To outline or not to outline, that is the question.
I was never an outline girl. I always thought it would constrain my writing, so I would throw my words on the screen until I finished.
But it took me forever to edit everything because there was no logic, format, or structure. My ideas were there and made some sense, but they didn’t read properly, so rewriting was like going up Mount Everest.
Drum rolls for Mind Mapping.
When you use mind maps, you’re still not writing, and the fact that you’re just drawing figures and “wording” them takes the pressure off, especially when you feel you don’t know what the heck you’re doing. — The story of my life
Go to https://zapier.com/blog/mind-mapping-tutorial/ to get the full tutorial. You can also use Word's shapes feature to map your mind.
I scribble my main message—a point I want to make—always with my target in mind, in the central bubble (you can use a rectangle or a hexagon, photographs, or whatever makes you happy). Then other "little bubbles" (don’t you love this word?) cover those topics related to my central bubble.
You can go as crazy as you want. I love using color markers, for example, and I always consider my target and the what’s-in-it-for-him question when I write —sorry for being repetitive here, but this is crucial.
Once you have your page with bubbles full of ideas, you start your outline. Google Docs helps a lot with this.
Though the time has come to be serious, do not overthink. Just use your bubbles to write the outline.
Fill in the gaps. Make sure you include key points and evidence to support whatever your claim is.
Wait to agonize over your words, grammar, punctuation, etc. That comes with your editing process, which becomes a breeze when you have this system in place.
Now that you are facing aligned and orderly thoughts, any mistake is easily spotted, and you can second-guess yourself, but you won’t need to hit your head against the wall because it’s easier to be concise when you have an outline. Your copy will improve in readability—straightforward, error-free, sparkling content. Yummy!
Organize your thoughts before spilling out all those beautiful sentences you had before going to sleep last night.
You’ll be a happier writer.
