Week 4 Pre-Work

 

Welcome to Week 4! Thursday, sadly, will be the final session of our workshop. We hope you've enjoyed the last month and will be asking for your thoughts in a post-workshop survey.

 

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though! We still have some work to do ...

 

Before Thursday's class on editing and polishing (with resident publication gurus, Jane and Val), we'd like you to look at your piece of writing with two important principles in mind:

 

1. SHORTEN AND CLARIFY.  

Remember Don Berwick’s advice? He said he writes a piece in a single sitting, “Then I revisit it, and try to cut out maybe 30% of the words. Sometimes reading it out loud helps me to find waste.”

 

And remember Jim Reinertsen’s advice? He said, “Edit. Relentlessly. I almost never send anything off, even an email, without reading it through at least once and cleaning up the clumsy syntax, unclear referent, or whatever.”

 

Read through your piece and, using Track Changes, do two things:

1) Shorten it wherever possible.
2) Clarify anything that’s unclear.

2. ELIMINATE THE PASSIVE VOICE.

Read through your piece and find at least ONE place where you used the passive voice. Then rewrite it in the active voice, using Track Changes.

 

Please bring two hard copies of your new marked-up document to class on Thursday.

 

P.S. We encourage you to send your draft to a faculy member for assistance before Thursday. Many of you have taken advantage of this already.

Week 3 Pre-Work

Welcome to Week 3!

In the third session this Thursday, we're going to spend a lot of time focusing on the nitty-gritty of revision and polishing. As an example, Becca will walk you through her revision process, sharing two different drafts of a piece and discussing the changes. Also, if you are a very brave soul and willing to share your draft with the whole class, please let Mike or Becca know. 

Here's the pre-work we'd like you to complete before we meet at 3 PM on Thursday, July 25, in the Sandbox:
 Required

• Revise the first draft your piece and bring two hard copies of your second draft to class.
• Review the following resources on polishing your writing:
• http://chronicle.com/article/Polishing-Your-Prose-Word-by/137327/
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/561/05/

Optional (but strongly encouraged)

• Send your revision to any faculty member -- Dan, Jane, Becca, Azeem, Val, or Mike -- for feedback on your piece before class.
• Review this additional resource for guidance on grammar, usage, and other writing issues: http://drewloewe.net/polish-your-writing/

The Faculty Presents 10 Books ...

Here's a collection of helpful books -- some that are about writing, some that just include good writing -- from the workshop faculty. (Sounds like a great way to use some professional development money ...)

Enjoy!

1. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
2. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
3. Garner's Modern American Usage by Bryan Garner
4. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss
5. Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction by Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd
6. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Naturaly History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
7. The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan
8. A Gathering of Old Men by Robert Gaines
9. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip and Dan Heath
10. Lead with a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire by Paul Smith 

P.S. Dan Schummers recommends anything by David Foster Wallace. Obviously.

Week 2 Pre-Work

 

 

Welcome to Week 2. The table is set and it's time to do some eating writing. We're going to be asking a lot in the next couple weeks, so we hope you're ready to dive in and get creative.

 

Here's the pre-work we'd like you to complete before we meet at 3 PM on Thursday, July 18, in the Sandbox:

 

Required

- Write a first draft of your piece and bring two hard copies to class.

- Enter the New Yorker caption contest (the one with the man who has a bag on his head) and send your entry to mbriddon@ihi.org by noon on Wednesday, July 10. (We'll present our top three in class (it'll be anonymous) and we'll vote on a winner.)

- Write a six-word memoir and send it to mbriddon@ihi.org by noon on Wednesday, July 10.

     - Here's a two-minute overview of six-word memoirs and even more information if you're curious.

 

Optional

- Watch this five-minute TED lesson on writing an introduction. (It's pretty darn cool.)

- Review these resources on how to write a good lead/introduction:

  - Purdue Online Writing Lab

  - Cub Reporters Journalism Education

 

Again, please feel free to reach out to any faculty -- Dan, Jane, Becca, Azeem, Val, or Mike -- if you'd like some feedback on your piece before class.

 

 



Week 1 - Your Projects

Thanks again for a great start to the workshop. Below is the list of projects you selected on Thursday. If you change your mind, just let me know.

Writing Projects

• (Michael) letter to my mother - the conversation we should have had
• (KellyAnne) a travel essay to submit somewhere
• (Alyssa) maid of honor speech at sister's wedding
• (Carolyn) graduate school application personal statement
• (Becca) 1,000-1,500 word book overview
• (Nigel) "Redefining the American Dream – The Increasing Need for Public Health"
• (Karen) "IHI’s Improvement Story" or letter to my mom
• (Christina) blog post: what we’ve learned about large-scale change since the campaign
• (Azeem) health disparities Open School course intro
• (Mike) grandmother’s eulogy
• (Dan) re-write of staff guidebook intro
• (Jane) Open School course for TCP
• (Pedro) the parallel between sports performance and health care improvement
• (John) white boy music as a vehicle for nostalgia
• (Kathy) “Learnings from Project JOINTS” (Large scale change project)

Week 1 Recap

Thanks so much for a fantastic first session last week. Things are really taking off...



As promised, here are two lists:

Tips for Getting Started

• Use an outline!
• Write three different intros and pick the best!
• Read good stuff
• Wine (i.e., be relaxed)
• Write a “vomit” draft – you can fix everything later

General Writing Tips

• Cut as many words as possible (look for adverbs, of”s, and extraneous that's)
• Read sentences backward
• Deadlines!
• Play classical music or jazz in the background (earphones preferred)

More to come!

-Dan & Jane

Week 1 Pre-Work

Welcome to Week 1 of the IHI Writing Workshop! (You can almost feel the excitement, can't you?)

Each week, you'll have between 30-90 minutes of asynchronous work to do for the class. We know what some of you might be thinking ... 90 minutes?! Seriously? Do you think I'm made of time? We realize that's asking a lot, but becoming a better writer takes time and effort. And like anything, you'll get out what you put into this.

Let's get down to business. For Week 1, we're going to take it easy on you in terms of pre-work. We're asking you to do three things before Thursday's class:

1. Write (and email to Mike Briddon) one word that best describes how you feel about writing. (Please do this one by 10 AM on Thursday.) 
2. Read Don Berwick’s and Jim Reinertsen’s emails on writing advice.
3. Start thinking about your project for the workshop (the piece of writing you’ll develop over the course of the 4 sessions) – it can be anything: a blog, a letter to a parent, a note to a loved one, a movie/TV/restaurant review, anything.