How to Work with a Writer

Writers are almost like normal people. To squeeze the most use out of your writer, first consider the importance of describing your project to them. Don't worry—like badminton, the more you do it, the better you'll get. Tell your writer:

• whom the work is for (the target audience)
• the objectives (why it's being written)
• the voice (the CEO? colloquial? formal?)
• the length in words, paragraphs, or pages
• the deadline
• what the high-level outline looks like
• who the additional contributors and/or reviewers are

Getting the most from your writer

You'll get better-quality materials if:

• ...you give succinct feedback (not just "change this," but "rephrase this; the word 'attuned' doesn't work here").
• ...you allow a reasonable deadline. Writers will try to schedule their work, and you'll get a quality job done faster if you give them the time they need.
• ...you understand a little about how writers work, because you'll have a window into their progress on your project. Writers tend to think in terms of deadlines, drafts, and length of the written piece. They break up their time units of interviews, research, writing, editing, and reviews.

Sometimes writers have their own rules

Many writers see no problem with using "they" as a singular pronoun, but will go on a rampage if you use "who" when you should use "whom." Some can't stand "e.g.," and will demand that "for example" be used instead. Find out what these quirks are, and go with the flow.

Writers are individuals

Like snowflakes, grains of sand, and naked pink kangaroo joeys that have not yet left the pocket, all writers are different. Some are literal, some like to write poems using cooked spaghetti in their spare time. The earlier and better you integrate a writer into your project, the more you'll find out about how they work. Then you'll be able to anticipate how you can most successfully work with them.