Chapter Two. Get Your Bearings

Think about the last time you made something from scratch. Maybe you cook dinner on weeknights, or you enjoy making furniture by hand. Whenever you’re planning a project, you probably think about what you want to make, who it’s for, what it needs to do, and how to pull it all together. That kind of thinking is problem solving, and we all do it every day. But most people don’t approach writing this way—and that makes it harder than it needs to be.

Whether you’re making a meal, a table, or a website, you need to think about your goals and your audiences. In this chapter, you’ll learn how to:

• Do high-level research to get a sense of history

• Conduct interviews with colleagues, clients, and readers

• Understand your ...

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