The Art and Craft of Case Writing
Naumes, William, Margaret J. Naumes (1999)

Prologue

Long ago, people gathered around campfires or in the hall of the clan chief, to listen to legends and stories. This might be told by a minstrel or a bard or by the shaman or wise woman of the tribe; they might be spoken or sung; they might be new or almost knlown by heart. But in whatever form, these stories drew listeners, so much so that many are known today. School children of today study native American tales and, later, Greek and Roman mythology. The exploit af the ancient Scandinavian gods and of Beowlf´s battle with Grendel are still known, more than a millenium later. Above all, the epic tales of Homer, The Iliad and The Odyssey, are still read, and fresh translations made, nearly three thousand years after they were composed.

What do myths and storytelling Homer´s Odysey, have to do with case writing? A great deal! Writing a case is telling a story, the story of a company or an institution or a situation. Like any story, it has a beginning and an end. It has sufficient detail to enable the reader to picture what is being described, wether events or people or relationships. A case, like a good story, also has a theme or a message, something for the listener or reader to take away and continue to think about, once the stoy has ended. Like stories also, some cases are "better" than others. They are more memorable. When this occurs because the message is more useful or thought provoking, not just because of the vividness of the details, the writer has created a truly effective and powerful case.

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