Writing Tip: Write First Plan Second

How I Write

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

All the way through school the emphasis in writing tasks is on the planning. From when you first learn to write, to university assignments, there’s an underlying notion in academia that you must have a clear plan before you get to develop your ideas. It makes sense — you’ve got to set the foundations before you start to build.

But writing, ultimately, is a creative task, and over-planning blunts that spark in me and makes it tricky to get into it when the writing part begins. Previously I’d write a detailed plan of every point in order, and then when I’d start to write I’d unintentionally scrap the plan and go down a different route. It was a waste of time — I couldn’t organise my ideas before I’d had the chance to form them.

Now, whether it’s in my writing work or degree, the method that works best for me is to write first, get my head on a page and go with the flow. Only then do I plan and make it a readable piece.

Research aside, here are the steps I go through when writing, whether its for blogs, articles, or academic work. I’m no expert, but hopefully you find it helpful!

1. Write something (anything) down

This is the most important, but quickest, part. Just. Write. Something.