Writing Software
Ask what each planned section contributes
Imagine drafting a short article titled “Keeping a shared sketchbook useful.” Its central question is how contributors can leave enough context for the next person. This original section-purpose grid reviews the planned structure before the full article is written. It is a fictional editorial exercise, not a report that a particular sketchbook practice has been tested.
01
Give the grid a question and three working rows
Write the central question above a grid with columns for section, purpose and material. Begin with three working sections: identifying the page, adding a context note and showing a handover example. State each purpose as an action for the reader, such as understanding what the next contributor needs to recognise. This prevents a heading from standing in for an explanation of its role. The grid is provisional; a section can be removed or renamed when its purpose becomes clearer, provided the change is recorded rather than hidden in a new version.
02
Check the connection between the purpose and the material
For the context-note section, the material could be a fictional annotation that names the object sketched and the question its author was exploring. Compare that material with the stated purpose. If the section promises to explain how to resume an unfinished drawing, an object label alone does not supply enough context. Mark the missing information, such as which part the author intended to revisit. The grid exposes a gap between the planned explanation and the example without requiring the writer to finish a polished paragraph before noticing it.
03
Resolve one gap and preserve the open ones
Choose a bounded revision: expand the fictional annotation to include the intended next step, then check whether it now serves the section’s purpose. Keep other unresolved points in a separate notes area, including whether the article needs an example of a completed page as well. Do not label the outline final merely because every row contains text. The finished grid connects the article’s question, the role of each section and the material available to support it. It gives the next drafting session a clear starting point while leaving room for the structure to change.