Step 4: Drafting and Designing

Drafting

Drafting  is often where people start their writing process. But this is step 4! The writing will go much smoother if you first complete the other three steps and you will have a much better document.

Once you have completed steps 1-3 then you are finally ready to begin drafting your document. Follow the outline you have made. If your outline matches the structure of the document you are drafting then it will be even easier to write.

In writing paragraphs it is recommended that you follow the old-new method (sometimes called the known-new method).

There are certain rhetorical strategies we use in drafting technical writing documents. These are called Rhetorical Methods of Development, which is a fancy way of saying these are common patterns of organization that you can use to present information.

Rhetorical Methods of Development

• Argument: Verbal or visual delivery of a point of view, usually with the aim of persuading others to that point of view
• Cause-and-Effect Analysis: Explaining why certain events have occurred or predicting that particular events or situation will lead to specific effects
• Chronological Order: Ordering things according to time
• Classification and Division: First place something in a general category than distinguish it from other things within that category
• Comparison and Contrast: How things are alike and/ or different
• Cost and Benefits: Calculating expenses and enumerating the advantages, usually to show that the benefits are worth the risk of the costs.
• Description: Sensory details used to depict or explain something
• Definition: Introducing or explain9ing a word or concept; 1) Provide the terms, 2) classify the term (general category) and 3) differentiate the term from others
• Either. . . Or: Demonstrating that there is a choice between two alternatives
• Exemplification: Making a generalization and giving an example or series of examples
• General to Specific: Proceed from one to the other or vice versa
• Narration: Tell a sequence of events from a consistent point of view
• Order-of-Importance: Decreasing order of importance (writing) or increasing order of importance (presentations)
• Problem and Solution: Identifying obstacles or other hindrances and providing ways to overcome those obstacles in a step-by-step manner
• Process Analysis: Developing an order to explain ideas, creating a series of ordered steps.
• Sequential: Emphasizes the order of elements
• Spatial: Describe the physical appearance from top to bottom, inside to outside, front to back, etc.

Designing

You will also want to design your draft. For a document that is primarily text this may simply be selecting headings and formatting paragraphs and fonts. If the document is multimodal, multimedia, or in some other way emphasizes design then you will need to spend more time thinking at this stage about the layout or storyboard of your document. For example if it is a poster, what should the layout look like? Or for a video, you will need to plan or storyboard the scenes as part of design.

CRAP in Design

The four basic principles of design are known as C.R.A.P. = contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity.

• Contrast: Using differences in elements like color, size, or shape draws attention and creates visual interest. Look at look at the title, headings and other places where contrast would help the reader find information and use contrast to draw the readers’ attention.
• Repetition: Repeating visual components through a design builds consistency and strengthens the overall unity. Repetition helps a reader find information and creates a theme for the design.
• Alignment: Placing elements so they line up with each other creates a clean, organized, and intentional layout. Too many elements not aligned creates a confused, cluttered look.
• Proximity: Grouping related items closely together helps viewers understand how information is connected.