開始寫作之前要有個計劃，這樣在寫作的時候才會知道自己要寫什么、寫作的目的是什么，才能更好的考慮用什么樣的寫作方式。
Chapter 1
Plan
Objectives:
By the end of this chapter, you'll be able to plan your
writing. You'll do this by deciding:
--why you are writing
--how you want your reader to
respond
--what you want your reader to
know
Why do you plan?
What is the value of planning? Think about
this...
Have you ever sat at your desk not knowing how to begin?
Very often, you may find writing difficult because you start writing right away.
In other words, you overlook the importance of planning before you write. Unfortunately, "if you fail to plan, you
plan to fail." So you need to plan your writing ... and then write according to
your plan. If you plan well, your writing is more likely to get the results you
want.
How can you plan your writing?
Effective writers use 3
strategies.
WHY are you writing?
WHAT do you want the reader to
do?
WHAT does the reader need to
know?
These 3 questions provide a good framework for planning.
Let’s look at them one by one.
Why are you writing?
The business world is full of busy people. They don't
want to waste time reading meaningless letters, memos, faxes and e-mails. They
don't want to guess why you're writing to them. That's why it's very important
for you to state your purpose for writing very clearly at the beginning.
Look at the following
letter:
|
20
September 200X
Mr Robert Roman
13/F 151 Gloucester Rd
Wan
Chai
Hong Kong
Dear Mr Roman
HSBC CREDIT CARD 5411
8001 7633 8766
Thank you for your letter
dated 18 September 200X.
We
would advise that the card fee would be automatically billed to your card
account annually despite your renewed card is remained uncollected.
However, annual fee can be refunded provided that the card is uncollected
within a certain period and is returned to the Card Centre for
cancellation.
Please
therefore pick up your renewed card at your earliest convenience.
We
are pleased to be of service.
Yours
sincerely
S TSE
Simon
Tse
Customer Service Officer
Card Centre |
Simon's
letter is not as effective as it could be. It's actually quite difficult to
identify his purpose. You may have had to guess.
Simon
probably wanted to do two things:
--to ask Mr Roman to collect his
credit card and
--to explain how the annual fee
for credit cards is charged.
So, you need to identify your purpose for writing. Your
readers need to know why you are writing to them. Therefore, you should state
your purpose for writing very clearly at the beginning. You can do this by
writing a sentence which begins with a set phrase followed by a verb. For
example,
I’m writing to / I would like to…explain / request…
When you use this method to state your purpose, the verb
you choose is very important. Why? Because it helps your reader understand why
you are writing.
Here are some of the verbs you can use: announce,
complain, confirm, explain, inform, notify, propose, request and
suggest.
WHAT do you want the reader to
do?
After you decide why you are writing, you need to
determine your reader's response.
Your readers need to know exactly what you want them to
do. Therefore, you should be very specific when determining your reader's
response. Compare the following two sentences:
1. Please therefore pick up your renewed card at your
earliest convenience.
2. Please pick up your new card at our Central branch by
31 May.
Sentence 2 is more specific than sentence
1.
Remember: when you decide what you want your reader to
do, you need to be as specific as possible.
WHAT does the reader need to
know?
So far, you've learned how to determine your purpose for
writing and your reader's response. But how can you determine what your reader
needs to know? The answer depends on:
--why you are writing and
--what you want the reader to
do.
Look at the letter again:
|
20
September 200X
Mr Robert Roman
13/F 151 Gloucester Rd
Wan
Chai
Hong Kong
Dear Mr Roman
HSBC CREDIT CARD 5411
8001 7633 8766
Thank you for your
letter dated 18 September 200X.
We
would advise that the card fee would be automatically billed to your card
account annually despite your renewed card is remained uncollected.
However, annual fee can be refunded provided that the card is uncollected
within a certain period and is returned to the Card Centre for
cancellation.
Please
therefore pick up your renewed card at your earliest convenience.
We
are pleased to be of service.
Yours
sincerely
S TSE
Simon
Tse
Customer Service Officer
Card Centre |
IF Simon
--wants to explain the
charges (writer's purpose)
--expects Mr Roman to understand the charges (reader's
response)
THEN Mr Roman needs to know (reader's
information)
--WHAT the charges are
--WHY the charges are
applied
--WHO to talk to if he has questions
IF Simon
--wants to ask Mr Roman to collect his credit card
(writer's purpose)
--expects Mr Roman to collect his credit card (reader's
response)
THEN Mr Roman needs to know (reader's
information)
--HOW to collect his credit
card
--WHERE to collect his credit
card
--WHEN to collect his credit card
He needs to know WHO? WHAT? WHY? WHERE? WHEN? and HOW?
Some professional writers call these the five W's and the one H. You can use the
"5WIH" questions when you plan the reader's information. If you do this, you
will ensure that your reader has all the necessary
information.
Summary
In this chapter, you've learned the three strategies used
in planning. Planning is a key to success in writing. "If you fail to plan, you
plan to fail."
Before you start to write, you have to plan what to
write. You then write according to your plan. When you plan, you need to
consider the following:
--the writer's purpose
--the reader's response
--the reader's information.
In other words, you can help your reader by stating very
clearly why you are writing and how you expect your reader to respond. The 5W1H
questions (who, what, why, where, when and how) help to ensure you have included
all the necessary information.
Then, you can provide the information your reader needs
to know.
（來源：中國物流論壇 實(shí)習(xí)生江巍 英語點(diǎn)津 Annabel 編輯）
