Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

A technique that I use in writing and editing concentrates on the paragraph. It works for me. As with all writing tips, I suggest you try it. If it work, use it. If it doesn’t, move on.

Thirty years ago, Chris Bachman took the time to converse with a 21-year-old kid from Louisiana just of out college. We were discussing writing – something he had done successfully publishing several books and something I wanted to do.

I write in paragraphs. I sharpen a handful of pencils and set them on the table next to a fresh yellow legal pad. I write one paragraph on a piece of paper and go to the next piece of paper. I end up with a pile of paragraphs that I can rearrange easily. Paragraphs. One thought per paragraph.

I never followed Chris’ advice per the yellow legal pad and handful of sharp pencils as the  word processors arrived soon thereafter. The paragraph idea, however, stuck with me.

One thought per paragraph.

I make a loose outline or mind map for what I intend to write. I take each thought and write a paragraph around it. It all sounds simple and works most of the time.

The concept also drives my editing or rewriting phase of writing. I reformat my draft on a word processor. I change the left margin to 0.3″ and the right margin to 3.0″. I ensure there is a sizable space between paragraphs. This provides space to write to the right of each paragraph.

I read each paragraph and ask myself, “What does this say?” I write the answer to the right. If I cannot find one, single topic for the paragraph, I write a big question mark to the right.

I then read the topics in sequence. Does the writing flow from paragraph to paragraph? If not, I move the paragraphs about until the thoughts flow as I want.

A short, casual conversation made all the difference for all these years. Chris Bachman died a couple years after the conversation. My first son carries his name.