How To Write In An Organized Manner
Writing from the seat of your pants may be just as valid as any form of writing. However, that doesn’t make it an advisable way if you want to come up with the best material that you can. Organization is key to producing excellent writing, especially ones that are clear and concise.
Set aside time for each phase of the writing process, making sure that you leave enough space to comfortably manage the piece. No amount of organization, after all, can help you if you wait till the last minute to actually begin working.
Pre-Writing
Divide your pre-writing activities into five main steps.
- Generating ideas
- Gathering the necessary research
- Analyzing the research
- Identifying the main point (you come up with the main thesis right here)
- Developing a plan
Those are all pretty self-explanatory. The last one, in particular, involves whatever instrument you use to make the actual job of writing easier. My personal choice is using outlines, while others work well with storyboards or flowcharts.
Actual Writing
For shorter pieces, I recommend writing one draft as fast as you can, working to fix any issues during the revision process. For longer ones, it’s usually best to do two drafts before proceeding to the editing process. Try not to write and revise on the same day – it’s difficult to be objective about your work this way. You can use a grammar checking software at this point since it only adds a few extra minutes to the job, but you should also employ it later at the last step.
Editing
Some people like to edit their own work. Others prefer the keen eye of trained editors. If you’re not in a position to pay someone to do the job, do use a suitable guideline. It’s one thing to edit; it’s another to do it without a clear idea of what you’re looking for.