You already have a narrow topic to write about. 
Select a specific target audience, and determine what you want them to take away from the piece.
Conduct the minimum amount of research required to help you design the outline, and no more.
By the end of this session, you'll have a scrappy outline of your post, including the headline, headings, and one-line conclusion.


Resources: Scrappy outline

Exercises: Scrappy outline

In your own document (or here), write down everything you know about this topic. Spend 30-60 minutes doing this. 
Don't do any research yet! Resist the urge to go down a rabbit hole. 
Write everything down as individual bullet points. The goal is to get your messy thoughts on paper.


Braindump!

Based on the story you're trying to tell, identify the essential research you need to do.
Do the minimal amount of research needed to fulfil the promise you've made to your readers with your headline. 
Conduct your research as quickly as you can, and resist the urge to go down rabbit holes! As a rule of thumb, if you need to spend >4 hours doing research, that's too much for this course.


The essential research you need to do

_Spend at least 60 minutes on this exercise_
Based on your brain dump and the essential research you've completed, write down the outline for your blog post. 
Don't start writing the post itself! Focus on _planning _the post, by sketching out the structure of your argument.

This outline should include:
- Headline
    - Clear, not clever
    - Specify the who, what and why
- Main points: 3-5 headings that represent the structure of your post
- Conclusion: 1-sentence takeaway for the reader

During the session, you'll share this outline and get feedback from your cohort.


Writing Intensive

Resources: Scrappy outline

Resources (35 mins)