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Structure: A Q & A with Brooks and McPhee
Q1: What is the most important and time-consuming aspect of writing? The answer to this question is dependent on the context. If writing a journalistic piece that requires face-to-face interviews, then the data gathering phase of writing preparation is evidently the most important and time-consuming. However, if the work involves writing a literature review with sources available online, then the sorting out of all those gathered information will be both the most important and time-consuming. In this case, data gathering may be important (or even the most important) but it is not certainly more time-consuming than printing out, some or all pages of, sources to review with a 24-hour online connection. Structuring is very time-consuming, especially when dealing with voluminous data (McPhee 4; Brooks, n. p.).
Q2: Why does structure matter? McPhee (2) learned the value of ‘structure’, as taught in high school, in providing a “blueprint” for his essays before fleshing it out with words. It gives the unwritten ideas (and the supporting facts and information) order (4) based on self-chosen basis, such as themes (2), chronology (2), or geography (Brooks n. p., McPhee 4). A structure can be so effective (“strong, sound, and artful”) and so compelling it can keep readers turning pages until they are through with the piece (3).
Q3: What makes a chronological structure attractive? The chronological structure is usually attractive because data, by nature, tend to arrange themselves chronologically (McPhee 2). Moreover, chronology defines the organization of facts, once again, naturally (8). Thematic structuring can be very challenging as McPhee apparently found out (5-6). McPhee used the geographical approach thematically (4) while Brooks (n. p.) mentioned it like a joke.
Works Cited
Brooks, David. “The Sidney Awards, Part 2”. The New York Times 30 Dec. 2013. Web.
McPhee, John. “Structure”. The New Yorker 14 Jan. 2013: 1-19. PDF file.
