The Bullet Drafts Method Will Forever Change The Way You Write

  • Value promise: The Bullet Drafts Method is a much more powerful and flexible way to write your first draft.
  • Bullet Drafts Explained
    • Bullet Drafts look like this post.
    • They merge outlining and writing the first draft into the same process.
  • Benefits of using bullet drafts to outline your writing
    • Explore your ideas, focus on figuring out what you have to say without wasting mental energy on writing.
      • No need to write introductions/conclusions or expand on ideas, just list the key takeaways.
      • No need for eloquent (or even grammatically correct) sentences.
        • That comes later, when it's time to write and edit your post.
        • And at the writing stage, you won't have to think about the ideas or structure of your post.
      • No need to write transitions between sections.
      • Forces you to create good ideas - no way to cover poor or boring ideas with flowery writing.
    • Very flexible and easy to edit
      • Editing regular drafts is time consuming, when you want to change something you often have to change the sentences around it.
      • Bullet drafts allow you to edit and rearrange your points without rewriting big chunks of text.
      • Easy to skim - see your post at a glance.
      • It forces you to organize your thoughts, instead of spewing the stream of consciousness.
    • Shaped like your brain
      • Regular drafts arrange ideas linearly.
      • Bullet Drafts are tree-shaped - just like your ideas.
    • Not intimidating, fast and easy to write, easy to get started with.
    • Perfect for quickly capturing ideas.
      • A post idea can be effortlessly expressed as a couple of bullet points.
      • It can evolve over time as you add ideas to the list.
      • By the time you decide to write the post, it's 60% finished.
  • How to write Bullet Drafts
    • Start with 3-5 key points your article is about.
    • Write subpoints under each one, list things you want to say.
    • Use full sentences.
      Keep them brief, but fully describe what you want to say.
    • Use tools like Obsidian, Dynalist, or Workflowy that allow you to conveniently edit lists (easily rearrange and collapse bullet points).
    • You can start bullet points with words "Example:", "Evidence:", "Explanation:", etc.
      • Example: This is how you clarify what this bullet point is about.
      • Sidenote: You can also insert diagrams, images, videos to clarify your points.
    • Keep a list of links and references at the end.
  • Call To Action
    • Try writing your next post using this method.
    • Follow my blog/twitter for more writing advice.
    • Tell me what you think about this idea in the comments.

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