10 Steps to Effective Writing

Effective writing takes creativity, discipline, and organization.

1. Have a great idea, story, information, or desire to write.
2. Outline your story idea.
3. Say what you want to say.
4. Research, interview people, ask the experts, and add additional information to strengthen your ideas and add interest. Document sources of information.
5. Clarify your thoughts, ideas, and feelings so they are understood by others.
6. Organize and self-edit
7. Add references, appendixes, glossary, etc.
8. Ask for input from others: Did they find it interesting and understandable?
9. Review edits
10. Have your document, article, or book edited by a professional.

My First Editor

I am my first editor, and I don’t really like the job. I like being the writer of my own work, but it is not really my best work until I edit, edit, edit. I work very well at home in my office when I am my own boss researching, writing, commenting, and networking. But it seems like an invasion of my creative space to bring in the editor.

Yesterday I spent the day visiting coffee shops, having lunch with a creative colleague, and walking in the rain. I found myself at the coffee shop amidst the people and noise happily editing the Introduction to my book. It was much easier to put on the “editor” hat and be objective about the writing when I was in an unfamiliar place. I felt like I was editing someone else’s work.

I have always known that walking and talking to interesting people was energizing, but I didn’t know I could be so motivated to edit if I got out of my office and into less familiar territory. I like my first editor, I just don’t necessarily want her working with me in my office.

Love Your Audience

If you are writing for pleasure, research, or publication it seems obvious that you would think about your audience. Yet, I often think more about what I want to say, and how I want to say it, rather than putting myself in the shoes of my audience. If I ask myself “Who might be listening?” or “What do they need?” I can become my audience. They are people I care about, and they have needs and fears just like mine.

I can honestly say that I start editing and a fear wells up inside of me. I may feel blocked, lose my desire to write, or question everything I have to say. In other words, I live in fear of my readers. What will they say about me? Did I just waste a year of my life writing something no one cares about? Wow! I can hear myself thinking about me again. It’s hard to love my audience when I fear their response and focus on myself.

Taking time to picture my audience and spend time with them helps me love my audience. I have been working on my writing projects for a long time. I want to focus all of my time on finishing—just to be finished. But again I am forgetting my audience. By teaching a class, socializing, exercising, and going to meetings, I connect with my audience in a very real way. I can picture the student who needs this information, I can add real scenarios, and I exercise my communication skills, my body, and my mind.

Expressing myself in writing is so personal that it is very easy to get wrapped up in myself. Unless I participate in a writing class or workshop, I find myself often working alone in my office. With quiet time to focus, I can concentrate and do my research. But getting out to a coffee shop occasionally puts me in the middle of my audience. They are real people. They are all different from each other and different from myself. They are my audience. I can love my audience when I spend time with them, listen to their interests and concerns, and tell them about my passion for my work.

When my creative mind is open, free, and spontaneous, I am “in the zone” or “flow.” I write, grab information, and then see what happens. But it is easy to become overly critical of my self and others when I spend time observing, researching, analyzing, and editing. Then my critical mind goes to work to analyze and edit. At this point I begin to lose my sense of whom my audience is and the reason I am writing. You are my audience. I am writing this because I want to share something of myself. Some of you will relate to me feelings if I am honest. Others of you may will not understand my struggle. I like to read your stories and hear what inspires and motivates you. Share your thoughts and love of your audience.