There was a time when it used to take me forever to write copy. A simple 2000 word article used to take me days to finish – doing more research than I needed, taking copious amounts of notes and rewriting more than what should be healthy. If you find bits and pieces of yourself in my old behavior, you’ll probably appreciate being able to write smarter too – crafting materials without either wasting time or losing the joy of the experience.
1. Research better.
Instead of trying to draw information from all possible sources, stick to a selected few that can get you the best results. While drawing from everything available should give you a more complete picture to start with, it’s neither cost-effective nor wise. As much as possible, always stick with factual references and strive to get as close to the main source as possible.
2. Brainstorm ideas.
Once you have the research on hand, brainstorm everything you’ve collected into a series of bullet points. Group each line into rough categories, each with its own headings. Draw relationships between each grouping, graphically if that speaks to you better.
3. Create an outline.
Decide on which groupings you’ll end up using and create an outline for presenting them. Outlines will make the writing easier, with both structure and research already well in place.
4. Write quickly.
Avoid second-guessing yourself when writing. Just write and let the words flow. Make sure to turn on the spelling correction in your writing software to spare yourself the trouble of having to worry about it.
5. Proofread your copy.
After writing as prescribed, run your text through a grammar checker to catch any syntax and structural mistakes. Once that’s done and all found errors are corrected, read what you have written aloud (again, it’s important to read ALOUD) to manually proofread it.
