Episode 9: My 9 Steps Process That Makes Writing an Awesome Joy
By adapting Gagne’s 9 levels of learning to my writing
I enjoy reading self-help books, and when I first started, I thought to write about self-improvement, but I had no idea what constituted a good article. I didn’t even know the steps to write a proper self-help article that would be engaging enough for my readers.
I wasted time groping in the dark and experimenting with several writing techniques, many of which led me to write junk that could hardly be called articles. Writing then was torture. I knew I had to develop a different writing system to guide my writing. Otherwise, I would be wasting my time. The challenge was to have a system that would make writing a joy rather than a chore.
When I learned about instructional design theories, it dawned on me that perhaps this is the guide I have been looking for to compose proper articles. It is a writing system that I have been following that has since guided me with consistency.
But the instructional design was not designed for writing, primarily to facilitate better learning. Nevertheless, I find it a good fit for structuring blog articles because there is a considerable degree of similarity, although some areas need adaptation.
What is Instructional Design (ID)?
According to Instructional Design Central, instructional design (ID) is the process by which learning products and experiences are designed, developed, and delivered. Simply put, the instructional design creates learning or instructional experiences that facilitate knowledge transfer.
There are many ID theories out there; the one I wish to reference here in my article is from Robert Gagné. Robert Gagné was an American educational psychologist who pioneered the science of instruction. His book “The Conditions of Learning,” first published in 1965, identified the mental conditions necessary for effective learning.
Gagné theorized an effective learning process consisting of nine separate and distinct steps. These steps build naturally upon each other and improve the communication supporting the learning process.
I have studied Gagné’s nine learning steps and adapted them as a template to guide my writing.
The nine steps facilitate reader engagement as well as improve the retention of the content being presented in the article. For a writer, the ID provides a structured framework to produce a consistent writing style, ensuring I, the writer, would deliver the required value and standard in my articles.
With a proper writing system, writing becomes a breeze, and the process evolves into a joy. When you enjoy what you do, ideas and creativity can flow freely, and the whole system becomes a positive reinforcing loop. In such a system, it is difficult for you not to improve.
So here is the 9-step writing system that I have developed for myself.
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