Keeping Your Writing Organized
It can be difficult to keep all of your ideas within a clear and concise structure when writing content. For example, you may have trouble grouping your ideas by relevance, which can make it difficult for your readers to keep track of what you are actually talking about and, more specifically, the point that you are trying to make.
In order to keep your readers engaged and on track, each of your ideas should be clearly organized in order to give the illusion of a narrative. Try some of these methods that veteran content writers often use when organizing their thoughts and hence, their articles:
Write It Down
Two of the most important tools for writers are the pen and the notebook. If you have trouble keeping track of your ideas, go to any local department store or pharmacy. You should be able to find a miniature spiral notebook for less than a dollar. Try keeping it in your pocket so you can jot down ideas as they come to you.
Even if your memory is especially reliable, getting into the habit of writing down ideas may be extremely beneficial to your writing. Some may find the act of writing itself can increase the likelihood of remembering the information in the future. Whether or not you use the notebook, it is always useful to have one around in case you are not at your computer.
Tab It Up
When doing research for your article, it may be useful to have a plethora of different websites to reference. One of the easiest ways to do this is by typing in keywords related to your article into your favorite search engine. Open any relevant links in “new tabs” within the same window. There is generally a “hot button” which may make it quicker to open several tabs quickly, but it varies for each browser and operating system.
Once you have a number of tabs open, you can scan through your information quickly and efficiently, which will help you organize your thoughts and write a solid article. Pick out any useful information, then move on. While articles that may be similar to yours can be helpful, you do not want to rely too much on a single source. Vary your information to maintain uniqueness and to help verify any questionable sources.
Outline
You may find it helpful to organize your ideas and information into an outline during the writing process. It can occur prior to writing the article, wherein your information will be clearly organized throughout your process. You can also outline the article after completion, which will help in organizing a finished article.
An outline will help to keep you from going off on tangents, or grouping unrelated material together. Though you do not want to necessarily use the “five paragraph” format that they taught you in school, it may be helpful to group your paragraphs by category, similar to the “introduction” and “body” sections of scholastic papers.
Organize Your Time
The best way to stay organized is by setting short and long term goals using specific time frames. For instance, if you are just starting out, you may want to give yourself at least an hour (probably closer to two depending how fast you write) for each six hundred word article. You will also likely want to set a daily goal for a specific number of articles.
Setting goals will give you some motivation to keep yourself organized and on track to completion. If you find that you are not writing as quickly as you hoped, then adjust your goals to something reachable, but also challenging.
