Sometimes you need to take two minutes to get mentally set before starting a writing task. Here are a few useful questions to ask yourself to help you keep on topic, and get the tone just right.
Who is your audience?
- Who are your readers?
- Why will they be reading what you write?
- What will they know about the topic?
- What additional info will they need to know ?
What is your purpose?
- Do you want to: inform, entertain, persuade your readers?
- What major points do you want to make?
- What response do you want from your reader?
What tone of voice do you need?
- neutral
- scholarly
- critical
- sarcastic
- flippant
- chatty