{"id":1286,"date":"2012-12-24T01:02:09","date_gmt":"2012-12-24T06:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dwaynephillips.net\/workingup\/?p=1286"},"modified":"2012-12-17T09:16:21","modified_gmt":"2012-12-17T14:16:21","slug":"a-simple-writing-formula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dwaynephillips.net\/workingup\/2012\/12\/a-simple-writing-formula\/","title":{"rendered":"A Simple Writing Formula"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Dwayne Phillips<\/p>\n

When writing to convey information, I use a formula that is easy for me to remember and works for me. The formula is: what, so what, now what.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Someone gave me this formula in a meeting years ago. The meeting had nothing to do with writing, but had something to do with telling people information. I guess much of writing has to do with passing information.<\/p>\n

The formula:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What<\/li>\n
  2. So What<\/li>\n
  3. Now What<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Clever how that rhymes. I guess the little rhyme helps me remember the formula. I have heard this same formula using different words, but I can’t remember those words, so I pass along the formula in these words.<\/p>\n

    Let’s expand the formula:<\/p>\n

    What:<\/strong> Write what happened or write your principal statement.<\/p>\n

    So what:<\/strong> Write the implication of the event or principal. Explain why this matters.<\/p>\n

    Now what<\/strong>: Write what you will do or what you recommend doing.<\/p>\n

    For example:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. We left home late today.<\/li>\n
    2. We won’t be able to pick up the party snacks on the way.<\/li>\n
    3. We recommend that you call our friends and ask them to pick up the party snacks as they live next to the store.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      and<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. I use a formula in conveying written information.<\/li>\n
      2. This formula helps me remember to provide essential information.<\/li>\n
      3. I recommend this formula to other people, often.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        One more little part of the formula. Insert the word “Gut” between steps 1 and 2, steps 2 and 3, or both.<\/p>\n

        Gut:<\/strong> Write the feeling you have about what you have just written.<\/p>\n

        The addition of gut allows those of us who are more emotional to use such a formula. Emotional types hate formulas unless the formula allows for emotion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        by Dwayne Phillips When writing to convey information, I use a formula that is easy for me to remember and works for me. The formula is: what, so what, now what. Someone gave me this formula in a meeting years ago. The meeting had nothing to do with writing, but had something to do with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,5],"tags":[154,128],"class_list":["post-1286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-communication","category-writing","tag-communication","tag-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dwaynephillips.net\/workingup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dwaynephillips.net\/workingup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dwaynephillips.net\/workingup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dwaynephillips.net\/workingup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dwaynephillips.net\/workingup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1286"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dwaynephillips.net\/workingup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1287,"href":"https:\/\/dwaynephillips.net\/workingup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1286\/revisions\/1287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dwaynephillips.net\/workingup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dwaynephillips.net\/workingup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dwaynephillips.net\/workingup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}