I learned to improve my writing quite a bit by using outlines that let me shift through levels of abstraction at will. I write long e-mails and blog posts using mind-mapping software. Being able to re-order my paragraphs & sentences, include or change examples, and step up and down different levels of detail has made it much easier for me to communicate the points I want to make. I've found that this helps even when I'm writing short e-mails or HN comments.
Admittedly my writing doesn't sound pretty. I'm okay with this. My e-mail chains end up much shorter than any other programmer/analyst I know and result in significantly fewer misunderstandings. That's what I call success.
I used to use bubbl.us because it has nice keyboard shortcuts. Now I use www.checkvist.com because you can create stuff in a list format, which is easier to paste into documents and share with others.
I love freemind, mostly for how quick it is to use from just the keyboard, and also for the the platform independence which makes it very easy to use it collaboratively.
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I learned to improve my writing quite a bit by using outlines that let me shift through levels of abstraction at will. I write long e-mails and blog posts using mind-mapping software. Being able to re-order my paragraphs & sentences, include or change examples, and step up and down different levels of detail has made it much easier for me to communicate the points I want to make. I've found that this helps even when I'm writing short e-mails or HN comments.
Admittedly my writing doesn't sound pretty. I'm okay with this. My e-mail chains end up much shorter than any other programmer/analyst I know and result in significantly fewer misunderstandings. That's what I call success.
What mind-mapping software do you use?
A quick Google search reveals quite a few apps. I had never heard of this "genre" until now!
I used to use bubbl.us because it has nice keyboard shortcuts. Now I use www.checkvist.com because you can create stuff in a list format, which is easier to paste into documents and share with others.
MindNode (http://mindnode.com/) is not bad for Mac. I've also found FreeMind (http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page) pretty good in the past.
I love freemind, mostly for how quick it is to use from just the keyboard, and also for the the platform independence which makes it very easy to use it collaboratively.