The Missing Middle: What To Do Between Research and Writing
How 15 minutes of visual structuring saves hours of revision
There’s a missing step between research pile and first draft that a lot of writers, researchers, and creators skip: the one where you stop hoarding notes and start mapping them.
What should I do between research and writing?
The missing middle is clustering ideas on an infinite canvas until an outline appears before touching a word processor. In about 15 minutes, this concept-mapping step turns “write” into “assemble,” surfaces missing ideas, and gives you a clean set of beats: main question, key concepts, and action items to draft from.
Myth: Research thoroughly, then start writing.
Better Option: Research → Visual Structure → Write.
Information architect Jorge Arango writes entire books this way: not by collecting more material or crafting better sentences, but by arranging ideas spatially before writing. It’s architectural thinking applied to words: you sketch the blueprint before you build.
The visual brain catches patterns your verbal brain stumbles over, turning that intimidating stack of research into something more like LEGOs with instructions: suddenly, you can see where everything fits.
Why visual structuring matters?
See the whole project before writing a single word.
Kills blank‑page freeze by turning “write” into “assemble”.
Evidence:
Concept/knowledge maps improve post‑test performance (meta‑analysis of 55 studies) - Learning With Concept and Knowledge Maps: A Meta-Analysis.
Use / Avoid:
Use for books, long articles, and courses; avoid for short-form content.
How to start visual structuring?
(60s) Export or create 5–7 notes using Freeform, Miro, Obsidian Canvas, TheBrain, or good old Post-It Notes.
💎 “We think with things” → switch tools to switch your mind. Changing tools/environments unlocks new ideas and prevents mental blocks.
(5 min) Map your territory: pile your notes by topic/theme and name your piles.
(15 min) Bridge test: Draw a line between two piles; write one sentence that justifies the connection. If you can’t, the sentence you wish you could write is the missing pile.
💎 Structure reveals what you don’t know—like Mendeleev’s periodic table predicting missing elements.
(30 min) Beat Bingo: pick one pile and plan your “beats” (main question, key ideas, action items).
Continue Writing/Creating/Doing!
Topics: Visual Thinking
Sources:
Next time you’re drowning in research, resist the urge to write your way out. Grab whatever’s closest - index cards, sticky notes, napkins from lunch, and spend fifteen minutes playing architect. Draw boxes. Connect arrows. Build the skeleton first. Your future drafting self will thank you for the blueprint.
—Elle
PS: Know someone buried under a research avalanche? Send them this blueprint. We’re all just trying to turn our LEGO piles into something with instructions.