Melanie Spiller and Coloratura Consulting
Copyright 2020 Melanie Spiller. All rights reserved.
Outlining
Melanie Spiller and Coloratura Consulting
If you’ve worked with me, you know that I place a lot of emphasis on making an outline before you start to
write. If you’re writing a book, it’s essential to know where you’re going before you begin or you may not
reach the goal destination (or you might reach the same destination repeatedly). When you’re writing an
article, it’s a little harder to see why it’s necessary.
Some people—and they are rare birds—can write logically by starting at the beginning and working their
way through to the end. But most often, there is a tangent here and there, and the focus changes. The poor
reader is made a promise that isn’t kept, or at least they have a wobbly time getting there. Outlining, even if
it’s only a very cursory outline, can prevent this tragedy.
Once you’ve identified the topic, the audience, and the organizing principle, it’s easy to write out a few
headings. Like this:
Tooth Brushing
History
Cultural Variations
Step List
Benefits
I can play with that beginning, changing the order around and perhaps eliminating bits that aren’t relevant to
my audience or my purpose, without writing any text. Then, when I sit to write the text, my path is clear, and
I’ve done all the stumbling around in the dark already and won’t have to revise much.
If you’re writing on a complex topic, you can easily outline in greater depth. Most likely, no one but you will
see it, so it doesn’t matter whether you use a phrase or a sentence, as long as you know what you mean later
when you sit down to write.
Purple People Plotter Assembly
Unboxing
Part Organization
Box Disposal
Manufacturer’s Instructions
Definitions
Essential Reading
Useful Images
Necessary Tools
Assembly Step List
Troubleshooting
Safety Issues
Power Up
First Usage Hints
I find that I nearly always have to reorganize my initial brainstorming efforts. For instance, I’ll bet that I
want another section of troubleshooting in the First Usage or Power Up sections. Or maybe First Usage
belongs within Power Up or the other way around. Perhaps I want to recommend reading the instructions
before taking anything out of the box. It’s useful to have this laundry list to play with, rather than trying to
revise text to accommodate a change.
Once you begin writing, you may find that you need to move some topics around, or that you’ve already
covered something incidentally in another section. That’s okay. The outline is just a guide to help you see the
whole picture before you begin so that you can have a clear path. Your readers will be grateful.