Four Types of Outlining - article

Author Learning Center — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 14:01:56 GMT

Current Revision posted to Outlining Your Story by Author Learning Center on 8/28/2018 2:01:56 PM

Before we explore outlining methods, let's get something out of the way: not all writers use outlines and that's perfectly fine. Winging it, or "pantsing," is a valid writing method, especially for fiction writers. However, many writers benefit from a well-laid plot blueprint as it helps them avoid getting stuck with no way out. It also helps authors who continuously start projects but can never figure out how to reach the end. Now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at four popular outlining forms:

Classical Outlining

A classical outline includes Roman numerals, letters, and numbers for headings and subheadings. This is a highly organized form of outlining and relies heavily on sequential thinking, making it a popular choice among nonfiction writers. The goal of the classical outline is to create a blueprint that effectively divides main ideas and subordinating ones, while at the same time coordinating ideas into a cohesive whole. This pre-writing organization brings clarity to the work.

Summary Outlining

In a summary outline, the writer estimates the number of chapters in their manuscript. The writer often starts out with a document similar to a beat sheet used by screenwriters (a sequentially ordered list of plot events). Then a short summary of each chapter is written. A clear goal is defined for each chapter, and the characters are discussed, along with settings and chapter timelines. This kind of outline is very linear in nature.

Index Card Outlining

Index card outlining is very popular because it allows for the constant reorganization of ideas. Writers create short scene synopses and can rearrange them at will. This is great for those who have a non-linear style. Many use Post-it notes instead of note cards because they can be easily arranged on a wall board, offering a more visual way to follow the story’s plot. For the technically inclined, a program like Microsoft’s “Power Point” or Mac’s “Keynote” allow you to create cards online and easily rearrange as needed. Other programs like Scrivener and Celtx are made for writers and have even more user-friendly outlining features.

Clustering

Clustering, or mind mapping, is a random and organic outline form and consists of creating a web of ideas that will eventually be used to start a story. The main idea is placed in a central bubble then more bubbles surround it. More ideas radiate out from the center, creating a web-like shape upon completion. Lines connect all the bubbles with coordinating ideas. For large works, a poster-sized sheet of paper is recommended.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Four Types of Outlining Methods - article

Author Learning Center — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 13:07:08 GMT

Revision 10 posted to Outlining Your Story by Author Learning Center on 8/28/2018 1:07:08 PM

Classical Outlining

Summary Outlining

Index Card Outlining

Clustering

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Outlining 101: The Basics - article

Author Learning Center — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 13:03:49 GMT

Revision 9 posted to Outlining Your Story by Author Learning Center on 8/28/2018 1:03:49 PM

Welcome to Outlining 101. Before we explore outlining methods, let's get something out of the way: not all writers use outlines and that's perfectly fine. Winging it, or "pantsing," is a valid writing method, especially for fiction writers. However, many writers benefit from a well-laid plot blueprint as it helps them avoid getting stuck with no way out. It also helps authors who continuously start projects but can never figure out how to reach the end. Now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at four popular outlining forms:

Classical Outlining

Summary Outlining

Index Card Outlining

Clustering

Several software programs offer easy outlining capabilities for authors. Microsoft Word is the industry standard. It has a classic outlining feature that many authors swear by. This feature is complex and requires reading and perhaps taking an advanced course. Other programs have more user-friendly outlining features. Scrivener, Writer’s Blocks and Celtx are popular writing software programs with outlining capabilities.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Outlining 101: The Basics - article

Author Learning Center — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 19:46:48 GMT

Revision 8 posted to Outlining Your Story by Author Learning Center on 8/27/2018 7:46:48 PM

Welcome to Outlining 101. Yes, some eyes just rolled. How can a creative soul develop masterworks by being stuck in the straightjacket of an outline? You ditched pre-writing sketches in high school and have never looked back. No blueprints for you. Books must grow organically out of your thoughts, and an outline will stifle your creative flow!

No worries. Winging it is a valid writing method especially for fiction writers. As an author, you are not required to use outlines. That said, many authors benefit from a well-laid plot blueprint. It helps authors avoid corners with no way out. It also helps authors who continually start projects but for the life of them cannot figure out how to come to the completion point. There are many ways to outline. The following list will touch on the nuts and bolts of popular methods.

Classical Outlining

Summary Outlining

Index Card Outlining

Index card outlining is very popular because it allows for the constant reorganization of ideas. Writers create short scene synopses and rearrange them at will. This is great for those who have a non-linear style. Many use Post-it notes instead of note cards. Post-it notes can be easily arranged on a wall board, offering a more visual way to follow the story’s plot. For the technically inclined, a program like Microsoft’s “Power Point” or Mac’s “Keynote” allow you to create cards online and easily rearrange as needed.

Clustering

Clustering, or mind mapping, is an outline form that is very random and organic. It’s about creating a web of ideas that will eventually be used to start a story. The main idea is placed in a central bubble. More bubbles surround it. They radiate out from the center, creating a web-like shape upon completion. Lines connect all the bubbles with coordinating ideas. For large works, a poster-sized sheet of paper is recommended.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Outlining 101: The Basics - article

Author Learning Center — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 19:33:26 GMT

Revision 7 posted to Outlining Your Story by Author Learning Center on 8/27/2018 7:33:26 PM

No worries. Winging it is a valid writing method, especially for fiction writers. As an author, you're not required to use outlines. That said, many authors benefit from a well-laid blueprint. It helps authors avoid corners with no way out. It also helps authors who continually start projects but for the life of them cannot figure out how to come to the completion point. There are many ways to outline. The following list will touch on the nuts and bolts of popular methods.

