Paul Mundy Ways to produce information materials

Paul Mundy Ways to produce information materials Single author Small team of writers Multiple authors who submit manuscripts to an editor Journalistic reporting Conference or symposium Writeshop

Paul Mundy Single author Most usual method  One person reviews literature, draws on own experiences, and writes draft  Draft then edited and laid out Advantages  Gives one person close control of manuscript  Author must have broad knowledge of subject But  Few authors know enough – so must rely on literature  Needs a lot of time to write, check facts, draw illustrations  Good if one expert has enough time to write

Paul Mundy Small writing team Often used to write textbooks Small team reviews literature and writes manuscript More comprehensive coverage Faster writing process Requires coordination and editing to ensure uniformity The authors still need much time

Paul Mundy Multiple authors and editor Editor selects authors and invites each to contribute a chapter Editor provides guidelines for writing Authors submit manuscripts Editor ensures uniform style, eliminates overlap etc. Editor checks draft with author Editor writes introduction and one or more chapters Often takes a long time Drafts vary in style and quality Limited opportunity to check each chapter with peers

Paul Mundy Reporting A “reporter” interviews key individuals, reviews the literature, and writes the manuscript Useful if  Subject matter is not highly technical  Resource persons cannot write for the target audience Needs  A reporter with subject background  What subjects to include, whom to interview, what questions to ask  Significant amount of time to check errors with sources

Paul Mundy Conference Organization hosts a conference Specialists write and present manuscripts Audience asks questions and gives comments Sometimes an editor discusses the manuscripts with the authors Editor edits the drafts and checks queries with authors Relatively expensive Manuscripts not uniform in quality and topics Editing can take a long time

Paul Mundy Writeshops Combines benefits of conference, reporting and team writing

Paul Mundy Standard writeshop model Identify audience and objectives Identify type of materials needed Identify theme of book, break it into separate “topics” Prepare guidelines for authors, invite authors to write drafts Editor revises manuscripts and checks final queries Final draft laid out, proofread, printed and distributed Introduce writeshop procedure Each author presents draft Audience comments Author and editor take notes Editor and author revise manuscript Artist draws illustrations Author presents draft 2 Small groups develop ideas Before writeshop During writeshop After writeshop

Paul Mundy Features of a standard writeshop Long lead-time for planning and logistics 20–50 participants from different organizations Participants stay throughout writeshop Staff: coordinator, facilitators, editors, artists, photocopying, logistics 5–10 days In hotel or conference centre Relatively expensive