How to Create an Effective Outline
From fiction to essays, learn how to map out your writing so you don’t get lost.
Writing is hard. Shocking, I know, I’ll wait for you to catch your breath after that massive revelation. It’s hard for a lot of reasons, but the writing pitfall that tends to grab me is, once you have an idea, how do you move it from your head to your paper? One of the best ways I’ve found to do that is by creating an outline.
Outlines are the sparse notes you use to structure and develop a piece from an idea to a finished story. They come in a huge number of formats and can be adjusted for nearly every genre.
Now, some writers will say that outlines aren’t necessary, but I’d like to argue that a typical outline isn’t necessary. A dedicated, informed, and effective outline, on the other hand, definitely is.
Here’s how to create an effective outline that will help to keep you from floundering in writer’s block hell.
Why use an outline?
When you’re building a house, it’s not the best idea to go at it without a plan, is it? Having blueprints lets you know where the supporting beams need to go, how big the foundation is, what that foundation is made of, and how the space over and around it is used. You can add all the…
