Ever found yourself at the end of a paper but not sure what you were writing about? Lots of words but not sure what it all means?

Ever got feedback on a paper which said there were too many ideas going on? Or that there was lots of material but the reader wasn’t sure of where it was going?

Ever wanted to help a writer who had written a lot but hadn’t got their point across?

This kind of feeling and feedback points to a possible problem with the purpose of the paper.  The writer – and that could be you – may not be clear about what they are writing about or for. They/you may lack a clear purpose. But how to check if this is the case?

Have I got four strategies for you…