Stop throwing spaghetti at them and write content that sticks with your readers.

Recently, I was scrolling through the 10,451 photos on my phone…

...and one memory came rushing back from college, a mix of sweat and humiliation.

It was my final presentation for a big paper I’d spent months on. Hours of research. Thousands of words. I stood there, nervously wrapping up when my professor hit me with a single question:

“What’s the point?”

I was devastated because I forgot why they should care.

I had no central point, no Big Idea. Just a lot of fluff and information, and my professor saw right through it.

Today, I’m going to teach you how to avoid that fate in your writing.

If you’re struggling to create content that resonates, it’s probably because you haven’t honed in on your Big Idea. Without it, your writing will always fall on its face.

When people say, “I don’t know what to write,” what they really mean is:

“I don’t know what point I’m trying to make.”

Without a clear point, your writing is like throwing spaghetti at the wall. Spoiler: It’s messy, and nothing really sticks.

Here’s how to fix it.

I’m going to show you the 5 steps I use to find my Big Idea so your writing can finally resonate.

First, Set the Boundaries

Before you write anything, you need to set your boundaries. What’s the one thing you want your reader to walk away with?

Ask yourself these questions:

• What change do I want my reader to make?

• What thought do I want to linger in their mind?

• What feeling or action am I trying to inspire?

Your answer is your Big Idea. Once you know it, write it down at the top of the page. Everything else that follows should support that idea.

Second, Brainstorm Without Boundaries

Now that you know your Big Idea, it’s time to brainstorm.

Sit down with a piece of paper (or your favorite writing app) and write down everything that comes to mind about your topic. Don’t censor yourself. Let the ideas flow freely for at least 30 minutes.

Yes, some of it will be garbage. That’s okay.

Your goal is to generate a lot of ideas, not just good ones.

Third, Sort the Buckets

Once your brainstorming session is over, take a break.

Stretch, grab a snack, then come back to sort your ideas into buckets. Group similar thoughts together. You’ll start noticing patterns and connections you didn’t see before.

These groupings will form the basis of your headings and subheadings.

Let’s say you’re writing about how to build a daily prayer habit. During your brainstorming session, you jotted down ideas like:

• Setting a specific time each day

• Creating a peaceful space for prayer

• Using a prayer journal

• The benefits of morning prayer

• Overcoming distractions

• Finding inspiration in scripture

• Building accountability with a prayer partner

Now it’s time to group these ideas into buckets. Here’s how it might look:

Bucket 1: Setting Up for Success

• Setting a specific time each day

• Creating a peaceful space for prayer

Bucket 2: Staying Consistent

• Overcoming distractions

• Building accountability with a prayer partner

Bucket 3: Deepening the Experience

• Using a prayer journal

• Finding inspiration in scripture

• The benefits of morning prayer

With your ideas grouped, these buckets can now become your main headings, and the points under each will form your subheadings or supporting details.

By sorting your ideas, you’ve created a clear structure that makes your writing easy to follow and supports your Big Idea: building a daily prayer habit.

Fourth, Show the Backbone

Now that you’ve sorted your ideas, it’s time to give your writing structure.

Your goal is to create a clear backbone that supports your Big Idea. Pick the strongest points from your brainstorming session and group them under two to three main headings.

Three is usually a good number, as it’s easy to follow and persuasive.

Under each heading, add supporting details, examples, or stories that strengthen your Big Idea.

And fifth, Save the Best

Not everything you brainstormed will fit. And that’s fine.

Take anything that doesn’t quite support your Big Idea and move it below the line. You’re not deleting it. It’s just saved for later. You can always come back to it if needed.

Now, review your remaining points.

Are any of them weak? Do you need to do more research to strengthen your argument? If so, do that now. You want your final piece to be focused, powerful, and free of distractions.

At the end of the day, your writing succeeds or fails based on how well it communicates one thing: your Big Idea.

If someone reads your work and doesn’t walk away knowing exactly what your point was, you’ve wasted their time.

Don’t waste people’s time!

To avoid this, always come back to my professor’s question:

“What’s the point?”

If you don’t know the answer, your reader won’t either.

Write on 🤙

Payton

P.S. Here is the full lineup from this series.

• Day 1: How to Overcome the 10 Biggest Fears Writers Have

• Day 2: The Only Real Secret to Never Running Out of Ideas

• Day 3: Why You Need 1 BIG Idea

• Day 4: Where You Should Be Writing Online (Hint: Not a Blog!)

• Day 5: How to Make Writing Effortless, 250 Words at a Time

• Day 6: The Secret to Writing in the Age of AI

• Day 7: The 4 Best Digital Writing Platforms