I’ve just finished teaching a four week writing class and the most surprising learning for most people was the immediate difference made to their writing by the understanding of “structure”. All good pieces have it. And if it’s not there you, as a reader, surely notice.
You will wonder “What is this all about?”, or “Is there a point to this?”. Chances are at some point (early on) you’ll give up and just stop reading.
At school we were taught that all good stories have a beginning, a middle and an end. That’s a simple structure and it’s a good place to start.
The structure often used by journalists is the framework of who, what, where, when and why.
There are structures to engage, persuade and provoke action.
Far from limiting one’s ability to write creatively, structures allow thoughts and words to flow in an effective pattern and you can ensure your reader is captured and kept on track.
You avoid
- Losing them in random musings and stray thoughts
- Confusing them with illogical, poorly constructed arguments
- Turning them away through unconcious repetition
Whether you are writing a blog post or short article or creating a whole new website, the most powerful content tool to deploy is the use of stucture.
The most creative choice of words and the most brilliant of ideas will not compensate for the lack of it.
With sound structure you can craft appealing, persuasive copy – more easily and quickly.
