Glenn Stovall's Public Notebook

CrossFit for Writing

A 1-2 hour process for going from idea to draft of an article

The process

  1. pick an idea that resonates (2 minutes) - off the cuff, from experience, zero research. Pick a highlight or a note that resonates with you.
  2. collect 5 ideas related to the main one (5 minutes) - from memory & notes. do a brain dump. no judgement include everything
  3. progressive summarization (2 minutes) - bold key ideas & phrases, then highlight from the bolded section. helps you uncover the core message
  4. Arrange your ideas in a logical sequence (5 minutes) - lots of possible sequences don't over think it. It can help to come up with a summary(best bits & takeaways), thesis(what the piece is trying to prove or disprove) or an abstract(what the essay is about).
  5. Two conflicting versions here:
    1. Bolster with more notes from your notebooks
    2. Make it POP (POP Writing) - Personal (stories and experience), Observational (keen and insightful), Playful (funny and quirky)
  6. Create a short outline (5 minutes): 5-10 bullet outline, build narrative flow, think of transition points (use but, therefore transitions)
  7. Write a "blurry thumbnail" (15 minutes), a 200-word, high level view of your piece. Another way to think of this is a 3 50-word paragraph version.
  8. Feedback (optional) - what's boring? delete. what's confusing? clarify. What's interesting? expand.
  9. Write your shitty first draft (30 miutes) - flesh out the details. resist the urge to do any editing
  10. Rest, let it breathe, edit for clarity and transitions, publish and share it online

Resources