"Vista Cocoon Diary": Make good use of mind maps to plan writing structure

[](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnzXATW5A1aVru7NyEnjLFccnyTonk5 zswU3gN9Cwjy9LPyhICzZoyJD-gJBEWdY7mvx47EkDPrDiWOy5DFe_pfm5xLVWFvKcKFLN22jah913MdGzerq1tp9T_MDrhy Nz50u2Vca8Sw-I/s1280/%25E5%2596%2584%25E7%2594%25A8%25E5%25BF%2583%25E6%2599%25BA%25E5%259C%2596 %25E8%25A6%258F%25E5%258A%2583%25E5%25AF%25AB%25E4%25BD%259C%25E6%259E%25B6%25E6%25A7%258B.jpg)[ ](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnzXATW5A1aVru7NyEnjLFccnyTonk5zs wU3gN9Cwjy9LPyhICzZoyJD-gJBEWdY7mvx47EkDPrDiWOy5DFe_pfm5xLVWFvKcKFLN22jah913MdGzerq1tp9T_MDrhyN z50u2Vca8Sw-I/s1280/%25E5%2596%2584%25E7%2594%25A8%25E5%25BF%2583%25E6%2599%25BA%25E5%259C%2596 %25E8%25A6%258F%25E5%258A%2583%25E5%25AF%25AB%25E4%25BD%259C%25E6%259E%25B6%25E6%25A7%258B.jpg)

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

June 27, 2021

Although I have been staying at home recently, I have found that the interpersonal relationships between myself and my friends have become closer. I wonder if you have a similar feeling? For example, a friend sent me a message on Facebook yesterday to share with me his recent writing experience and related gains.

Ted brother told me: “I learned from your [group](https://www.facebook.com/groups /note.taking.club) and the articles you wrote about writing, as well as the feedback you gave me last time, I was inspired by it. I have practiced slowly and now I know better how to write articles and plan the writing structure!”

He shared with me an article he wrote recently, called “I bought the most beautiful scenery in Taiwan with 174 yuan!”. The title is not only interesting, but also eye-catching, making people want to find out more after reading it!

[](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbnSTi4yfqFSqPIgky13-rist1ScMnPPk7-vm2MOXMPI9Hl8FqYtzZT5KdMSVTQdZReGK1EcO3RtsGol7eqKq2IDnLEoF_2Fv cknTYPVcSWwc08jLK-lYxtcc35Pka7RdDbSHWZ9Xy5OU3/s850/%25E5%25BF%2583%25E6%2599%25B A%25E5%259C%2596%25E5%25AF%25AB%25E4%25BD%259C%25E6%259E%25B6%25E6%25A7%258B.jpg)

This article was liked 876 times on Dcard, and 75 people responded. It seems that the response is quite good! I also give some suggestions on the layout and structure of this article. I even think that if this article can be slightly polished, I might consider submitting it to a newspaper supplement!

However, what I want to share with you today is his method of using mind maps to plan the writing structure. I think it is a very good design.

Take this article “I spent 174 yuan to buy the most beautiful scenery in Taiwan!” as an example. Ted first quoted teacher Hong Zhenyu in “Precision Writing: Writing power is thinking power!” 20 lessons for refining thinking, all of which can be accurately expressed in special reports, briefing materials, plans, and copywriting” mentioned in the book “[ROA thinking method](https://givemebook.club/%E3%80%8A%E7%B2%BE%E6%BA%96%E5%AF%AB%E4%BD%9C% E3%80%8B/)”: Start thinking by focusing on the problem, find [the topic that readers are most concerned about] (https://haosquare.com/writing-roa-thinking/), and then start writing.

• Reader: What does a reader look like? What do they care about?
• Objective: What is the purpose of our writing? What do you want readers to know? What do you want to change the reader’s mind?
• Action: What do you want readers to do after reading your article? Do they have access to enough resources and knowledge in the article to complete this action?

Next, he developed ideas for readers, themes, and actions, and also formulated different main axes for these three themes. If you take a closer look at the mental map above, you will definitely find that the writing layout of “initiation, inheritance, transformation, and integration” is also implicitly embedded in the context of the article.

As a writing coach, I often teach copywriting-related courses to many public departments, companies, and universities. During the teaching process, I also found that many friends easily encounter setbacks when writing, such as: no inspiration, not knowing how to solve the problem, and the inability to write a convincing article, etc.

One of the big reasons why people are afraid of writing is that they generally lack the ability to organize and structure when writing, so they cannot successfully express the ideas in their minds. Therefore, I believe that the key to improving writing is not to write brilliantly or to tell a good story, but to establish writing thinking first.

[](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiud1-UVcX-rnaDAA3FV3zdbDmfuuITWOQ5rGfK-hE0CSLz9ayRGSdvip0ZSOFOzDqxJBBm5uqpAetjmgVhrLrNQz-E3 nEW2eTt1L-RhhWMb-RTv5DzyEAimmEFKCVFd9ExXjs4qr-JAIxg/s1258/%25E5%25BB%25BA%25 E7%25AB%258B%25E5%25AF%25AB%25E4%25BD%259C%25E6%2580%259D%25E7%25B6%25AD.jpg) If you have similar troubles, you might as well refer to Brother Ted’s approach and try to draw a [mind map] (https://www.vistacheng.com/2021/06/mind-map.html) before writing, outline the key points you want to express, and gradually build your writing thinking. If you still have any questions about writing, you are welcome to write to me to discuss!

Mind mapping is a great tool and I encourage everyone to use it! Overall, there are several obvious benefits to using mind maps when writing:

• Thinking through images helps you organize different angles and topics of articles quickly and effectively.
• Piecing together an overall context from seemingly unrelated messages helps improve creativity and critical thinking.
• Diffuse first, then focus, and organize disparate information into a coherent whole, which helps to concentrate.
• By connecting different events and information through mind maps, you can improve your thinking and create new possibilities.

By the way, registration for the eleventh issue of “Vista Writing Companion Program” is about to close! If you want someone to help and give guidance during your daily writing practice, you are welcome to sign up and join us in learning together.

★ Welcome to sponsor a cup of coffee and cheer for Vista! You can also express your support by sponsoring multiple times, thank you.

★ Want to learn content marketing techniques? Welcome to register for the online course “[Content Power: The Super Power of Building Brands] (https://hahow.in/cr/content-power)”.

---

Further reading

• “Vista Cocoon Diary”: How to improve writing efficiency
• “Vesta Cocoon Diary”: The Power of Writing
• “Vista Cocoon Diary”: Strategic Thinking of Content Production

---