Outlining helps you organize your writing. It creates a structure for your writing. It is a great way to begin writing. It will help you have a clear and logical
order to your writing. It will also help
you when you begin to revise your work.
When outlining, you can use sentences or phrases. Be sure you develop a method of outlining
that works for you. You can use a formal
system, that is typewritten with an ordered numbering system, or an informal
system, that is handwritten. You could
even start with an informal outline and turn it into a formal outline.
Here are some important things to remember when outlining:
Your purpose – you must remember what you are writing and why
you are writing it. This is key to creating
an effective outline, and ultimately writing a brilliant piece of work.
The key points – you must be sure to include the important
things that you want to talk about. This
is the meat of your writing project. If you
do not have enough key points your work will not be as good as it could be.
The supporting details – you must add details to your writing
to support what you are saying or to explain what you are writing. Having enough details will help your reader understand
what you are writing more, and it will enhance your work. Adding these to the outline can be helpful,
although there may be times when a supporting detail will pop into your head as
you are writing. Be sure to make a note
on your outline to remind yourself that you added something that was not in
your original outline.
A terrific introduction – you must grab your reader’s attention
from the beginning. Having a well-written
introduction is valuable. This takes
some time to learn, but it is a good skill to learn and practice.
An excellent conclusion – you must end your writing for your
reader. You cannot leave your readers
hanging. Having an upset or confused reader
is horrible. You want to leave your
reader with some closure.
Use your outline as you write – you must write from your
outline. Why create an outline and not
use it? It will keep you on track and help
you stay organized as you write.
Be flexible – you must be willing to be open to changes as you
write. Sometimes as you begin to write
from your outline, you can have a creative flash that may cause you to stray
from your outline. That is okay. There are times when this will produce some
excellent writing. Go with it, but do
not get to far off track.
Review your outline after writing – you must review look at
your outline after you write. You may be
inspired to deviate from your outline every now and then. It is vital that you go back and review your
outline to see if you left any important things out if you did have creative
flashes while writing.
Remember, outlining will help you avoid getting stuck when
writing, keep you on task, and help you stay organized. So…
