My sock drawer seems to have been rearranged by a twister, the toolbox is a disheveled mess and the desktop that sometimes doubles as a dining room table is littered with notebooks, power cords, papers and office supplies.
Organization, it would seem, is not my strong suit.
Except when it comes to writing.
As a young writer, I often drafted outlines to help guide my approach. Some plans were more elaborate than others, depending on content complexity, but the approach was similar. Now and then, I view my task to engage the reader, give them a reason to keep going and deliver pertinent and accurate details to keep them yearning for more.
In my newspaper career, I developed a similar structure to create a section that would give readers purpose. After analyzing the news that I thought was important to convey on a daily basis, I developed a page-by-page grid. Some days I had responsibility for designing and editing 5 pages, other days I shaped content for 24 broadsheet pages. I created the “road map” balancing news, assets, deadlines and space limitations to set up production for the night ahead. It was like building a jigsaw puzzle with small pieces as they floated in.
As I’ve become more confident and polished, I no longer feel it is necessary to create a formal outline, at least on paper. Rather, I establish the writing path mentally before I sit down at the keyboard. Frequently, developing that path is the most challenging part of the assignment.
For much of the content that I create, the information is complex, scattered and incomplete. One important step before envisioning a piece requires evaluating whether I have enough good information to attempt the assignment. I can always continue information gathering after I get started.
When I feel I have the proper amount of information and the mental approach firmly constructed, I can feel comfortable putting words on paper. That’s the fun part! I take pride in crafting a story that brings readers along, word by word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph and developing a piece that I hope they will find interesting and informative.
I’ve mentored young writers throughout my professional journey, and I’m often asked, “How do I start my article?” My answer is always the same: start at the beginning. It’s not meant to be flippant. Rather, it’s my way of explaining that it’s essential to pin down the message to be delivered, establish a plan for doing so and then start stringing words and sentences together. You can’t start writing a piece if you’re unclear of the message you want to convey.
I’m perfectly comfortable allowing chaos to reign in the sock drawer and toolbox, but my writing requires organization and structure. I’m unsure if there’s ever a perfectly written piece, but I am certain I’ve never read a good article that was not well-structured.