Classical Outlining

A classical outline includes Roman numerals, letters, and numbers for headings and subheadings. This highly organized form relies heavily on sequential thinking, making it ideal for nonfiction works. The goal of the classical outline is to create a blueprint that effectively divides main ideas and subordinating ones, while at the same time coordinating ideas into a cohesive whole. This pre-writing organization brings clarity to the work, too.

Summary Outlining

In a summary outline, the writer estimates the total number of chapters. The process often starts out with a document similar to a beat sheet used by screenwriters (a sequentially ordered list of plot events) followed by a short summary of each chapter. A clear goal is defined for each chapter, and the characters are discussed, along with settings and chapter timelines. This kind of outline is very linear in nature.

Index Card Outlining

This form of outlining is popular because it allows for constant reorganization of ideas. A writer creates short scene synopses and can rearrange them at will, making it an ideal method for stories with a non-linear style. Many writers use Post-it notes instead of note cards. Post-it notes can be easily arranged on a wall board, offering a visual representation of the story’s plot. For the technically inclined, a program like Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple's Keynote allow users to create cards and easily rearrange them as needed.

Clustering

Clustering, or mind mapping, is a random and organic outlining form. It’s about creating a web of ideas that will eventually be used to start a story. The main idea is placed in a central bubble. More bubbles surround it. They radiate out from the center, creating a web-like shape upon completion. Lines connect all the bubbles with coordinating ideas. For large works, a poster-sized sheet of paper is recommended.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Outlining 101: The Basics - article

Author Learning Center — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 19:13:29 GMT

Revision 6 posted to Outlining Your Story by Author Learning Center on 8/27/2018 7:13:29 PM

Classical Outlining

A classical outline includes Roman numerals, letters and numbers for headings and subheadings. This is a highly organized form of outlining and relies heavily on sequential thinking. It is most popular for non-fiction works. The goal of the classical outline is to create a blueprint that effectively divides main ideas and subordinating ones, while at the same time coordinating ideas into a cohesive whole. This kind of pre-writing organization brings clarity to the work.

Summary Outlining

In a summary outline, the number of chapters is estimated. The writer often starts out with a document similar to a beat sheet used by screenwriters (a sequentially ordered list of plot events). Then a short summary of each chapter is written. A clear goal is defined for each chapter, and the characters are discussed, along with settings and chapter timelines. This kind of outline is very linear in nature.

Index Card Outlining

This form of outlining is very popular because it allows for constant reorganization of ideas. Writers create short scene synopses and rearrange them at will. This is great for those who have a non-linear style. Many use Post-it notes instead of note cards. Post-it notes can be easily arranged on a wall board, offering a more visual way to follow the story’s plot. For the technically inclined, a program like Microsoft’s “Power Point” or Mac’s “Keynote” allow you to create cards online and easily rearrange as needed.

Clustering

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Outlining Methods - article

Author Learning Center — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 19:10:23 GMT

Revision 5 posted to Outlining Your Story by Author Learning Center on 8/27/2018 7:10:23 PM

Classical Outlining

Summary Outlining

Index Card Outlining

Clustering

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Outlining 101: The Basics - article

Author Learning Center — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 18:38:14 GMT

Revision 4 posted to Outlining Your Story by Author Learning Center on 2/2/2018 6:38:14 PM

Classical Outlining

Summary Outlining

Index Card Outlining

Clustering

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Outlining 101: The Basics - article

Molly Blaisdell — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 13:44:01 GMT

Revision 3 posted to Outlining Your Story by Molly Blaisdell on 6/8/2017 1:44:01 PM

Classical Outlining

Summary Outlining

Index Card Outlining

Clustering

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Outlining 101: The Basics - article

Molly Blaisdell — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 09:49:49 GMT

Revision 2 posted to Outlining Your Story by Molly Blaisdell on 3/4/2017 9:49:49 AM

• Classical Outlining. A classical outline includes Roman numerals, letters and numbers for headings and subheadings. This is a highly organized form of outlining and relies heavily on sequential thinking. It is most popular for non-fiction works. The goal of the classical outline is to create a blueprint that effectively divides main ideas and subordinating ones, while at the same time coordinating ideas into a cohesive whole. This kind of pre-writing organization brings clarity to the work.

• Summary Outlining. In a summary outline, the number of chapters is estimated. The writer often starts out with a document similar to a beat sheet used by screenwriters (a sequentially ordered list of plot events). Then a short summary of each chapter is written. A clear goal is defined for each chapter, and the characters are discussed, along with settings and chapter timelines. This kind of outline is very linear in nature.

• Index Card Outlining. This form of outlining is very popular because it allows for constant reorganization of ideas. Writers create short scene synopses and rearrange them at will. This is great for those who have a non-linear style. Many use Post-it notes instead of note cards. Post-it notes can be easily arranged on a wall board, offering a more visual way to follow the story’s plot. For the technically inclined, a program like Microsoft’s “Power Point” or Mac’s “Keynote” allow you to create cards online and easily rearrange as needed.

• Clustering. Clustering, or mind mapping, is an outline form that is very random and organic. It’s about creating a web of ideas that will eventually be used to start a story. The main idea is placed in a central bubble. More bubbles surround it. They radiate out from the center, creating a web-like shape upon completion. Lines connect all the bubbles with coordinating ideas. For large works, a poster-sized sheet of paper is recommended.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Outlining 101: The Basics - Article

Molly Blaisdell — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Outlining Your Story by Molly Blaisdell on 12/14/2016 12:00:00 AM

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction