In the context of discovery, materials that are requested and obtained are not public until they are introduced as evidence or filed with the clerk of court.
Write out each fact you wish the other party to admit is true. When writing these facts, be as clear and concise as possible. Each request must be for a single fact; do not include multiple facts, compound questions, or subparts.
Retain a photocopy of your written response and the original signed proof of service for your records. You do not need to file your response or proof of service with the court. If the other party claims you did not respond, you may use these documents to defend yourself against a Motion to Compel.
If you filed a request for discovery and the other party will not answer or provide you with the information, you can file a Motion To Compel. This Motion asks the Court to force the other party to answer your requests. You can also ask the Court to sanction the other party for not answering your requests.
Of course, unless only objections are served, a party must verify its responses to written discovery. A party can verify discovery responses with a declaration or affidavit. The responding party's verified signature on a response to discovery is a declaration that it has disclosed all the information available to it.
In a formal discovery, you formally ask for information and documents. You can also ask other people for information. For example, you may need documents from your spouse's employer. They also must respond.
There are many ways to utilize written discovery responses at trial. You can read them separately as part of your case in chief. You can read them in the middle of examination of a witness. You can stipulate that the responses are in evidence and then argue them in closing.
You must respond to each request individually. You do not need to repeat the text of the question, but your responses must be in the same order as the requests, and each response should be labeled with the same number or letter as the request.