I recently read a great book called The Writers Coach by Jack Hart. It’s a must have for any writer that struggles with the process. Two tips that I now use every day are: **themes and jot outlines**.
Themes
As with most writers, I struggle with that first sentence. You know, the one that will set the stage for the whole piece. The one that will either entice your readers to continue reading or repel them like Raid ™. Your lede sets the tone and crafting one makes me mental.
Enter themes. Themes are throw away prose that gets you over the lede hurdle. A theme statement is basically what you want to write about. Nothing fancy. Nothing polished. Just a sentence or two to ground the piece. Simple, powerful and disposable. That is why they work so great — your throw them away.
For this piece, my theme was:
Theme: The two things I now use everyday from Jack Hart’s The Writers Coach that everyone should use.
For your next piece, try writing a theme. Put it at the top of the page and then delete it once you are done.
Jot Outlines
Jot outlines are a great complement to your theme. These outlines are quick frameworks that allow you to focus on what the piece is about.
Most writers I know don’t really like to structure anything since they feel it’s “not their creative process.” These writers are usually the ones that struggle the most with writers block. Writers block is simply not knowing what to write. The jot outline is a simple way to get put down what you are writing about. For this piece, my jot outline was:
I. Intro The Writer’s Coach
II. Explain themes. Give an example
III. Explain Jot Outlines and why structure is good
IV. Conclude with The Writers Coach again and ask for other writing tips
See, pretty simple. The next time you write a post, try the jot outline and see how it goes
Two of Many
I am always looking for better ways to write. Themes and jot outlines are just two of the many tips I use. You should check out The Writers Coach if you want a great resource for helping you write better. If you have any other writing tips, let me know by putting them in the comments. Happy writing.
Thanks for pointing out this book Mike! It looks like a real jem! I took a quick peek on Amazon.com and see the it received a 4.5 out of 5 stars which would certainly supports your endorsement of it. I’m a Kindle owner and see that there is also a Kindle version of this book available which is an added bonus for me and any other Kindle owners.
I am a firm believer in creating an outline for my posts for a number of reasons. Creating an outline not only helps me to stay focused, but it also enables me to finish my post more quickly, and helps me to handle interruptions better because I won’t completely lose my train of thought. Another important element of an outline is that it influences the order in which I will cover different points within a post; this leads to a more integrated post without awkward transitions or breaks. I’ve learned the hard way that changing the order of things after writing has begun is way more time-consuming because it inevitably requires rewriting. FInally, occasionally when I write an outline, I realize that my topic is too broadly focused. The silver lining to this it that the online for one blog post can often blossom into an outline for 2 or 3 different posts.
Blase-
Good point on outlines turning into more posts. I find that sometimes happens as well. Hope you enjoy the book.
Jarie
Kurt Vonnegut walks into a class at the Iowa Writers Workshop that he’s teaching. It is his first day. He looks around the room, and says: “how many people here want to be writers?” All the hands go up. Vonnegut looks around again and says: “then why are you here? Why aren’t you somewhere writing?” He then turns and leaves the room.
The point is that we make writing too difficult sometimes. I have written professionally for over 30 years in newsrooms, for public relations agencies and for my novel. You want to write that first sentence – just do it. Don’t agonize over it, just start typing. Do the Zen thing and create. Once you do that, things will flow. Yes, you are going to revise – more than once if you want it to be any good. That’s when the real work is done.
Thanks for pointing to Jack Hart’s book, Jarie. I saw Hart speak a few years ago — along with a writer he’d coached at the Oregonian. They were both terrific, and I walked away convinced I should follow up to see what Hart had written — and then, of course, I promptly forgot about the talk. So thanks for bringing it back. I like the two tips you highlight here.
For myself, I prefer to outline using readers’ questions (so that the outline resembles a Q&A); this way I make sure I structure the content to meet my readers’ needs. For more on my approach to writing, check out the links on my resources page, http://www.redpen21.com
-David
Jeff and David-
Great comments. I like the just write approach. Don’t worry if it’s crap — just do it.
Jack’s book has several others that are good as well. I will check out your site as well.
Jarie
<Most writers I know don’t really like to structure…
Ever met a best-selling writer?
Read Steven King's on Writing. A real-eye opener.
Ivan
Ivan-
I have never met a bestselling writer but I have heard of Stephen King’s book on writing. Thanks for the recommendation. I will look into picking it up.
Jarie