Literature Essay Writing Guidelines
- Who, What, Where, Why, When
- Writer to Reader
- Where
- When
- Reality Based
One of the first things we can do is to take one of the oldest sets of guidelines that most of us should be aware of: examine the ‘who, what, where, why, when, and how’ of the subject matter of which we are writing.
Of course we must first select a subject. This is covered by examining the ’who’ and ‘what’ of what we are writing about. The subject would be the ‘what’. The main character or the person that brought the events about, or to be, would be the ‘who’. If the material is autobiographical the author would be the ‘who’. The specific subject matter being talked about would be the what.
The writer needs to give consideration to what is most poignant on his mind and what would be of interest to the reader. The writing experience, though often submitted to instructors, editors, or other authority figures, is essentially a communication with or establishes a relationship directly between the writer and the reader. If the writer writes for the editor or instructor, something may be lost. The appeal or communication or relationship must be established directly with the reader so that the reader believes that the writer is speaking directly to them.
The writer must prepare to write his essay further by establishing where the event is occurring or occurred. In what geographical location did the event occur? Can the location change? Can the location be transposed into different places? Is there one specific place or are there many places?
The writer must establish when the event occurred. Is the writer writing about something that is always true, or something that is eternal? Did the event occur in the past? Is the event future oriented? Is the event something that is occurring in the present, such as a daily journal?
When a piece of writing is based on fact, a lot of these questions are answered. When the writer takes as his subject the reality of life, he may merely reflect the facts just as they are. If the piece is fictitious, it is important to make the piece believable and trust worthy.