It starts with choosing a cool topic to write about. Sometimes, I actively think or research about the topics and sometimes it automatically occurs to me when I am in the random browsing mode or doing nothing.
I keep a list of all the topic ideas to write about on a Notion page in checklists format (so that I can check it once it gets completed).
However, that’s not the only list that I keep to stay organized. I also create a to-do list consisting of the high-priority topics to write about.
My Writing Process
The whole process looks something like this:
Let me explain each of these steps in detail.
Selecting topic
Like mentioned earlier, I keep a list of all the possible writing topics that I ever come across. These topic ideas can come from reading articles, walking on the roadside, talking to friends and colleagues, etc. And, as soon as I come across an idea, I note it down immediately.
And, there are 2 ways I use to choose a single topic out of the topics pool:
- what’s the most important and needs to be written soon
- what I am feeling like writing about today
Once the topic is finalized, I move to the next stage.
Researching
Sometimes only 5 minutes of Googling completes the research process but sometimes it takes hours — it totally depends upon how well I know about the topic.
I open multiple links in new tabs and go through them one by one. If there’s anything that may be useful while writing, I note it down along with the site’s URL.
Most of the time, the research notes contain facts and stats about the topic and are in the simple list (bullet point) format.
After the research process gets completed, it’s time for making a detailed outline.
Outlining
By combining what I know about the topic and the information from the research process, I try to create a detailed outline of what I will be writing about.
This process doesn’t take much time as I quickly create a rough structure of the whole article without thinking much about it.
While writing, I get better ideas and restructure the whole outline, most of the time.
Writing
Now, writing is the process that takes most of the time. The research process and my own understanding of the topic help me form a better overall idea of what I’ll be producing in the end.
Most of the time I completely restructure the whole outline and delete or move the written paragraphs up or down accordingly.
I hate to do it but what’s the option when you think that you’ve gotten the better version of the story this time?
Anyways, it’s time to move to the next stage — editing.
Editing
Most of the time, I edit the next day and rarely on the same day. It depends on the story though — if it’s long and important then it’ll be edited the next day otherwise the same day.
However, I do not make a lot of changes on the editing day. Mostly, I just reformat sentences to sound better and make sure the story keeps the reader in the flow.
Publishing
I edit and publish on the same day.
The publishing step requires the following thing to do:
- formatting the article to easily skimmable
- creating the suitable headline
- taking required screenshots, and
- creating some graphics
And, then I hit publish.
Tools I Use for Writing
I am very choosy when it comes to the tools that I use on a regular basis. I try all of them and then stick with the simplest and the free (or, cheapest) one.
Here’s a list of all the tools that I use almost every day for writing and publishing:
Obsidian
For all and every kind of writing, I use the Obsidian app which is completely free to use.
The main thing that I like about Obsidian is — all your notes stay offline and you can also access them using any other markdown (.md) viewer tool.
Grammarly
Grammarly is the tool that helps me a lot with the editing process. It highlights all the typos and possible mistakes.
I use the free version of Grammarly.
Figma
I use Figma to create blog featured images and other graphics that are needed to aid my writing. It’s completely free to use and also lets you collaborate with someone on the project.
That’s it, that’s the complete process of how I write and publish.
📢 Related: How I got started with writing
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