Composing involves consciously thinking about a problem that can be solved by using the resources of synthesis to construct an electronic language text. What this means is that a composer spend some time in thinking about and constructing a system that will then be used to generate written or other language in one or more genres. This activity may mean that prior to generating the written text, or even before beginning the process of generating the written text, it takes some time for a composer to build an electronic text that forms the system for generating that written text.
In building the system described in this book, the activity of composing the system involved:1. Downloading and appraising nine different programs for use in Brainstorming or Mind Mapping, and evaluating each of these for what could be achieved in databasing text, linking that text, and generating new texts from that program;
2. Evaluating the use of MS Word and its interconnections with the Brainstorming Program. This involves learning the ways of inserting “text objects” into a MS Word document using the “Insert File” or/and the “IncludeText” field;
3. Identifying the best way of converting text to .PDF format.
4. Testing the system from beginning to end to ensure the end result that was envisioned actually works and does save time and works efficiently.
Skills of composing involve downloading and installing programs (downloading is included here as purchasing programs is far too time consuming to have as a regular activity in composing), exploring programs beyond the boundaries of what the originators claim it can do, thinking about the interconnectivity of programs through either cut and paste and/or other methods of interactivity, and finally producing a document or text that is envisioned.
The efficiency of a system is greatly enhanced by creating a system specifically for production of a particular type of text and/or for a specific text. Thus, while you will be able to learn about composing a system through this ebook, you will do best by learning the principles and then applying those principles to how you normally work, and what the text is that you want to produce.