A quote I like a lot says
I hate writing. I love having written.
Make a Five-Minute Writing Plan
You can at least get to be friends with writing, if you start with a simple writing plan.
I’ve got a pile of ideas. Writing the article should a breeze. Right? Well maybe. But sometimes, it isn’t. Why is that? Usually it’s because I haven’t really decided what it is I want to say. This is how to avoid that problem by making a quick writing plan.
Decide What You Want to Say (1 minute)
- Choose the idea you’re most interested in.
- Write one sentence stating why readers need to know about it.
- Use that sentences a working title for now.
Plan How You’re Going to Say It (2-4 minutes)
- Sketch, visualize, or tell yourself what three main points of the article will be. “I’ll say this and this and this.” Most articles that aren’t how-to articles only need 1-3 points well-said.
- Add something from your personal experience–one bit– that will make a point more clearly or make the article more appealing.
- Let the research sit there, unless you need it to look something up. It’s served it’s purpose. (See Donââ¬â¢t Hunt IDEAS Be an Idea Magnet.)
Five are minutes up, time to start writing!
Starting, Going, Done in Minutes
When I write I think about my audience–one person that I might be talking to. That makes it easier to frame my message. I picture a prototypical reader–always someone who likes me. Why start out with someone who doesn’t? Then the writing would take on a defensive tone. I want my writing to be friendly so I choose a friendly audience. It’s as simple as that.
Middle, Beginning, Ending
Ever sit down to tell a story and not know how to start it. Inevitably a listener will say, “Start at the beginning.” But just where is the beginning? Sometimes the beginning is the hardest part to see. That’s why I start from the middle with the main points that I just sketched out.
By starting from the middle, no blank screen can intimidate me. I know exactly what I’m going to write and in what order. I get my ideas on paper and flowing. I begin to see the article take form and imagine my readers reading it. I also get a feeling for what exactly it is that’s working.
Write Until You Need to Walk
While I write I add flourishes–metaphors and explanations. Occasionally my mind gets stuck on a word or an idea. It’s that feeling where I know what I want to say, but just can’t seem to find the words or the image to express it. That’s when I move around. Movement helps let the ideas gel. I walk around the apartment, looking at the floor and thinking–this is a no talking, no listening time–it’s sort of like putting my brain on a swing set. The sentence I am trying to write plays in my head–over and over in new versions. When I get back and sit down, I’m ready to write again. In fact, that’s how I got from the words Sometimes I walk in this paragraph to here just now.
Beginning, Ending
When I get the Middle set, I stop to read it and set the subhead. Then it’s time to tackle the Ending and Beginning, which are usually about the same thing–why the heck should people read this and why the heck should they be glad they did?
As the old presentation adage goes:
- Beginning: Tell them what you’re going to tell them (and why they want to hear it.)
- Middle: Tell them what you said you’d tell them.
- Ending: Tell them what you just told them (and why they should be glad they heard it.)
So that’s exactly what I do to call the writing done.
What I Just Told You
Starting with a simple plan–a sketch what you want to tell your readers–and starting in the middle are two ways that you can get yourself into the writing with less pain and more productivity.
Only two things here are critical: know what you want to say and a change of venue when you feel stuck. Don’t feel a need to follow my process. A writer’s process is fluid and personal. Find the gems in what I do that work for you and toss the rest aside.
As always, I’m here if you want to talk about this. Writer’s have so many cool techniques and strategies. I’m really interested in what works for you.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Related articles:
Introducing Power Writing for Everyone
Donââ¬â¢t Hunt IDEAS Be an Idea Magnet
Why Dave Barry and Liz Donââ¬â¢t Get Writerââ¬â¢s Block
Editing for Quality and a Content Editor’s Checklist
Hey Liz … got lots to catch up on here. I’m internet-free for 5 days and I come back to see you writing this new series – which, btw, is awesome – kudos nice one…
Hi Martin,
Good to see you! Here’s your cold one!
Read to your heart’s content. I’m around.
Liz
Liz,
The ideas post was a gem – I like your own take on brainstorming.
I’m a big fan of such techniques (brainstroming, clustering, mind-mapping etc) – in fact every major article, post and ebook I’ve done has started with a blank paper (the bigger the better) an idea or title written in the middle and away I go clustering…
It has never failed me. The main idea is to not be self-critical or edit yourself as you brainstorm – in other words: anything goes.
The editor in me arrives later.
Hi Martin,
I’m not great at brainstorming. Maybe that’s why I start with other people’s stuff and let them jog my brain for me. 🙂
You sound like you do it quite well.
I have to think it out, talk it out it my head first. Then I start sketching and drawing those pictures on pieces and pieces and pieces of paper–usually to be able to show you what I’m thinking because I don’t yet have the words.
(she grins shyly)
Liz
Nah, I don’t see it as doing it quite well – it’s just that is what works best for me – I’m a very creative type so I let my right brain (is that the lateral side?) loose during these sessions.
What I’d say is that everyone is different and with brainstorming it’s a really a personal thing and what best fits you – took lots of mixing and matching to get what fits me.
Hey … maybe there’s an eBook in there (better set up a time to brainstorm it) 🙂
Yeah, I hear what you’re saying. I need to see what I’m thinking about before I can talk about it.
I draw pictures instead of words. Boxes that represent what I’m going to say. Sometimes I draw letters or shapes. Usually it ends up looking a bit more like a designer’s page layout rather than like a pre-writing kind of thing.
I’m waaaaaaay outside of the the box. But then we knew that. 😛
Liz
Yep, way out of the box but if it works for you then go with it. I had this feeling you’re not the boxed in type 🙂
Same here: mine ends up looking like a painters canvas – lots of colors, arrows, clouds, scribbles of all shapes and sizes.
What’s the fun, if you have to stay inside the lines?
I wasn’t ever very good at staying inside the lines. I could do it perfectly, but it wasn’t much fun.
Liz
Ever think of putting up a blog just for this particular niche? I imagine that there would be a lot of people interested in reading this type of subject.
By the way, I’d like to use snippets of this series for my GTD Yellow blog. This is pretty much related to the GTD flowchart.
Are you using GTD?
Hi taorist,
No, I’ve not thought of doing a whole blog on just this. I think that I’ll do as much as people ask for . . . 🙂
That’s cool if you want to make me famous by pulling me over onto your blog. I had no ideas that I was a GTD kind of person. I come by it honestly. 🙂 No I’m not using it. I’ve just found what works for me.
Liz
If that’s the case…
More! More! More! LOLZ!!!
Sorry to be such a hungry reader/writer.
I’m smiling.
Happy to oblige a hungry reader.
That’s my job after all.
smiling,
Liz