One of the most important tools for any writing is to construct an outline before you begin. An outline is one of the most effective ways to organize your thoughts, as well as save time during the whole writing process. Think of an outline as a roadmap on a driving trip, or a business plan for your enterprise. All are great tools.
An outline can be nothing more than a few mental thoughts as reminders of what you wish to convey, if you are writing a simple note, or it can be as complex as a completely structured written Table of Contents if you are embarking on a major composition, such as a book or thesis. All artists often sketch for hours if they are contemplating a work of art. They need to study certain segments of the whole canvas to see if they fit, and determine the relationships between the pieces, as well as what to emphasize and what to discard? Creating the sketches for the artist is a significant part of the whole creative process in painting a picture. For the writer, the outline can serve the same purpose.
Does this mean that you can’t, or shouldn’t begin the writing until you have the outline fully complete? No, absolutely not! The outline is only a tool that helps you begin the writing, but it usually will not fully describe the finished manuscript. Actually, the outline, or Table of Contents is often the last thing to be completed.
The truth is that most writers for most writing, have a fairly good idea of the beginning, and a fairly good idea of the ending. It’s all of that stuff in between the beginning and the ending that is fuzzy. Do not be dismayed by this, it is natural. No author begins a major novel knowing how the story will enfold in total – how the words will fall onto every page. In fact, for most stories the author hasn’t a clear idea of how it will end – but he/she recognizes that writing is a creative process and somehow the whole story will come together as the creative spirit flows. This is generally true for any creative writing, for any length, for any purpose. And it also quite often is true for more mundane writing. The key is to have an outline (plan), however rough, and then begin. Trust that it will come to you, because it will. The outline will help immensely.
It also helps the writer to have another valuable tool handy – a writing software tool to correct grammar errors, spelling, punctuation and style. Being able to automatically check the writing for grammatical structure and style offers a great freedom to the writer. He/she can now focus on the content of the writing. A good outline helps too.
