks) |
| Editing exercises will take place throughout the program. |
First session: Organizing complicated information to create
“super-clarity” |
| 9:00 a.m. |
Introduction: thinking like a writer
- What busy readers look for
- Thinking about clarity with principles, not tips
- How to create “super-clarity”
|
| 9:15 a.m. |
Organizing complex material to create “super-clarity”
- Creating point and focus before details
- Making the structure explicit
- Beginning with familiar information
|
| 10:30 a.m. |
Break |
| 10:45 a.m. |
Organizing complex material (continued) |
| 11:00 a.m. |
Avoiding the trap of default organizations |
| 11:45 a.m. |
Establishing your credibility at the start: writing effective introductions |
| 12:15 p.m. |
Summary: an editor’s checklist |
| 12:30 p.m. |
Morning session concludes |
| Second session: Writing effective paragraphs and sentences |
| 1:30 p.m. |
Applying the principles of clarity to paragraphs:
- Creating focus and structure
- Creating “flow”
- The importance of rhythm
|
| 3:00 p.m. |
Break |
| 3:15 p.m. |
Applying the principles to sentences:
- The building blocks: cores and chunks
- The syntax of action
- Managing emphasis
|
| 4:15 p.m. |
Editing for brevity |
| 4:45 p.m. |
Summary: an editor’s checklist |
| 5:00 p.m. |
Program concludes |
| Agenda for a half-day program |
| Brief editing exercises will take place throughout the program. |
| 9:00 a.m. |
Introduction: thinking like a writer
- What busy readers look for
- Thinking about clarity with principles, not tips
- How to create “super-clarity”
|
| 9:15 a.m. |
Organizing complex material to create “super-clarity”
- Making the structure explicit
- Creating point and focus before details
- Avoiding default organizations
|
| 10:10 a.m. |
Establishing your credibility at the start: writing effective introductions |
| 10:30 a.m. |
Break |
| 10:45 a.m. |
Sophisticated simplicity: writing clear sentences about complex material
- The building blocks: cores and chunks
- Controlling emphasis
- The power of rhythm
- Editing for brevity
|
| 12:15 p.m. |
Summary: an editor’s checklist |
| 12:30 p.m. |
Program concludes |
|
