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WHY write an outline
An outline is a tool for improving writing. An outline can help you:
An outline also saves you time and frustration. It provides a "picture" of your essay which allows you to predict many of its strengths and weaknesses before you write it. You will often find it much easier and faster to fix problems at this stage than after you have written a complete draft!
WHEN to write an outline
Timing is critical to writing an outline. Outlining is best done as a middle stage in the writing process, not at the very beginning. Follow these steps in the order given before attempting to outline:
- Read, gather information, and think about your essay topic
- Take notes, jot down ideas
- Generate a thesis (you might need several tries)
HOW to write an outline
Start with your thesis. This is essential to judging the relevance of the ideas and information which follow and giving a complete picture of your intentions in the essay.
Use a complete sentence to express your thesis and each main idea. This is essential for expressing how different ideas connect to each other and how each supports the thesis.
Fill in supporting ideas and information after you have written your thesis and main ideas. You can use phrases and sentence fragments here.
Critique your finished outline. If you spot main ideas that need more support, add evidence. If you spot irrelevant information, eliminate it. If logical sequencing of ideas seems troubling, change it.
Want to try using the outline worksheet? Please click here to download the outline worksheet.
