Focusing on Focus

One of the problems people have when they write is focus.  A lot of people are great at putting words on the page, but they lack a central idea, a purpose.  In fact, without determining our focus, we frequently miss the point.

Here are ways to help you focus your writing:

• Think about the central point.  What are you trying to accomplish?  Are you trying to sell something, change an opinion, express a thought?
• Find three things that support your point.  For example, if I’m writing an article about a great seminar that you should attend, I need to give you three solid reasons about why this seminar will help you.
• Make sure that your supporting ideas benefit your reader.  For the seminar, I can tell you that you’ll learn to make your writing clear and concise, but I need to point out that concise writing connects you with your readers more effectively.
• Next, start writing.  This is not the time to edit.  Allow writing to be a creative process.  Even with your focus and three supporting ideas, you may find yourself wandering.  This can be good.  You may discover better supporting ideas or ways to strengthen your central point through the creative process.
• Take what you’ve written and read it.  Does it make sense?  Are your ideas cohesive?  Do you keep jumping from one thing to another?
• Edit it.  Move sentences, paragraphs, even entire sections around.  Find your most compelling points, your strongest sentences, and your best words.  Use these to create and support your point.
• Take out two-thirds of what you’ve written. Okay, maybe not two-thirds, but be merciless.  Good writing is clear and concise.
• If you don’t have quite the right word, use a thesaurus.  The goal isn’t to use “big” words; the goal is to use clear words.  A thesaurus is the place to find synonyms that provide a slightly different meaning when a word doesn’t quite fit.
• Always understand and focus on your central point.
• Read what you’ve written out loud.  If it still needs work, keep editing.
• If you can, set it aside for a while, then reread it.  You’ll find that typos and problems you didn’t notice before will jump right out at you.

Now, take a look.  Isn’t that better?