The only business writing book you’ll ever need - Laura Brown, Rich Karlgaard 2019

What kind of writer are you?

In thirty years as a writing coach and trainer, I’ve seen all kinds of writers. There are many ways to approach a writing task, and none of them is the only right way. What’s important is for you to understand which approach works best for you and to use that approach, not to try to force yourself to work in a way that someone else has dictated.

As I see it, most writers are either planners or editors.

Planners like to map things out before they start to write. They organize their content; they make outlines. Editors, on the other hand, tend to jump in and write, and then go back and revise later. Of course, most people do a little of both—you pretty much have to—but most people have a preferred approach. I’m an editor myself; I tend to write a draft and go back and fix it up later. It took me years to accept that it was all right for me to work this way, that I wasn’t a miserable failure because I don’t outline. It’s also all right for you to use whichever approach you like best.

In the seven steps that follow, you’ll see guidance useful for all kinds of writers, and you’ll also see guidance specifically for planners and for editors, so that you can make the most of your preferred approach to writing.

If you’ve never thought about this idea before, or if you’re not sure exactly how you prefer to work, it’s worth giving it some thought. The more self-aware you become as a writer, the more success you’ll have in getting your writing done quickly, efficiently, and effectively.