Memo
I've got a memorandum (memo in legal parlance) due on Wednesday.
I've written my fair share of papers in high school and college. One class I took during college required a paper a week, so I'm somewhat accustomed to churning out the stuff.
The memo is different from those papers, but only by degree. In English class, we had to find quotes from the text or literary criticisms that supported our viewpoint. In law, the "text" is the pertinent statute and the "criticism" is the case law that explains the statute.
The trick is to weave the statutes and case law into a cohesive format that explains the outcome of a hypothetical case. In a sense, writing a memo is easier than those English papers, because we already have the lens we're supposed to look through when making our determination. In undergrad, you had to choose your topic and then defend it.
In essence, then, writing this memo is basically an example of coloring in previously determined lines. In English class, I had to draw the picture first, then fill it in. Much more difficult to do.
My favorite part of the process is the tweaking- taking a somewhat finished piece and working at it again and again. Changing a noun, modifying a verb, cutting out sentences, etc. Each little change transforms the entire piece. The trick is to determine which changes are better and which are worse. Not always the easiest decision. Connotation is key- some words mean the same thing, but evoke different shades of meaning. A fine hair to split, obviously, but one that can have a major impact on a finished piece.
I've written the blueprints, set up the foundation, threw up a frame and put up the siding and roof. Now I'm at the point where I'm adjusting the hinges and washing the windows, so to speak.
I've written my fair share of papers in high school and college. One class I took during college required a paper a week, so I'm somewhat accustomed to churning out the stuff.
The memo is different from those papers, but only by degree. In English class, we had to find quotes from the text or literary criticisms that supported our viewpoint. In law, the "text" is the pertinent statute and the "criticism" is the case law that explains the statute.
The trick is to weave the statutes and case law into a cohesive format that explains the outcome of a hypothetical case. In a sense, writing a memo is easier than those English papers, because we already have the lens we're supposed to look through when making our determination. In undergrad, you had to choose your topic and then defend it.
In essence, then, writing this memo is basically an example of coloring in previously determined lines. In English class, I had to draw the picture first, then fill it in. Much more difficult to do.
My favorite part of the process is the tweaking- taking a somewhat finished piece and working at it again and again. Changing a noun, modifying a verb, cutting out sentences, etc. Each little change transforms the entire piece. The trick is to determine which changes are better and which are worse. Not always the easiest decision. Connotation is key- some words mean the same thing, but evoke different shades of meaning. A fine hair to split, obviously, but one that can have a major impact on a finished piece.
I've written the blueprints, set up the foundation, threw up a frame and put up the siding and roof. Now I'm at the point where I'm adjusting the hinges and washing the windows, so to speak.
posted by Yorick at 6:59 AM
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