This weekend I finished reading A Writer's Coach by Jack Hart, who is the editor at large and writing coach at The Oregonian. One of his recommendations was to put a theme statement at the top of your screen while you write. The theme statement is a simple statement of what you are trying to say; it's not your lead or introductory synopsis. (You do use an introductory synopsis if you can, right?) The theme statement is to keep you on track as you write so that you don't get lost deeper into the document. Because if you get lost, your reader will also get lost. When you are finished with your piece, you delete it from the screen. For those interested, I liked and recommend A Writer's Coach, The Complete Guide to Writing Strategies That Work.