How To Write Relentlessly Focused – and Still Say Everything You Want To
A guest post by Bamboo Forest of Pun Intended
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if there was a method ensuring every article you wrote was concise, relentlessly focused and said everything you wanted it to?
There is.
I recommend using a thesis statement and outline for many posts that you pen.
Jesse Hines has written,
“A thesis statement is generally one or two sentences in which you clearly lay out your focus, idea or argument.”
While in an academic setting a thesis statement is included in your actual paper, I’m referring to something you write just for yourself. Write a thesis statement before you begin your post and it will set the tone for the rest of your article. It will encourage you to stay consistently aligned with what you’re trying to get across, making your article stronger and better.
After the thesis statement has been made, you’re now ready for the outline.
Have you ever gone to the grocery store without a grocery list? I don’t know about you, but I have. And the outcome often results in forgetting important items that you really wanted to purchase. It’s a real bummer, isn’t it?
This can happen with your writing, too. If you write a post without first gathering exactly what you want to include, you’re bound to forget a few important points that would have made your article better. Let’s not do that.
Prior to writing an outline, I recommend you first look over any notes you have pertaining to the post you’re about to write.
Then, simply break it down. I take a real relaxed approach to writing an outline and I recommend you do as well. Remember, we’re not submitting this outline to a stuffy teacher. We’re simply preparing ourselves to write the best post of our life.
I break my outline down using capital letters, A;B;C; etc. After each letter I include an important point that I don’t want to forget while writing my article. The outline ensures that everything I wanted to get into my article, does. It also keeps the order and flow of my post logical.
Another benefit of using an outline is it encourages†very tight writing.
Jesse Hines has written,
“Once I’ve developed a solid outline, writing the article is, in a sense, simply filling in the blanks.”
When you know from the beginning exactly what your article is going to encompass, you fill those blanks in with ultra focus. You say only what you need to say to get the specific points across.
Of course, as you’re writing your post and referring back to your outline — you’re not beholden to it. You can change the order as you see fit.
Also, youíll most likely include more information in your post than your outline lays out. This will happen organically from the main points you wanted to ensure got included in your post.
Using a thesis statement and outline in your writing is like laying down a strong foundation before building a house. Your architecture will end up stronger, and more beautiful.
P.S. — This is my outline for this guest post:
A. Wouldn’t it be great…
B. What’s a thesis statement?
C. It helps you stay focused and not drift all over the place
D. An outline works like a grocery list
E. What’s an outline?
F. Conducive to being concise, because now you’re essentially filling in the blanks.
G. Conclusion: The preparation stages are like laying down a strong foundation to a house.
Bamboo Forest writes for†Pun Intended, a blog that will make you laugh and feel inspired. To ensure you don’t miss all the goodies,†subscribe†here.
19 Responses to “How To Write Relentlessly Focused – and Still Say Everything You Want To”
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I outline for the posts when I’ve already got a pretty good idea of what I want to say and just want to make sure I’ve hit all the points and put them in the most compelling order.
When I don’t have a good idea of what I want to write, I’ll just start writing and see what comes out. 9 times out of 10 it’s not ready for publishing, but usually after that I can start outlining.
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I don’t quite get what the thesis statement is. In the case of your article, is it in the title? What would be the thesis you started with for this article?
Thanks for the article, by the way.
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@ Monique: I have found outlines very effective if I’m going to write a long post and don’t want to just ‘wing it’. It ensures I don’t miss anything I ultimately wanted to get in the article. Your second method is a good one.
@ Paul: Not in the title. I went back into where I wrote this article and this is basically what I found for the thesis:
‘Using a thesis statement and outline ensures that your post stays focused and covers every point you intended to.’
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My strategy for staying focused on a topic when writing a blog article is much like this … except your idea is better. Every time I write a blog article, I always start with the title of the article. It seems I’m always referring back to it when I get stuck, so I try to make the title a good thesis statement of sorts. After I finished the article, however, I change the title as a thesis statement is not always the best title.
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@ Ryan: I got the thesis statement idea from Jesse Hines. And I think it really helps one stay focused and on topic. It’s a good practice.
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Good advice, brother. If we all rocked the thesis like it’s 9th grade english class, we’d likely be better, more focused writers.
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@ Flying LlamaFish: Truer words have never been spoken.
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This is one of the most useful posts I’ve skimmed in a while – good enough that I actually took the time to re-read it properly, which is saying something considering how chock-full my Google Reader is! Thanks!
I have a very tough-to-break habit of easily blathering on for 1500+ words on just about anything. I know many people read through the whole thing as I get good feedback, but I’m sure there’s loads of people who skim or – worse – don’t even bother when they see how long my posts can be.
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@ Kat Eden: Thank you. I actually like this post a lot, if I do say so myself, because as you mentioned, its plain useful.
A big part of my blogging philosophy is that shorter, if possible, is always better. I don’t advocate making a post shorter at the expense of not saying everything you want to.
But…
If we try hard, we can usually say everything we want in less words. And we also need to respect the intelligence of our readers, realizing, that we don’t have to give every last detail under the sun, they’ll deduce many things that aren’t necessary for us to actually say.
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I agree that we need to think about our focus before we write, but I don’t like the academic sound of thesis. Outlines are necessary for long posts or complex topics, but I advise writers to simply think about: who their ideal reader is, their main point and how to best explain it, as in 5 steps, 3 tips, a story or whatever. This simple approach also gives you everything you need to get started and provides enough of a structure that you won’t get lost or stuck when you write. Lots more on this at my blog.
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@ Barb: I don’t always use an outline, but I do believe using one ensures nothing gets omitted when you write your article. The other great advantage is it helps keep your writing very tight. And tight writing is a joy to read.
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Outlining is something I definitely need to do more. I know what you mean about filling in the blanks. I’ve written some of my college papers that way, and if I took the time to make a good outline, the paper was ridiculously easy to write.
Thanks for the reminder!
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@ William: Making an outline definitely does make the paper easier to write. It’s a good tool to always keep in your toolbox for whenever you feel it will help you build a great post.
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Very nice breakdown. Thanks for the help. Though, if you write my article, that would be even better!
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@ Joylene: You’re welcome. I’ll write your article as soon as Leo Babauta writes mine :]http://writetodone.com/wp-content/themes/grid_focus_public/images/btn_submit.gif
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:)nice one
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Well, if you have a thesis statement then you clearly know what you’re writing about. That’s how I look at it.
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I just used this technique on a new post for a blog I guest for on occasion and I’m pretty sure I wrote it not only in half my usual time but also in a much more user-friendly format. Thanks again!!
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