Too good to
Patrick Forsyth suggests a systematic approach to organising material
Imagine that you are sitting in a restaurant, one that’s new to you and which is proving to be really good. You look at the menu and find it difficult to choose, which I guess is better than it containing nothing you want to eat. But if you define a good meal as a starter, a main course and a dessert, say (let’s ignore diets) then you have to choose and make the various elements fit as well as each course being something nice. So too with writing.
Consider a trip or visit and a planned article on a subject that might range from a country to a stately home. If all has gone well then you will have plenty to write about, but with, let’s say, 1,000 words in mind you’re immediately faced with choice: what to write about and what to omit. If it’s all good stuff, then a common tendency is to pack too much in. And as you do that things can get muddled, a logical sequence proves elusive and the end result can be less than satisfactory.
What’s necessary is a systematic approach, a careful sorting of potential content. I think a key element is to have a theme in mind. It can be only too easy to find you’re just writing ‘about something’ or, worse still, ‘all about something’ and that the job of content selection is made more difficult. Often the most pleasing pieces have a clear purpose. This might mean that the history of a place leads the piece, or the culture, or whatever. In addition you may choose a tone: to be serious, light hearted or sound a warning. Perhaps I might offer a funnel (the kind you pour water through) as an analogy. As you think things through and narrow the possibilities, the job of organising content becomes easier with certain things ruled out automatically.
Of course, any writing needs other things to be right. It must read well, be descriptive and readers must find it interesting, entertaining, instructive or whatever you intend. But a sound structure and selecting the right content to fit the length and tone of a piece is also important. If as you write you find you’re regretting that what you regard as a wonderful anecdote cannot be included, you’re probably on the right track. This is a route to creating a well-balanced piece and, of course, some of what you omit may be the basis of further writing.