Hello, Writing Friends!
Welcome to my new series, Text Tips! This series will focus on the “nuts and bolts” of creating your text. Last time, we talked about effective ways to edit your work. For this post, we turn our attention to prewriting activities to help get you producing text.
Sometimes, it can be hard to get into the flow of writing. Any of these strategies can be helpful depending on your project and how you are feeling that particular day. Don’t be discouraged if your old standby doesn’t work for you— try another approach to see if that does the trick!
Classical Outline
This is old classic that many of us learned in high school or college. Remember all those Roman numerals and capital “A’s” and lowercase “a’s”? This approach is probably the most effective way to prepare to write your text. It contains the big pieces of your argument and when writing, all you have to do is follow the listing or topics and subtopics. However, it requires that you do most of your research and planning long before you start writing— you have to invest a huge amount of time preparing an outline like this. For those of us who understand our topic only through writing about it, it can be nearly impossible to plan out our entire text, because it evolves as we write about it. Also, many people get lost in the Roman numerals and formatting. This activity particularly lends itself to research that one can complete before starting to write. If you are working on a more abstract topic, such as a memoir, this approach may be impossible for your project.
Freewriting
This activity is the polar opposite to the classical outline. It works especially well if you are having trouble starting to write your text. Rather than focusing on a specific amount of output, try free writing for a specific amount of time,
usually 30 minutes, but even 15 might work. When I’m struggling to start, the first few minutes might be devoted to griping and moaning about having to write, then after a little bit, I’m able to create useful new text. After I’m finished, I have to go back and delete all the whining and complaining. This technique can be extra helpful for people who cannot seem to get words down on paper. Remember, everything can be edited once it’s down on paper, so producing something— anything— is a key first step. The drawback of this type of pre-writing activity is that often the new text can have organization problems or be repetitive, so it requires a lot of editing, and you may lose a lot of what you’ve written.
Bullet Points
This one is my personal favorite, because it provides the best balance between flexibility and following an organization plan. To use this strategy, simply open a document file, then list your best guesses as to the building blocks your text will require, and place them in a possible order. Then, when working on your project, open your document, and choose one of the blocks to start your writing. (I usually choose whatever seems clearest to me on that day.) Write only on that one topic. If you get an idea that belongs somewhere else in your text, type it under that block, then go back to what you were working on. As you fill in each topic, your manuscript will get longer and longer, and eventually, it will be complete. This approach will allow you to be flexible about the information that goes into your text and how it evolves, while still reminding you to stay on topic. This will make it easier to organize your text later. The flexibility of this approach is also its weakness, as it might encourage getting off topic or eventually having to remove a part because you realize later that it just doesn’t fit in with your message.
Brain Storming
This strategy is helpful when you aren’t sure you have enough points or reasons to support your argument. For those of you who are teachers, this also works great in the classroom. To begin, choose a topic, set a time limit (maybe 10 minutes?), then write down whatever comes to mind without judging yourself. Being open and non-critical is crucial at the first stage of the process. The purpose here is to get the mind going, so every idea is important here. A lackluster idea may help lead you to a really great idea, so don’t short change yourself in the process of getting your ideas out. Then, either alone or with a friend, weed out the ideas that don’t work. Some of what you wrote will be gold—and some will be headed for the recycle bin. The whole thing was worth it to get those gems.
Hopefully, one of these ideas will help to get you going. If you really, really don’t want to get writing, check in with yourself to see if you are catching a cold or if there is some other issue that needs your attention. It’s okay to take a break every so often to reset your mind.
If you find these tips helpful, you can download the infographic by clicking the download button at the lower right hand corner of the image. Feel free to share it with anyone else you think would benefit from the ideas. (You can also download my virtual card at the end of this email, if you need to get in touch with me.)
I “play requests”! If there are any text issues you would like me to discuss, please drop me a line at dr.zhenya@empowerugroup.com.
Until next time, Friends, keep sharing your magic with the world, and keep on writing!
Dr. Zhenya