Structure That Works

Why Structure Matters

In the previous lesson, we explored beating the blank page. Now let’s build on that foundation. You can have perfect grammar and elegant sentences. But if readers can’t follow your logic, they’ll stop reading.

Structure is how you guide readers through your thinking. Good structure makes complex ideas simple. Bad structure makes simple ideas confusing.

How Readers Actually Read

Reality check: People don’t read everything you write.

They scan. They skim. They look for the point. If they don’t find it quickly, they move on.

Implications for structure:

• Put important things where people look
• Signal what matters with formatting
• Don’t bury your point
• Make it easy to skim AND to read deeply

The Inverted Pyramid

Journalists have used this for 100+ years:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│         MOST IMPORTANT              │ ← Lead with this
│         (The headline)              │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│       KEY SUPPORTING DETAILS        │ ← For those who read more
│                                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│     BACKGROUND & CONTEXT            │ ← For deep readers
│                                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│   ADDITIONAL DETAILS                │ ← Can be cut if needed
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Why it works:

• Time-pressed readers get the key point immediately
• People who want more can keep reading
• Nothing essential is buried

Use for: Emails, announcements, news, updates, reports.

The BLUF Pattern

BLUF = Bottom Line Up Front

Structure:

1. The answer/request (1-2 sentences)
2. Why it matters (1-2 sentences)
3. Supporting details (as needed)
4. Call to action (what you want them to do)

Example:

Bad: “I wanted to follow up on our conversation last week about the marketing budget. After reviewing the quarterly numbers and talking to the team, I’ve done an analysis of our spending patterns. Based on this research, there are several options we could consider…”

Good: “I recommend increasing the Q2 marketing budget by 15% ($30K). Here’s why: our CAC is 20% below target, meaning more spend would be profitable. Details below.”

The good version gets to the point in one sentence.

The Problem-Solution Structure

For persuasive writing:

1. Problem: What’s wrong? What’s the pain?
2. Why it matters: Who’s affected? What’s at stake?
3. Solution: What should we do?
4. How it works: Explain the approach
5. Call to action: Next steps

Example outline:

AI: "Structure this message using Problem → Solution format.

Problem: Our team meetings run too long and accomplish little.
Impact: We lose 5+ hours per week across the team.
Solution: New meeting structure with time limits and agendas.
Implementation: Here's how we'd change things.
Ask: Pilot this for 2 weeks."

The List Structure

Sometimes the clearest structure is the simplest:

Quick check: Before moving on, can you recall the key concept we just covered? Try to explain it in your own words before continuing.

• Point 1
• Point 2
• Point 3

When to use lists:

• Multiple items of equal importance
• Steps in a process
• Features or benefits
• Options to consider

List rules:

• Keep items parallel (same grammatical structure)
• Order matters: priority, chronological, or logical flow
• Don’t over-list; paragraphs work for nuanced points

Signposting

Help readers navigate:

• Headers: Signal what each section covers
• Transitions: “First… Second… Finally…”
• Topic sentences: First sentence of each paragraph = what it’s about
• Summary sentences: Remind readers what they learned

Good signposting: “There are three reasons to approve this budget. First…” “Here’s what we found. The biggest insight was…” “In summary, the key action items are…”

Without signposting, readers get lost.

AI Structure Assistance

Check your structure:

AI: "Review the structure of this draft.

[Paste your writing]

Tell me:
1. Is the main point clear and early enough?
2. Does the organization make sense?
3. Where might readers get lost?
4. What could be reorganized for clarity?"

Generate structure for your ideas:

AI: "Help me structure this content.

Topic: [What you're writing about]
Audience: [Who's reading]
Goal: [What you want them to think/do/know]

My main points:
- [Point 1]
- [Point 2]
- [Point 3]

Suggest 2-3 different structural approaches I could use."

Outlining Before Writing

Fast outlining method:

AI: "Create a quick outline for [document type] about [topic].

Purpose: [Why I'm writing this]
Length target: [How long]
Key points to include:
- [Point 1]
- [Point 2]
- [Point 3]

Give me a structured outline with headers and bullet points
for each section."

Then fill in each section. Writing with a map is faster than wandering.

Structure for Different Formats

Exercise: Restructure Something You’ve Written

Find an email or document you’ve sent recently.

1. What’s the main point? Where does it appear?
2. Could a skimmer find the key message?
3. Is there a clearer structure from this lesson that would work better?
4. Rewrite the opening using BLUF.

Notice how restructuring often improves writing more than rewriting sentences.

Key Takeaways

• Structure guides readers through your thinking; without it, they get lost
• People scan before they read—put key points where they’ll see them
• Inverted pyramid: most important first, details later
• BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): answer first, then context
• Problem-Solution: for persuasive writing
• Use signposting: headers, transitions, topic sentences
• Outline before writing; filling in a structure is faster than wandering

Next: Editing for clarity—making every word earn its place.

Up next: In the next lesson, we’ll dive into Editing for Clarity.