Last week, I was planning my lessons for my students, and I realised how lesson planning is like writing an article. Many of the tips and tricks I use to keep my students engaged, I use to keep the reader engaged.Â
If you are new to writing, you might think, but I have nothing to teach anyone. That would be wrong. All you need to find is someone two steps behind you and share your advice. This is true for personal essays as it is for writing tip articles.Â
Ryan Holiday speaks in many of his videos about how history can teach us about events we are experiencing today—everyone reading this has been through something that will help someone else.Â
Once you have decided on your topic, this is how you structure an article to keep readers reading.Â
Whenever I plan a lesson, I have a five-minute opening exercise. In writing, this transfers to a story or quick introduction that introduces the reader to the post and keeps them hooked.Â
Once I have finished this, I will work on the content of the story. The main meat of the lesson. As in teaching, I vary the structure by introducing different learning methods within writing. I might introduce a question or use bullet points—anything to break from the normal structure.Â
One of the techniques my students respond to well is when I tell them I don’t know something, but we find out the answer together. Many teachers in the past have made it up. As a writer, you are not expected to know all the answers, but admit that you are still growing, as we all are.Â
Complete the article by giving your reader a summary of what you have taught them or asking a question to bring them into the discussion. Both work very well and give you a good indication of whether the person has read to the end or not.Â
Check out the article below for more on the Perfect Structure for the Perfect Article. Let me know which aspect of writing you find the most difficult in the comments.Â
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Until next week stay safe
Sam 😊
Quote of the week
All you have to do is train yourself to set out, without any expectations, and pay attention to what happens. - Austin Kleon