You have an idea and know roughly what you want to say, but you need a plan. The simplest plan is a beginning, a middle and an end. Whether your article is 300 words or 3,000, it should start with an indication of its purpose. Build it with supporting evidence or argument and conclude in a way that encourages readers to pause and reflect

Creating a first draft

Whatever type of article you are planning, jotting down some headings can help give the first draft a logical flow. These headings may be broad, such as ‘Introduction’, ‘Main text’, ‘Conclusion’, but, with three or four bullet points under each heading, your article will quickly take shape.