Tuesday, May 18, 2010
I've started a background paper for a client and am in the midst of tedium -- organization. Any paper of length needs to be structured logically so facts and ideas flow naturally. But, this requires marshalling facts then fitting them together. It isn't a pleasant task. It's the hard work of writing. I went through source documents yesterday and highlighted what is needed. Today, I need to lift the facts and put them into a detailed outline. Once that is done, I'll be over the hump. Writing the initial draft of the background paper will be easier. I can concentrate on making the story flow rather than looking up a fact here and another one there. Today, however, is another grinding session. I can appreciate the perseverance of book writers, especially historians. I'm not sure how they do it when they are confronted with thousands of source documents and tens of thousands of facts.