The Power of a good Outline

The Power of a Good Outline

I. Writing an outline helps organize your ideas, gives your piece a strong backbone and makes the writing process more efficient and less frustrating.

A. Every piece of writing is a series of ideas put together to convey a larger idea.

B. Whatever you are writing, you need to have substance before you have style.

C. By using an outline, you know where your piece is going and you can concentrate you efforts on good writing.

II. Every piece of writing is a series of ideas put together to convey a larger idea.

A. Words are nothing more than symbols for ideas.

B. Every idea has all other ideas in it.

C. Through an outline you can tap into the matrix of words to create a unique organization of thought.

III. Whatever you are writing, you need to have substance before you have style.

A. Many people focus on how they will write something rather than what they are writing.

B. Ultimately, you want to communicate your thoughts in the clearest, most concise way possible.

C. So start with getting down what you want to say and then shape and mold it into something brilliant.

IV. By using an outline, you know where your piece is going and you can concentrate you efforts on good writing.

A.  An outline is like a map to what you are writing. It can look a little repetitive, but consider that New York City and Los Angeles both look like dots on a map.

B. An outline just tells you where things are at, not where you necessarily have to go.

C.  But if you have to write something quick and it isn’t Hamlet, you can save a lot of time and headaches.

V.  Writing an outline helps organize your ideas, gives your piece a strong backbone and makes the writing process more efficient and less frustrating.

A. Every piece of writing is a series of ideas put together to convey a larger idea.

B. Whatever you are writing, you need to have substance before you have style.

C. By using an outline, you know where your piece is going and you can concentrate you efforts on good writing.