article. Separate content from form. They are two
entirely different things, and should be worked on
separately.
Content is what you want to say. Form is the
organization of what you want to say.
Let’s say you start writing without much planning.
Typically, the things you want to say will swirl around
in your head with the structure and style that you hope
to achieve. Now you’re trying to rub your stomach and
pat your head at the same time. That can be exhausting.
Trying to deal with form and content simultaneously
almost guarantees false starts. There is a better way.
First, settle on the content. Then deal with form.
Think about what you want to say. Write this down in a
sentence or two. In Hollywood they call this the pitch.
Just as skyscrapers can first be designed in a small
sketch on a napkin, major creative projects and
business deals are often launched by a short statement.
Surely if the big shots can do it, you can sum up your
paper in 25 words or less. Preferably ten. This tactic
will come in handy for the rest of your career.
If you’ve got time, carry this statement around with
you for a day. Read it over and over. Is this precisely
what you intend to say? Don’t move past this step until
you can answer “yes.”
Now expand the statement into the 10 or 20 points that
you want to cover. Put them down in any order. A
“point” can be any separate thought, large or small.
Let’s say a point is “describe the room.” Later, that
phrase may become many paragraphs. Doesn’t matter.
“Describe the room” perfectly captures what the point
consists of.
Again, carry this list around for a day if possible.
You want to be satisfied that this list of points is
complete. Everything you intend to say it right there
on that piece of paper.
Congratulations. You have defined the content of your
article.
When you are comfortable with the list, then you focus
on the sequence. Read back and forth over the list. Try
to identify the point you would like to start with and
label that A. What would be the next most logical (or
emotional) point? Label that B. Continue until every
point has a letter. Now read the points in the new
sequence. How does that sound?
If it sounds perfect or almost, rearrange all the
points in the new sequence, A to whatever.
Congratulations. You now have both the form and
organization of your article.
Again, if there's time, do something else for a day or
two. Or show this outline to a friend. You want to gain
a little distance on what you’ve done. When you can
read through this outline and declare, “That’s what I
want to say; and that’s the order I want to say it in,”
then you are ready to write your article.
The procedure described so far might add an extra hour
to the beginning of a project but will often save
several hours later on. Everyone who has written even a
few articles knows it’s possible to get halfway in and
realize that you haven’t started at the right point; or
you left out a chunk of the presentation; or that the
big point you thought you wanted to make isn’t the big
point you really want to make. Of course, you feel a
little stupid. Worse than that, you realize you have to
start over again and then you are really depressed.
Be smart. First determine all the points you want to
cover. Then determine the best arrangement of those
points.
Bruce Deitrick Price is an author and education
reformer. His main site is Improve-Education.org.
The above article was written with teenagers in mind.
But college students and adults might find it useful.
Improve-Education.org focuses on explaining the many
dysfunctional theories and methods in our public
schools. There are specialized articles on reading,
math, constructivism, prior knowledge, learning styles,
and many other popular methods.
There are also more general articles such as "16: The
Plight of Poetry," "13: Precision Worth Preserving,"
and "3: Latin Lives On." These fit into a lot of
classroom situations.
Article Source:
http://www.edarticle.com/articles/42453/the-one-big-
rule-for-writing-an-article.php
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