In part 1 of this series, I explored how two writers with different styles—me as a trained editor and my husband Bill as a trained journalist—approach the initial stages of writing.
Today, we’ll dive into the second half of the writing process: outlining, drafting, and revising. As before, you’ll see that though our approaches differ, they lead to the same destination: engaging, well-crafted content.
4. Outlining: To Structure or Not to Structure
I’m a firm believer in outlines. Yes, they can be tedious, reminiscent of sixth-grade English assignments, but they’re incredibly useful. With all the notes and research I’ve gathered, an outline helps organize my thoughts and prevents me from getting lost in the writing process too soon.
My favorite English professor taught that a good, detailed outline helps the essay practically write itself. When I complete this step, I outline my main points and supporting evidence. This process often involves paring down information, as not everything from your notes will make it into the final piece.
I especially value outlines when working with clients because we can follow the 30% feedback process. By asking for feedback at the outline stage, I haven’t put as much work in yet and can change directions easily. The client can more quickly grok the entirety of the piece and determine whether we’re headed in the right direction.
Bill’s approach to outlining has evolved over time. Early in his career, he was a relentless outline writer. “I would approach them like a draftsman would approach the design for a house,” he says. “I would rewrite the outline two to four times and send my editors each version.”
Now, when he has an idea or the research and reporting to put a story together, he dives right in. “Call it the ‘ready, fire, aim’ approach or the ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ tactic,” he says, “but that’s how I roll.”
Bill notes that while he no longer writes formal outlines, he does have a mental structure before he starts writing. His years of experience have allowed him to organize his ideas quickly in his head.
Although it will be different for everyone, your outline is a great place to get a sense of how long your finished work will be. For example, I know that my draft will easily be twice as many words as my outline. If I’m running way over my word count at the outline stage, I know I need to cut. And it’s easier to do that now than later.
5. Writing the First Draft
This part can be overwhelming, especially if you start thinking too much about “having to write.” The blank screen can be intimidating!
With a solid outline, I find this step much easier. I save the outline file as my draft file and start turning those bullet points into complete sentences. Having the outline also lets me jump around in the piece, if I need to. If I’m struggling with one section, I can easily jump to another and complete that one first.
I try to write my draft all at once, without stopping to do more research or reorganizing. I’ll make quick notes of areas that need further attention and keep going. I want to make the most of my writing energy and not lose my focus on researching a small point.
This makes interruptions particularly irritating for me. However, with a good outline, I can at least reorient myself when I return.
Bill’s approach to drafting is quite different.
“Once I start writing, I don’t approach it as a draft. I’m going for the kill,” he says. “I’m writing what I expect to be the final version.”
His years of experience have instilled a formula in his mind, particularly for news stories, and that’s what he’s writing to.
“There’s the lead, the nut graph, and the rule from there is that every paragraph that follows must relate back to the nut graph, which the more academic among you might call the thesis paragraph,” he says.
A news story often follows one of several structures and those structures can be applied to other narrative nonfiction writing as well. If you’re interested in exploring these structures, check out Jack Hart’s Storycraft.
6. Revising: More or Less
Revising is probably my favorite part (says the editor).
Once you have a draft, it’s tempting to turn your work over to an editor or just hit “publish.” But drafting is not the end. We need to review what we’ve written, first to ensure that we wrote what we thought we did and more importantly to critique our content and our writing.
I recommend letting your draft sit for a while; even an hour can help you see it with fresh eyes. Then comes the real artistry of writing: sharpening your focus, tightening the wording, playing with word choices, and fine-tuning your punctuation.
How much should you rewrite? I say until you’re satisfied or until you run out of time. Deadlines can be both a motivator and a signal that it’s time to let go.
Some of my articles go through three or four revisions while others go through one or two. If a client changes the direction midstream, I’ll go through more revisions. For client work, as long as we’re following the initial agreement and I’m getting paid for my time, I’ll go through as many revisions as they want.
Bill’s revision process is minimal compared to mine. I suspect that comes from working in newsrooms, where he faces daily deadlines. The need to get the paper out is very motivating for working quickly.
“If I have sentences and paragraphs, I am pretty much done,” he says. “Even when there isn’t a real deadline, I write as if there were. When I set a time limit for myself, I’m more likely to bang out cleaner copy the first time around.”
His rewriting typically involves a quick scan for typos and passive sentences. He adds, “Once it’s out of my head, it’s done. That either makes me freakishly polished as a writer or just plain reckless.”
Find the Process that Works for You
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to writing. While I like a more structured process with several stages of development and refinement, Bill’s method allows him to produce polished work quickly, with minimal revision.
The key takeaway is to find a process that works for you. Whether you prefer detailed outlines and multiple drafts or a more direct, one-and-done approach, the goal is to produce clear, engaging writing that connects with your audience.
Remember, writing is a skill that improves with practice. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different techniques until you find your own perfect process.
A version of this article originally published on June 16, 2011, on The Writing Resource and The OCD Diaries.
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