Designing Principles can come instantly, along with the initial idea. But often they are hard-won. If they come at all.

I considered trying to come up with a designing principle for one of the two premises we developed last week, but… I’ve got nothing.  The only made-up designing principle I can offer you is this… You’re looking at it…

This blog.

This blog is designed around the metaphor of a tool box, with each week covering a different tool.  It is also designed around how people generally learn to use tools.  First, you learn the purpose of the tool and the theory of how it works; then you watch a pro use the tool; and then you try swinging the tool yourself.  And in this way, the metaphor of a toolbox extends into the structure of the blog and dictates its content, with the three steps to learning a tool becoming the Monday, the Wednesday, and the Friday posts.

I have long wanted to create a writing blog.  But I didn’t want to just make noise.  I wanted to create something that had value, that added value to the already crowded writing-craft section of the blogosphere.  It wasn’t until I stumbled upon this designing principle–not just the metaphor of a toolbox, which is prevalent, but extending the metaphor into how the blog is structured–that I thought I’d finally found a blog idea worth while.

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What about you?  Where has a designing principle really elevated one of your projects?  Tell us in the comments.

UP NEXT, ON MONDAY

We’re looking at Stakes. See you then.

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