Are you new to writing and don’t know how to start writing?
Have you ever taken several days or even several weeks to write one blog post, but still not finished it yet?
Have you ever read a blog post and ask yourself “Wow, amazing, how they can do it”?
If so, this post is for you. This post provides an efficient writing framework for you, which helps you write faster and better. It also lists some common pitfalls, so you can avoid them when writing.
Writing Framework
Start with empathy, continue with utility, improve with analysis, and optimize with love.
Start with empathy
Before starting writing, you need to define who are your target audiences and what are their pain points or needs. Then empathise with them and think about which value you would offer for them through your content.
Ugly first draft
After that, set a writing goal and a deadline and then start writing your ugly first draft. To write the first draft, you need to define the topic you want to write based on the information defined above. Then list out key points (write an outline), add details to each key point and finally add transition words to make it smooth and create a complete post. Details to each key point may include clarification, examples, supported ideas or arguments, expanded or contrasted ideas, insider’s insight, and notes when applying.
Writing the ugly first draft means that you don’t need to make it perfect at the beginning. Just jot down the topics, and key points, … Don’t worry too much about word choices, transition words, or details for key points, … You can always make it better. When writing, if you get stuck, such as needing more research, more examples, or another point. No need to stop writing to research and find information. Inserting “need a better example here” or “could use a research stat” or “something-something that supports that point” or “meatier metaphor” is more than legit during this phase.
Make it better
Masterpieces come on the next draft. After having your ugly first draft, It’s time to edit, rewrite, reshape, and polish to make it better. Here are a few ways to do it.
- Editing – Make it simple, but not simplistic: remove unnecessary words, phrases, sentences, arguments and ideas. Those thing would become clear when you re-read in the second time, third time, …
- Strong story logic.
- Write better introductions, headlines, and titles.
- Use surprising analogies and meaty metaphors.
- Give excellent analysis and examples.
- Give your words power.
Common Pitfalls when start writing
- Overusing filler words like then, so, you know, actually, basically, I mean and so on.
- Overusing the simultaneous action. Something to remember is that if you write that someone begins a continuous action it is implied that they continue doing it until you say they have stopped.
- It’s easy to fall into the trap of infodumping or over-explaining. You think readers need to know those information to understand your story. But is it true and necessary?. Trust that your readers will pick up on your inferences, clues, symbolism, what-have-you. It’s way more fun for readers to connect the dots and be left with questions than everything spelled out.
- Not taking the time to learn about story structure or plot.
- Thinking the first draft is where the major work ends and everything else is just minor details.
- Not really understand POV. Head-hoping pov in the same scence.
- Realising I had to relearn most of grammar rules.
- Switching from past to present tense.
- Lots of is/was sentences, lack of active verbs.