Most professionals write, and they write a lot. But they mostly write notes, messages and emails. So, when asked to write an opinion paper, they experience what writers call “white-page panic attack.” I had the same problem, until a teacher helped me with a very simple, yet highly efficient, method. He called it the method of three.
Here’s an example: Say you want to write a blog about a new product, and you must complete your piece in 450 words (more and it becomes boring). So, you split your work into three segments, each 150 words long. Then, you give each section a heading. The easiest of all is as simple as:
1. The problem
2. Why other solutions failed
3. Why your solution works
Then, make each section three small paragraphs long and give them an informal subheading (write it down but then delete it when you edit the final piece). These subheadings are specific to each writing project, and if it has been assigned to you, then you already know them.
From that point on, it is as simple as filling in the blank space with your words. Do not think; just write down your thoughts in any manner they come out. Writing and editing are two different jobs. Experienced writers do them instinctively at the same time, but novices must separate them. Once you have all your thoughts written down, then start the editing, which is just a process of making everything a coherent mass that is easy to read and conveys the message in one single pass. Anything else and your reader will skip the page.
Now, how to make that message interesting, readable and even enjoyable to read is another story, but everything comes from experience. I started by studying writers whose writings I enjoyed reading, then I went to find some books on writing and, above all, I kept writing. Right now, I no longer keep track of what I have written. I just enjoy the process and it has become an enjoyable hobby that helps me fulfill one of my life goals, which is to help in knowledge dissemination. You need to have a purpose to write so that others will want to read your work.
