Ask Doctor Howie

Writing August 17, 2009

You’ve got ideas for a project you want to create. These may be for a children’s story, a biography or autobiography, a history of a town or an organisation, a book of mainly pictures or art… whatever. Where do you go from there?

First of all, organise your ideas. Get them into some kind of order and write them down… make something like a map or a plan. Then expand that plan and begin getting your ideas and thoughts “on paper”. When I say “on paper”, it can be literally on paper, or on a computer. Microsoft Word or Apple’s Pages would be a good start.

You might also think about images that will enhance your project. These might be photos, maps, drawings or illustrations. Make sure they will improve your project, don’t include them just for the sake of having images.

So… get started. Begin putting your ideas down into some structured form. Once you begin, hopefully the project will flow nicely. Don’t worry if you feel the need to modify or re-write something you’ve already done. That’s natural. Don’t overdo it, though. If you’re not happy with what you’ve done, I suggest putting it aside for a while and coming back to it… looking at it in a new light. Go on, do it!