Do You Share Your Work In Progress?

For the longest time, I refused to show ANYBODY my work in progress – at least until I had a completed first draft!

Then I realized I was missing out on a great way to get feedback and ideas. Of course, I’m also judicious on who I show my in-progress drafts to! And I also remember that feedback and suggestions are just that – feedback and suggestions. I don’t HAVE to do it!

So this is an excerpt from a new free opt-in gift I’m working on, “Top 5 Ways to NAIL Your Next Essay or Article” – coming February 2016. I’d love your feedback and ideas!

Oh and to be the first to be notified about it, be sure to subscribe to the weekly newsletter at the end of this article!

———–

3. A Plan Is Your Best Friend

020216-PlanFor an article or essay, you don’t need a fully developed outline. But taking the time to create a plan will save you from writing yourself into a corner! You know, that’s where you have this great idea and you’re writing and writing and writing… then realize that the point you set out to make isn’t the point you’re making!

And you’re suddenly three hundred words into it, the deadline is fast approaching, and you’ve got zero clue how to go from where you’re at to where you’re supposed to be!

(It’s even worse when you were assigned a topic to write on and realize that you’re not really fulfilling the parameters of the assignment!)

But all of this is preventable if you take a few minutes before you start writing to jot down a few ideas you want to cover and make a few notes of how you’ll bridge from one idea into the next. While your plan doesn’t need to be as cut-and-dry (or as boring and predictable) as a 5-Paragraph Essay, knowing the top 3-5 points you’re going to make, the overall theme of the article, and how you’ll get it all done inside the page count is exactly what you do need.

Creating a plan for your next article or essay is an easy way to make sure your writing is on target! #WritingPlan Click To Tweet

The key here is to give yourself enough of a framework you can stay on point but also to give yourself enough room to be creative and allow additional ideas to rise up organically.

Sound hard?

It just takes practice!

Hint: If you’re all over the place even with a plan, take some extra time to brainstorm before drafting your plan. Anything that isn’t tightly related to your topic can be saved for later. And if you’re not seeing a clear bridge or transition from one topic to the next, you need to do a bit more thinking for that to come clear. (Or sub out one topic for something more closely related!)

———
Be sure to leave me comments – especially about any ideas this sparked for you OR any typos or awkward sentences you’ve found!

Kim Galloway
Find me!
Latest posts by Kim Galloway (see all)