Effective Outlining: The Quickest Way to Improve the Quality of Your Writing
A lot of people struggle when writing articles or papers. Some people can string together sentences in a very effective way, but lack the ability to structure their piece. And others simply have no confidence in their ability to write whatsoever. However, I believe that everyone has the ability to write. Like anything, it just takes time and practice.
There is one thing, though, that you can do right now to help you boost the quality of your writing. And that is: effective outlining. By taking thorough notes and organizing them in an effective outline, you can vastly improve the articles you write. And, although it may seem like constructing an outline could increase the time it takes to write an article, it can, in fact, reduce the time needed to write a quality piece. This is because an outline is like a guide. It will take you from point A to point B. This is critical in the writing process, because, a lot of the time, the hardest part of writing is knowing what to say next. With a good outline, you will never be at a loss for words.
Through the use of an outline, the entire writing process becomes far less of a painful task. An article can never be bad because of what you have to say. There is an audience for everything. An article can only be bad if it does not get your point across in an efficient way. Therefore, if you can explain the main point in your article in a way that your audience can understand, you can write quality content. This is how effective outlining can help you. It will allow you to create a structured piece that your readers can easily follow and understand.
Constructing the Outline
Constructing the outline is a crucial part of the writing process. If your outline is sloppy and unorganized, then, most likely, your written piece will be sloppy and unorganized. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just needs to be easy to follow.
When I start my outlining process, I always put the title of my soon-to-be article on the top of the notepad or word processor I am using. That way I am focused on the purpose of the content I am working on. Then, I'll use roman numerals, letters (lowercase and capital), numbers and other symbols (dashes, asterisks, etc.) along with indentation to help me organize my article. (Most word processor's have extensive bullet options that will manage this for you.)
I always start out with the introduction. In the introduction part of the outline, I typically only go with one to two sub-categories. After the introduction is the body, and after that is the conclusion. The body is, obviously, where the bulk of my notes are going to be and I usually have multiple sub-categories in this location. At the end is the conclusion.
Throughout each sub-category of my outline, I fill in the key points that will help me write a solid article. When it comes time to write, I have an extensive amount of information organized in an efficient manner. This method let's me breeze through even the longest articles in a fraction of the time it would normally take.
For an example, here is a rough sample of what an outline would look like:
How To Be The Greatest Golfer That Ever Lived
I. Introduction
A. Golfing
1. Golf is an extremely tough sport
a. It is nearly impossible to get that dumb little ball to go where you want it to go
2. Few have reached great heights
a. Nicklaus
b. Palmer
c. Hogan
d. Woods
e. Player
3. All the greats had two things in common: the desire to be the best and incredibly attractive wives
II. Developing the Skills and Mentality Necessary (This is the body, but I like to title it)
A. Practice
1. You have to practice ALL the time!
2. Start at a young age
a. The younger you start, the more time you have to PRACTICE
B. Things to Avoid
1. Swedish super models
2. Lot's of beer and food (Mr. Daly, I'm speaking to you!)
3. Anything that keeps you from the golf course
C. Finding the Funds
1. You need the best clubs and equipment available
2. You need a ton of money just to qualify to get on the tour
3. Will have to resort to unconventional methods of finding money
a. Beg parents
b. Take up a second job instructing the elderly on emoticon etiquette
c. Get into money laundering
d. Don't pay your taxes
III. Conclusion
A. Do You Have What it Takes?
1. Being the Greatest Golfer That Ever Lived is tough work
a. Takes hard work and dedication
b. Will have to avoid the finer things in life
c. May have to sell your soul for financial backing
2. It's probably not worth it, but good luck and best wishes!
As you can see, this is probably not an article I will ever write. Nor is it probably very funny to anyone else but myself. However, that is how I structure my outlines. Typically, the notes I use under the sub-categories are much more extensive. Your notes will depend on how long of a piece you are writing and how much information is needed to make the article effective. This structure works well for me, but you can use any method you feel comfortable with.
When you construct your notes into a well-organized outline like this, article writing becomes a breeze. The more thorough you make your notes and outline, the more thorough your written-piece will be.
With this simple and quick method of outlining your notes, you can see a huge improvement in your ability to write quality content. No matter what kind of writing you do, be it for school, work, or play, effective outlining is the easiest way to write better.
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Comments
hi nice article. thx for sharing this.
No problem man. Thanks for reading.
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