Ready, fire, aim

At Write Today, Angela Booth has posted contrarian but intriguing advice on the research step in the business writing process. Do research, she says, after you write. She explains:

Once you’ve written the preliminary draft, you’ll know exactly what you need to research. If the thought of writing FIRST makes you shudder, that’s just a lack of confidence. Try it, just once, and you’ll always research later, not first. You know much more than you think you do.

My own advice is still that in general, basic information-gathering needs to come before drafting. Having some of the facts and ideas you need will help you organize your draft, and will keep you from worrying about these facts and ideas while you're drafting. But I've learned from Angela today that my advice may not always apply. I can certainly remember business documents I've written by sketching out a rough draft, then filling in the remaining details afterward.

So thanks, Angela, for the reminder!