MEM - How To
Like any journey , there are obstacles to overcome and lessons to be learnt along the way . You can sit down and read about how to do it properly , or you can just head off and learn by your mistakes . I recommend the latter , but most editors won ’ t thank me for that , so here are a few pointers that might help when you come to put pen to paper . This isn ’ t a guidebook and it ’ s not GPS ; think of it as a map sketched by a weary native ; it doesn ’ t contain road names , but it does tell you where the lions hide out .
• If your head is swarming with thoughts and ideas like an enraged hornets ’ nest , get them down on the page . Sit down and let it all spill out in bullet point form ; short reminders of everything that seems important to the article . Don ’ t worry about sentences , structure , even spelling ; just get those thoughts on the page so they aren ’ t still in your head and clouding your approach .
• With a page full of random thoughts , you ’ ve effectively emptied out your jigsaw puzzle onto the dining room table . It ’ s a mess , but hopefully it ’ s all there and just needs piecing together . Start bringing those bullet points together under sub-heading that might include things like Key Moments , Intro , Sidebars . A basic outline will emerge of the essential chronology and context of your feature . If you ’ re writing about a journey , there ’ s an obvious timeline approach which isn ’ t necessary bad , but could be if you can ’ t write very well . There ’ s nothing wrong with ‘ today I did this , then I did that ’ per se , it ’ s just a bit dull . There are literary techniques that writers use to enliven structure , eg , starting with a big event , then tracing the path towards it , but these can appear hackneyed and clumsy if not used with care . Reading similar articles to the one you ’ re writing can give you a feel for what works and what doesn ’ t .