Have A Schedule
One piece of advice I really liked from Ira Glass’ videos were to have a strict schedule to adhere to through interviews and potential stories. When I heard this piece of advice, I was instantly reminded of Zinsser when he recommended writers to make a schedule for their writing and to stick to it, despite how bad their work might seem. Both men emphasize that a great piece of work will reveal itself eventually, you just have to keep working. I found this fascinating that this piece of advice worked for both audio and written work. Great work can only come from repetition and experience and I hope to bring this to my own audio project by interviewing as many people as possible on a regular basis so I can find those stories that really stand out. Hopefully, following Ira Glass’ advice I can find that one story or experience that will make my project memorable.
5 responses so far
This piece of advice resonated with me as well. Personally I have a tendency towards disorganization, so a set schedule will help me keep my thoughts clear and cohesive.
I too have a problem with organization. During high school, I don’t think I ever made a ‘rough draft’ to help me organize my work unless it was assigned to me. I never saw the point in them, but now, my writing has become significantly better because of careful planning and execution. It is interesting to see how certain elements of good writing can be used to make a good story.
I think my biggest problem in writing and compiling projects is the lack of time I seem to have. It always seems to come down to the last minute, and this is of course due to my lack of planning and discipline. I think the biggest change I can make in my writing is making a schedule and forcing myself to meet certain deadlines. Daily lists remind me of what I need to complete for the day. Time management is one of the hardest things to learn and implement for me.
You’re bringing up an interesting point. I’m sure no one our age thinks of writing as an actual “task,” – even if it is for a school assignment. Creating a schedule “to write” is a foreign concept, but I can really see how it can be a useful, and probably necessary tool. It’s a motivational aspect that keeps you writing.
This is a piece of advice that I like in theory, but I can never seem to implement fully. It is really important though, and I like how you connected this to Zinsser’s advice; they are definitely very related. Organization is key.