Plan Before Writing

Letting your ideas gel before writing can enhance the quality of your writing and reduce the struggle to focus as you write. Just as a good pot of coffee has to percolate before being enjoyed, ideas must percolate in your head before you begin to write. Having a fully formed idea that is tight and focused will make your writing flow more smoothly and keep you on track as you write. Focus reduces the dead ends you may otherwise run into and it will make your writing production more efficient. Having a fully formed idea also makes your writing easier for readers to follow. Writing that meanders and lacks focus quickly loses readers' interest. An idea, at its conception, often sounds good in your mind. It's important to take that idea one step further and decide how you're going to develop that idea; and more critically, decide whether or not that idea is one that you can develop effectively. You may find, during this step, that you need to go back to the drawing board and rethink your original idea. It doesn't mean you have to have your idea fully mapped out in every detail before you begin writing, but you at least have to know that the idea is one you can carry out to the finish. It's like making a map before you embark on a journey. Resisting the urge to begin writing until you've let your ideas fully mature will make the journey more enjoyable for both you and your readers.