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Get startedWhen readers first look at a piece of content it’s easy for them to see if the writing is broken into digestible sections, divided by colorful and well-selected images, or if it was just thrown onto the page to meet a deadline. Though most people stopped using outlines around the eighth grade, outlines remain useful to even the most seasoned professionals.
Here are the essentials for outlining, which should be used regardless of writing style, level of expertise, or deadline considerations. With a little outlining experience, the task becomes a huge time saver for writers.
It’s essential that every article have a body filled with strong ideas, thorough research, and clearly explained outcomes. In order to achieve this, outlines remove the guess work and show writers where to place emphasis.
An outline should always include a number of sub-sections that break the content into smaller, more manageable pieces for readers. Natural sub-sections occur in listicles or ‘evolution’ pieces, whereas careful planning is required for other types of content.
Within each section one main concept should be covered (at least), or a related group of concepts. Each section should include at least one strong image. If the piece is research-based, then it should include one source or quote per section (as a support).
When your article is broken into sections, minimize it so that every page is on one screen. There should be a minimum of one image per page of content. This should be checked during the outlining phase and again during the revision process, to ensure your reader isn’t stuck staring down the barrel of three pages of solid text.
More professional pieces might not need imagery, but instead could use graphs, colored section headers, or lines to add dimension to content. People need these little breaks from intense text to absorb ideas.
Cracked is a site notorious for carefully planned articles. In fact the giant pool of writers must first submit their article framework with only a few sample sections written out. The editors care more about the idea and flow than they do about the writing (initially). Here are some examples:
Most WordPress bloggers simply login and jot down their personal thoughts in a stream-of-consciousness format. While this works for super-geniuses whose thoughts flow like Thoreau’s Walking, and for those so researched that they don’t need to cite sources as everything has become innate knowledge, it’s not a good idea for most. Sadly, unplanned pieces are easy to pick out amongst the well-organized ones. Examples:
Outlining didn’t die with the 8th grade for the writers who are worth their PayPal transactions; it’s alive and well for those who want to make clear points without boring readers. While outlining doesn’t have to be formulaic and straightforward like it was in junior high, it does need to be thoughtful.
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