Writing Book 7 · Lesson 2

Notes from a denser text

A denser text is noted at paragraph size, not sentence size.

What it is

A denser text puts more ideas in fewer words, so the danger is copying — every sentence looks important. The cure is to take notes at PARAGRAPH size, not sentence size: one line per paragraph, however much the paragraph contains.

Watch it built

1
Read a paragraph that seems to be all important.
(pen down)
2
Force yourself to one line. Ask what the paragraph was FOR, not what it said.
It was explaining why the harvest failed.
3
Write that one line, then move on.
  A. Harvest failed — three separate causes
Remember
One line per paragraph, however dense it is.
Ask yourself: “Am I noting what this paragraph was FOR, or what it said?”

Remember

One line per paragraph, however dense the paragraph is.

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