While not a prolific blogger, Alan Dershowitz is a legal writing legend. His thoughts below are interesting and his recommendations are sound advice for all bloggers:
- "Today I write nearly every day and publish a book almost every year. I feel the need to share my ideas as widely as possible. Having spent so many years taking in information, I feel the need to get out as much as possible. My test for publication is certainly not perfection. Instead, I ask myself whether sharing my experiences, mistakes, insights, and opinions will contribute in a positive way to the marketplace of ideas. I see the publication of my ideas as part of a teaching and learning process. I learn from the criticism directed at my writings. I teach by putting out my ideas, without subjecting them first to endless honing, polishing and internal peer review.So don’t hold back until it’s perfect. Get it out "
I write not only on the blog but I enjoy writing period. I love to write with a pen and paper. I have done this for over 50 years. Or I will write on WordPerfect.
WHY WRITE:
I love research and I love taking notes, and I love writing down what I think I am thinking: WHY?
The basic reason for writing, is to get my thoughts out of my mind and onto paper. On paper or on the Corel WordPerfect I can see what I have written.
I encourage my thinking with notes, outlines, summaries, commentary on paper.
So when I write I remember more accurately, understand better, and see what I think more clearly. And the better I write the more critically I will read.
Writing then is an important part of learning, thinking and understanding.
When I write with others in mind, I give my ideas the critical attention they need and deserve.
When Charity convinced me that someone else might read what I write, it got my attention as to what I wrote, how I was going to write it. Thus, I had no problem in letting Charity proof read my writing.
Thinking in written form is done more carefully than just writing down my thoughts that I would only read myself.
I have discovered as I read books or call up a website that I am developing a relationship with the writer of that book or website.
I do not write often to get a response or to turn a thought toward the subject that I am writing. I often do read and then I write what I am reading.. I read what they are writing and I begin to think on what they are saying.
What I want to learn to do better is to write well. When others read what I write they will see what I have said has been carefully researched and is trustworthy. Blog or other form of writing.
While I started out writing for my benefit in the blog, I have branched out that others are going to read them as well. Of course when I was writing my sermons I was wanting others to listen to what I was saying.
I need to learn when I am writing, while it is interesting to me, how can I say it so that it will be interesting to others.
I have said often, I wish I could write what I am learning in such a way that my Baptist preacher friends would really find it interesting reading. They would never read, I am thinking, anything that John Calvin or Martin Luther wrote, so can I write and say the same thing and they would read it?
Also, I am learning, it’s just not putting down information, but it’s information that I know will help solve some problems. For example: I did that at PBC in teaching them about how to organize a Sunday School.
I have been more careful how I respond to what I have thought was a problem.
"Just tell me something that I don’t know so that I can better understand the topic of our common interest." How can I say something in writing that will give them a better understanding of a common interest.
How can I get the leadership to play the role that need to be envisioned for them to play in this process? Until they see themselves in the role that needs be to envisioned for them to play, what I say won’t have any effect upon them.
"Explain your project in a way that everyone thinks is clear and interesting." Practice your talk until you can say it clearly and it is interesting.
"Talk a lot." Create conditions that get you talking a lot. Do what you can to ensure that you talk regularly.
One of the things I have done is to ask questions. I ask questions of myself about a topic, and question that I need to have answered by myself as well as others. For example:
"Do any of the leaders really believe there is any need of any real change of the direction of the church?" (I wrote that question for PBC, SBC)
At SBC we took our solutions suggesting to the whole group of leaders. We wanted all of them involved in the process of the solutions of the church. While I presented the plan, it was a rough draft and we desired to have all the leaders work toward a unity of belief to the solutions of the problems.
So when I am writing my thoughts about a certain research paper, I need to keep in mind those whom I am intending the research paper for.
I need to say what I believe in a form that my Baptist pastors or other readers will want to read, and have another view point. Now that is our challenge, and in 2007 I hope to learn the best way of accomplishing the desired results.
Drafted by Charles E. Whisnant January 01, 07 Proof Read by Charity Whisnant Posted January 04 2007
