Planning an article
Once you have researched the topic of your article, you’re ready to create a plan. Many people skip over this stage, and start writing straight. However, that’s usually not the best thing to do.
When I studied English literature, my teacher always told us to create a plan before starting any essay. I think I wrote only four plans throughout my days of English literature, and I only wrote them because I had to. However, since I started this blog, I’ve begun to see the benefits of a good plan.
A plan makes sure that you say all you want to say in a coherent and clear manner. A plan makes sure that your article isn’t jumbled up all over the place. A good article is one where each paragraph leads on from the previous, and that’s something which a plan can help you with.
There are two methods of planning which I recommend.
The first method is mind mapping and it’s the method which I personally, use. Invented by Tony Buzan, the mind map is a brilliant method of grouping together lots of information in an organised way.
- To start with, find the question you asked yourself when researching the topic of your article. From that question construct your article’s title
- Get a piece of paper, and write the title in the middle of it
- From that title draw arrows and at the end of each arrow, write a topic connected to your article topic
- Then from those topics, draw more arrows and attach subtopics to them
- Keep repeating, until you have got everything that you want to say out of your head, and down on paper
Here’s the mind map which I used as a plan for this article. Perhaps not the most colourful or exciting, but I’m comfortable with it. Both methods work very well, so make sure and use a method which suits you.
The second method, which I sometimes use, is the outline method. It’s simple, and works along the same principles as the mind map.
- Write down your title on a blank piece of paper
- Write topics related to your article topic underneath
- Keep adding more topics and subtopics until again, you’ve got all of the information out of your head and on paper
Writing a plan is a sensible thing to do, but I must stress that you don’t always need a plan. If all you’re writing is a news update, or other short post (less than 200 words), there’s no need for a plan.
As a blogger or copywriter, you want your copy to be as good as it can be. You want it to be coherent, easy to read and clear, and you can achieve all three easily by using a plan. A plan isn’t hard to create, and will take you only minutes. Do a little extra work at the start and save yourself a lot of time in the long run.
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5 Responses to “Planning an article”
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Vincent
March 7th, 2008
I guess we’re opposites then. 
I like having rules in place, and I seem to be a stickler for organisation.
However, I do think that some writing doesn’t require a plan. If you get too bogged down in organisation and “red tape,” you’re going to get nowhere.
There’s a happy medium between organisation and freedom. It’s just finding it.
Aaron
March 7th, 2008
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March 9th, 2008
Excellent article. I am also a fan of mindmapping. I tend to use it for everything from website creation to article creation, and for the most part I would say that it has proved very effective. I am glad to hear that someone else is using this method to structure their work, and build on ideas.
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March 12th, 2008
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April 26th, 2008
There were only a few times where I planned out my articles. The other articles were just, uh, made up on the spot.
I usually take note of ideas or interesting titles, most often on my mobile phone (because it’s the only recording method I’ll have at all times). There’s also some research involved as you mentioned in your previous article.
I come up with maybe 2 or 3 points I want to make. Then I just fill in the gaps, jumping from point to point, intro to conclusion and back. Reread everything to make sure the article’s still coherent, and then I hit the publish button.
My mind probably works better with less hard-and-fast rules, and more freedom. Though I’d have a structured plan for longer articles.