I’ve only tried mind mapping once. It didn’t really resonate with me…I’m a list person.

This professor shared with me a piece of advice that has stuck with me to this day and resurfaces every time I begin to write a new piece: for work or for leisure, poetry or prose. This advice follows closely with celebrated poet and essayist Annie Dillard’s advice to tear up the runway. Dillard advises that it takes courage to write and the most courageous action that a writer can take is, upon finding the “runway” that gets your piece off the ground, gets your story moving in a direction, is to tear it up. As long as it took you to find that hook, that idea which got your creative gears going, you should erase it from your mind and the page. You no longer need it and it will take away from the real story; the “runway” merely served as a way for you to get there.

This professor agrees with Dillard: to a point. I don’t remember exactly what he said verbatim, so I will paraphrase. While this individual also thinks that it takes courage to be a writer, they feel that tearing up the runway is just one courageous act out of many that a writer will have to make. A good runway which lifts you off to a great idea for a story or a piece is a darling. You will find, as you write, that you will have many darlings. These little parts of a piece that seem wonderful, intelligent and meaningful. You will hover over these darlings for days, admiring them, wondering how you were able to come up with something so clever. And then you will have to murder your darlings. Because these darlings don’t belong in your piece. You may want to save them, after they are dead, to bring them out some other day, for some other piece, but they usually don’t fit.

This professor was a great influence on my development as a writer and I admire and respect them deeply. I agree so much with this notion. Whenever I write something that I think sounds a little wonderful, clever or unique, it usually is. The more I try to shape it to fit in with what I am writing, the more I realize that I am actually shifting the entire focus of what I am writing to fit this little darling. The sooner that it is dead and forgotten, the sooner I can get back to focusing on what I am really trying to say with a piece.

If you are not clear on who your audience is, then follow the tip I was given – write the marketing material before the book! If you are clear on the benefits your book will provide, then you will also know who it is for and the problems they face. This will clarify your direction and make the writing much easier.

Then when you come to promote your book you will find you already have most of the material you need ready written. After all your book will only change the world if it sells.

I referred to ‘The Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book’ by Susan Page in writing my book ‘Their Cancer – Your Journey’, and this encourages you to use this process.

Happy writing!

Anne Orchard
Author ‘Their Cancer – Your Journey’
http://www.familiesfacingcancer.org

Once I have done my mind map then I can put a structure to the article, story, etc., and follow the structure when writing. It works very well. This method brings out the best, especially when you need creative and well rounded writing. It works for articles, reports, short stories, novels… You name it! If you don’t know about mind maps I suggest you buy a book or run down to your library and get one. The best known author of books about mind maps are Tony Buzan, the British thinker who actually came up with the concept.