Jordan Peterson’s 10-step process for stronger writing

1. An essay is used to formulate and organize your thoughts around a set of ideas.
2. The mind is organized verbally at the highest level. This coincides with the book ‘The Righteous
Mind’, which states that the human mind is a story processor, not a logic processor. Of course, one
should not forget that emotions and senses like smell trump these processes, but still.
3. A central question is determined per essay. Getting the question right is the hardest part.
4. From your central question, move on to the 10 next questions. Maximum number of questions/outline
is 15. You could use the SEXI model for making a point - State, EXplain, Illustrate. Alternatively you
can commingle the questions into other structures like issue/feature/benefit/proof or simply questions.
5. Generally, essay length is 10 x 10 x 10 = 1000 words (10 questions with 10 sentences of 10 words
each).
6. Always have a reference/sources list at the end.
7. Write a stock intro and conclusion, but throw them away afterwards.
8. Differentiate between Production and Editing. First produce, then list all sentences and start editing.
Reorder paragraphs after editing.
9. Try to stick to the same formats that work for you. These could be Issue/Feature/Benefit/Proof,
Past/Current/Future, Why/How/What or anything else that works. The best articles in the world do not
necessarily need a clear structure, but flow naturally.
10. How would people in ten years read the essay? This question helps you to differentiate between signal
and noise, or what effectively relates to clickbait (for social media) and what is important. It is still
relevant to make an intriguing question or statement (clickbait) which can be used in the SEO
sentence when forwarding the URL. This is used to hook people into the article. Make the rest of the
article future proof and write them as if your kids would read them.
Becoming a better writer is a means for becoming a better thinker, says Canadian professor Jordan Peterson.
Arranging your thoughts on a page in a coherent fashion organizes your thinking process so you can better
understand it, which translates into efficiently communicating your ideas to others. Just as Marie Kondo
inspires fans to declutter their homes in order to transform their emotional and mental life, Jordan Peterson’s
10-step essay writing template is a way of empowering you to achieve mental clarity.

1. Introduction

The introductory step qualifies the importance of essay writing. Peterson summarizes:

“The primary reason to write an essay is so that the writer can formulate and organize an informed, coherent
and sophisticated set of ideas about something important.”

Actions based on thinking through consequences are more productive and less painful than those based on
ignorance. Peterson believes in no better means for living an effective life than writing, which forces you to
confront inconsistencies, paradoxes, and novel ideas. By rejecting substandard notions uncovered by your
essays, you can choose to take action on those that matter most. Organizing your thoughts verbally, he
concludes, allows you to think abstractly, granting access to higher-order cognitive processes.

2. Levels of Resolution

First, select a word; then craft a sentence; finally, sequence sentences inside of a paragraph. Peterson suggests
that each paragraph consist of at least 10 sentences or 100 words. Over time such numbers are arbitrary. In
literature, José Saramago’s sentences run thousands of words while Philip Roth’s later novels include
numerous single-sentence paragraphs. Learn form before mastering it, Peterson writes. Strict adherence to
structure is helpful.

“Rules are there for a reason. You are only allowed to break them if you are a master. If you’re not a master,
don’t confuse your ignorance with creativity or style. Writing that follows the rules is easier for readers,
because they know roughly what to expect. So rules are conventions.”

The final two levels of resolution are arranging the paragraphs in a logical progression (with each paragraph
presenting a single idea) and understanding the essay as a whole. Creative people sometimes miss the mark by
failing to organize their thoughts in a clear manner. Successful essays generally achieve these five levels, from
the granular to the macro. Brevity and beauty can be achieved using this guideline, reminiscent of V.S.
Naipaul’s rules for writing.

3. The Topic and the Reading List

Choosing a topic occurs in one of two ways: you’re assigned it (remember, this guide is for Peterson’s
students) or you can list 10 topics that you’re interested in exploring and choose one. The next step is to pick
your reading list for researching the topic. Peterson suggests five to 10 books per thousand words of essay. He
eschews highlighting books; instead, take notes. There is evidence that writing down (and not typing)
information is the best way to remember information.
4. The Outline

Peterson calls this step “the most difficult part of writing an essay.” Also, “it’s not optional.” This step is why I
love the word-processing program Scrivener — my outline lives on the left side as I work on longer articles
and books. Any outline could shift and transform as you research and write the essay, so being able to
constantly reference the skeleton you create is the surest path to success.

5. Paragraphs

One of the hardest pieces of advice to convey to new writers is to just write. Writer’s block doesn’t exist when
you’re disciplined. Malcolm Gladwell discusses this point on Tim Ferriss’s podcast. Gladwell spent a decade
in the Washington Post newsroom; reporters don’t have the luxury of writer’s block. The first draft is
effectively thinking on the page. Success occurs during the editing process, which is why Peterson
recommends not worrying about the quality of your work during the paragraph process. Just get the words onto
the page. Peterson continues,

“Production (the first major step) and editing (the second) are different functions, and should be treated that
way. This is because each interferes with the other. The purpose of production is to produce. The function of
editing is to reduce and arrange.”

6. Editing and Arranging of Sentences Within Paragraphs

Once the first draft is complete, Peterson forces you to confront yourself by asking that you rewrite every
sentence in a different manner. Then compare the two drafts by reading them aloud. Hearing yourself speak
your own words not only causes you to listen to the music of your words, it also helps you understand what is
being communicated to the reader. This step also helps you eliminate redundancies and master conciseness.

7. Re-ordering the Paragraphs

By this stage you’re examining the fluidity of the content in service of the essay as a whole. Just as you
examined each individual sentence, now you look at their service to the meaning of each paragraph. From
there, you investigate how the jigsaw pieces fit together to construct the puzzle.

8. Generating a New Outline

Many writers believe they’re done once the second draft is tight. Peterson disagrees. After you’ve read through
the latter draft, he recommends writing yet another outline. Importantly, do not look back at the essay while
doing so. This Jedi mind trick on yourself has utility; you’re making yourself remember what’s most important
about the argument you’ve constructed. This will help you eliminate repetitive or unnecessary arguments as
well as strengthen the most pertinent points.

“If you force yourself to reconstruct your argument from memory, you will likely improve it. Generally, when
you remember something, you simplify it, while retaining most of what is important. Thus, your memory can
serve as a filter, removing what is useless and preserving and organizing what is vital. What you are doing now
is distilling what you have written to its essence.”

9. Repeat

After a few days, if you “really want to take it to the next level,” return to your latest draft to investigate every
sentence, every paragraph, and the outline. The space of days will separate what you think you wrote from
what you actually wrote. In a more toned-down version of this, I write a draft of every article, edit it at least
twice, yet never publish until the next morning. That way I have allowed a night of sleep to pass before
blasting it into cyberspace. My favorite time to do this is between 5–7 a.m., after the cats are fed and the
caffeine is circulating.

10. References and Bibliography

Peterson saves citations for last. Of course, you’ve been saving your sources as you collect information —
another great feature in Scrivener. Citing sources also offers one last opportunity to read the quality of the
work and ensure that you’ve properly captured the information you’ve collected. With that, your essay is
complete.