Planning Your Writing

My writing students don't like to map their ideas out first before beginning a writing project. They just want to jump in and begin writing. The planning and pre-writing activities are drudgery to them. But doing the necessary prep work before writing can make the difference between mediocre writing and excellent writing. Planning your writing makes you more focused and better prepares you to skillfully execute your project. First, being able to describe your idea in a single sentence tells you that your idea is honed. If it takes you several sentences to describe your novel, short story, essay or poem, you still need to do some work on refining your idea. There are several questions you can ask to help you get focused. First, ask yourself what is the point of your research. What is the main idea it leads to? Second, ask yourself what you want the story, essay or poem to do. Do you want it to enlighten, entertain, persuade? Third, ask yourself if you can tell readers anything new about your subject. Is there a unique slant you can offer? Fourth, ask yourself if you have a solution for the problem or issue you've raised. Or are you just creating awareness? Knowing precisely what you want to write and why will help you create writing that is more focused, relevant and resonant with readers. Planning before you write is like making a sketch before painting to make sure your idea fits the canvas. Planning won't kill your creativity. It will enhance it. Take the time to plan and you'll be pleased with the results.