Writing a long post -- for me, more than half a page is long -- it has to be organized right or it doesn't work.
Break it into shorter parts. Work the first part until you can't see it any more. Then move on. Work the latter parts as best you can, Don't worry if they're not perfect. You know you'll come back to them.
Eliminate obvious crap.
Eliminate or combine duplications. I often make notes that end up as alternate versions of something I've already written for the post. I try to compare them and combine them and keep only the best parts, and end up with one. You don't want it in there more than once. That's confusing.
Put descriptive headers on all the parts. That helps me know what they are about without reading through them every time and getting bogged down in that.
Use the headers to help organize chunks of text. Revise the headers as your understanding of your text improves. The headers help you split up the text into chunks you can put in order. Take the headers out when you're done, if you want. I usually do. They're for my use, not for my reader.
Don't get bogged down in it. Skip that part for now. Move on to an easier part. The hard part will make more sense later perhaps, or maybe you won't need it.
And... drink mtn dew. :)
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1 comment:
Let me get out of my own way here so I don't seem to be patting myself on the back: I like this post.
I don't think there is anything new or original in the post. But it is a reminder of useful things. And that's a useful thing.
It's like looking at the problem with fresh eyes, even though they're still my eyes.
I don't know why, but I have confidence in my writing.
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