Choosing a subject
A subject is what your writing is about. Choose one that passes three tests:
- You know something about it or can find out.
- Readers will find it useful or interesting.
- It is small enough for the length you must write.
Narrow it
"Water" is too wide. "Water in my town" is better. "Water tanker delays in our street" is just right. Keep asking "which part?" until the subject is focused.
Gathering material
Material is what you collect to write: facts, numbers, short talks with people, pictures and your own observations.
- Write one item on one card or one line.
- Note where each item came from.
- Do not worry about order yet. Just collect.
Organising gathered material
Now sort the cards:
- Put cards with the same idea together. Name each group.
- Take out cards that do not help your subject. Fewer, better cards are stronger.
- Check each group. About two to four cards is a good size for one paragraph. Too many? Split the group. Too few? Join it with another.
Making an outline and trying it
An outline is the groups in order. For example: 1) why it matters, 2) what I found, 3) what to do. Each group becomes one paragraph, and the first line of the paragraph names the group's idea.
Try it
Choose a subject from your street. Shrink it. Write six notes on cards or slips of paper. Sort them into two or three groups, remove one that does not fit, and number the groups. You now have an outline.
Key formulas and definitions
- Outline = Groups of notes in a clear order
- One group = one idea = one paragraph
- Good group size ≈ 2 to 4 cards
- Key term, subject: what the writing is about
- Key term, outline: the plan of groups in order
Worked examples
1. Narrow "Sports" into a subject for a one-page article.
Sports, then school sports, then "Why our school needs a kabaddi mat". It names a place and one issue, so it fits one page.
2. Sort these cards into groups: cost of a mat, injuries on hard floor, a coach's quote on safety, price of ice cream.
Group "Why it matters": injuries on hard floor, coach's quote. Group "What it costs": cost of a mat. Price of ice cream does not fit, so leave it out.
3. You have 12 cards and 2 groups. Is this a good balance?
That is 6 cards per group, which is too many for one paragraph. Make 3 or 4 groups, so each has about 3 or 4 cards.
Common mistakes
- Choosing a subject that is too wide, like "water" or "sports".
- Sorting before collecting enough notes.
- Keeping cards that do not fit the subject.
- Skipping the outline and writing in the order notes were found.