開始寫作之前要有個計劃，這樣在寫作的時候才會知道自己要寫什么、寫作的目的是什么，才能更好的考慮用什么樣的寫作方式。

Chapter 1  Plan

Objectives:

By the end of this chapter, you'll be able to plan your writing. You'll do this by deciding:

--why you are writing

--how you want your reader to respond

--what you want your reader to know

Why do you plan?

What is the value of planning? Think about this...

Have you ever sat at your desk not knowing how to begin? Very often, you may find writing difficult because you start writing right away. In other words, you overlook the importance of planning before you write.  Unfortunately, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail." So you need to plan your writing ... and then write according to your plan. If you plan well, your writing is more likely to get the results you want.

How can you plan your writing?

Effective writers use 3 strategies.

WHY are you writing?

WHAT do you want the reader to do?

WHAT does the reader need to know?

These 3 questions provide a good framework for planning. Let’s look at them one by one.

Why are you writing?

The business world is full of busy people. They don't want to waste time reading meaningless letters, memos, faxes and e-mails. They don't want to guess why you're writing to them. That's why it's very important for you to state your purpose for writing very clearly at the beginning.

Look at the following letter:

Simon's letter is not as effective as it could be. It's actually quite difficult to identify his purpose. You may have had to guess.

Simon probably wanted to do two things:
--to ask Mr Roman to collect his credit card and
--to explain how the annual fee for credit cards is charged.

So, you need to identify your purpose for writing. Your readers need to know why you are writing to them. Therefore, you should state your purpose for writing very clearly at the beginning. You can do this by writing a sentence which begins with a set phrase followed by a verb. For example,

I’m writing to / I would like to…explain / request…

When you use this method to state your purpose, the verb you choose is very important. Why? Because it helps your reader understand why you are writing.

Here are some of the verbs you can use: announce, complain, confirm, explain, inform, notify, propose, request and suggest.

WHAT do you want the reader to do?

After you decide why you are writing, you need to determine your reader's response.

Your readers need to know exactly what you want them to do. Therefore, you should be very specific when determining your reader's response. Compare the following two sentences:

1. Please therefore pick up your renewed card at your earliest convenience.

2. Please pick up your new card at our Central branch by 31 May.

Sentence 2 is more specific than sentence 1.

Remember: when you decide what you want your reader to do, you need to be as specific as possible.

WHAT does the reader need to know?

So far, you've learned how to determine your purpose for writing and your reader's response. But how can you determine what your reader needs to know? The answer depends on:

--why you are writing and

--what you want the reader to do.

Look at the letter again:

IF Simon

--wants to explain the charges (writer's purpose)

--expects Mr Roman to understand the charges (reader's response)

THEN Mr Roman needs to know (reader's information)

--WHAT the charges are

--WHY the charges are applied

--WHO to talk to if he has questions

IF Simon

--wants to ask Mr Roman to collect his credit card (writer's purpose)

--expects Mr Roman to collect his credit card (reader's response)

THEN Mr Roman needs to know (reader's information)

--HOW to collect his credit card

--WHERE to collect his credit card

--WHEN to collect his credit card

He needs to know WHO? WHAT? WHY? WHERE? WHEN? and HOW? Some professional writers call these the five W's and the one H. You can use the "5WIH" questions when you plan the reader's information. If you do this, you will ensure that your reader has all the necessary information.

Summary

In this chapter, you've learned the three strategies used in planning. Planning is a key to success in writing. "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

Before you start to write, you have to plan what to write. You then write according to your plan. When you plan, you need to consider the following:

--the writer's purpose

--the reader's response

--the reader's information.

In other words, you can help your reader by stating very clearly why you are writing and how you expect your reader to respond. The 5W1H questions (who, what, why, where, when and how) help to ensure you have included all the necessary information.

Then, you can provide the information your reader needs to know.

（來源：中國物流論壇 實習生江巍 英語點津 Annabel 編輯）