Introduction: General Principles of Writing and Editing

• Author: Edwin Scott Fruehwald
• Profession: Law Professor at the University of Alabama
• Pages: 2-10

The best way to become a self-directed learner is to develop attitudes and

habits.1 The rst attitude I want you to develop is “I will become a reader-

oriented writer.” Most authors write for themselves, and they do not give

much thought to their readers. As a result, the reader often misunderstands

what the author has said. In contrast, successful writers focus on their read-

ers. They know that it is the writer’s responsibility to fully communicate

his ideas to his reader. A reader shouldn’t have to read a passage twice. The

second attitude I want you to possess is “I will try to communicate to my

reader as fully as possible.”

The exercises in this book are intended to help you develop habits so

that you will become a reader-oriented writer who fully communicates her

ideas to the reader. However, before starting the exercises you need to learn

some general principles about writing.

The Three Stages of Writing

Writing consists of three stages: (1) the pre-writing stage, (2) the writing

stage, and (3) the editing stage (the post-writing stage). You should spend

an equal amount of time on each of these three stages. I will only discuss

the pre-writing stage and the editing stage in this section.

The Pre-writing St age

In the pre-writing stage, you should dene the writing’s parameters. What

is your purpose in writing? Who is your audience? Are there any restraints

on the composition? What is your plan?

A paper’s general purpose is often obvious. For example, your boss may

ask you to write a memorandum on the law of constructive eviction in Vir-

ginia. However, can you go into more detail? Has your boss asked you to

write the memorandum so that he can learn the general law on construc-

tive eviction, or does the assignment concern a particular case? Should you

look just at Virginia law or also at the law of other jurisdictions? If a case

1. You are a self-directed learner. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have bought this book. Self-

directed learners are constantly looking for ways to improve themselves.

CHAPTER 12

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