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Authors Asking
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Q: "I find that I am forever writing different versions of the same thing, leaving me with the problem of collating them, or blending them together. Also wastes time, of course, to duplicate effort like that. I wonder if working more from hard copy of ONE draft as I go along would help (spend more paper and less time??). Although computer has obvious advantages, it is deranging to me to not be able to see it all at once. Sometimes I literally cut and paste which helps. Using the collapsible outline in Word should work, but the formatting always drives me buggy. It does't LOOK like an outline with all the different heading styles and colors. Other things to try?"

A: Andrew P. Johnson, Ph.D., Professor of Holistic Education, Department of Special Education, Minnesota State University, Mankato:

"Words put order to chaos/thought. My process --

1. Start with draft in written form.
2. Put garbage on the page -- Most people get stuck trying to get it perfect ... At this stage you are a potter throwing a blob of clay on the wheel.
3. Then start shaping -- take away -- add.

Outlines are flexible ways to get you thinking ahead -- However, trust your unconscious mind. Slow the mind. Focus on one sentence at a time. Then one paragraph at a time. Then one section at a time. Let other things leak out onto the page but focus just on the sentence, paragraph, section. The time to take a holistic sense of your article is when you are printing off a hard copy during the editing stage."

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