Writing is an iterative loop

March 30, 2021

While mulling over the next essay to be written write, I felt the need for a reference guide to writing. The thought that crossed my mind at once was that instead of looking for a guide, I am going to write one for myself.

It would be short, specific, and based on my experience. Thereafter, whenever I needed some direction or guidance, it would be available to me for review. And so I wrote it as follows.

1. Think one step at a time

focus on each idea long enough to make sense of it
capture other competing ideas and revisit them later

2. Capture thoughts in your notes

write down your thoughts so keep them safe
don’t rely on memory

3. Add details to each idea

paint a vivid picture
provide the cures that help the reader to reconstruct your ideas their minds

4. Organise it to find a flow

make it easy to read and follow
answer questions as they naturally arise

5. Add connecting text to support the flow

show the relationship between ideas
illustrate that the ideas are in a logical sequence

6. Review the outline to check for coherence

read it as though someone else wrote it
rewrite anything that is difficult to read

7. Write down unanswered questions or loopholes

talking to others about your ideas helps find these loopholes
always helps to give it another read as well

8. Think one step at a time

(start from the top)

Writing is an iterative loop. How we think influences our writing as much as how we write influences our thinking.

With deliberate practice and quick iterations, we can make remarkable progress in how we communicate, and ultimately in how we think.

#creativity #thinking #writing