Can a professional writer please answer my question?

Question

Hi
I am not a professional writer; however, I have a class project in which I am suppose to interview a professional writer and was wondering if some one would be willing to answer the following questions:
What kind of planning do you do before you write? do you make a list? Formal or informal outlines?

*How do you compose your drafts? do you dictate? Draft with a pen and paper? Compose on screen?

* when you want advice about style. grammer, and spelling what source (s) do you consult?

* Do you ever work with other writers to produce a single document? If so describe the process you use

Thanks

Answer 1

I do professional writing as a technical writer (it's not my entire job, but it's a portion of it), so hopefully I can help.

Planning:
Since my technical writing projects are generally limited in scope (e.g. a software module), I start by using the module I'm going to be writing out. Usually, since I'm also on the software testing team, this has already been done. I make a rough list of what points need to be hit, especially any non-obvious items that need to be discussed. If I'm unsure how something works, I ask about it before I write anything down, and then try and use it again to make sure that what I was told is actually correct (because programmers and engineers aren't always good at effective communication)

Drafts:
I compose everything on a PC, seeing as I sit in front of it anyway :)

Advice: For grammar, I talk to my supervisor, who was an English major. For spelling, I'll use spell check or check online resources. For style, I'll usually look it up online via google.

Collaboration: I often work with other writers to produce a single document. There are several processes I've been a part of:
a.) Everyone yabbers until we all want to pull our hair out, especially if there are team members who can't stop discussing things to death. (Avoid this process ;)
b.) Split up the document by sections. Create a review cycle: person A hands to B, B to C, etc. After section is written and reviewed individually once, combine it into the document and ensure that everything is correct. Make sure that everyone involved makes sure that the entire document is consistent with the information presented in their section. This method is best if someone touches it up at the end to ensure a consistent writing style.
c.) Have one or two writers write the initial draft, then revise by group.

As a general rule, minimize the amount of work done by the entire group - this tends to take more time than necessary or desirable. Use a cycle system to ensure that multiple people look at it, yet avoid overdoing group work.