
What is an Outline?
An outline is a roadmap for your writing that helps you organise your thoughts and ideas into a structured format. It is a way to break down a complex project into manageable pieces, making it easier to write and easier for your reader to understand.
Why Outlines are Important
Outlines are important for several reasons. They help you keep your writing on track, ensuring that you don’t wander off-topic or get side-tracked by unrelated ideas. They also help you identify areas where you need to do more research or develop your ideas further. Finally, outlines can help you identify patterns and relationships between different ideas, making it easier to connect and link them together.
Creating an Effective Outline
To create an effective outline, start by writing down your main ideas or topics. Then, break each topic down into smaller subtopics, and further break these down into individual points. Finally, arrange these points in a logical order, ensuring that they flow together and build on one another.

Exercise: Write a one-page outline for a piece of writing you would like to work on, focusing on breaking down your ideas into manageable pieces and arranging them in a logical order. Think about how your outline can help you keep your writing on track and make it easier for your reader to understand. In case you need them, here are some more exercises:
1. Character Sketch: Write a detailed character sketch of one of the main characters in your story, including their appearance, personality, background, motivations, and flaws.
2. Setting Development: Describe the setting of your story, including the time period, location, and cultural context. Explore how the setting affects your characters and the story as a whole.
3. Conflict and Tension: Write about the central conflict in your story, including the protagonist’s goals and the obstacles they face. Then, explore the sources of tension in the story, including interpersonal relationships and external events.
4. Plot Point Analysis: Analyse one of the major plot points in your story, considering its impact on the characters and the direction of the plot. How does it drive the story forward and create tension?
5. Theme Development: Write about the theme or themes in your story, exploring how they are expressed and developed throughout the narrative. What do they tell us about the human experience?
6. Point of View Experiment: Try writing a scene or section of your story from a different point of view. How does this change our understanding of the characters and events?
7. Symbolism and Metaphor: Explore the use of symbolism and metaphor in your story, considering how they contribute to the themes and atmosphere. How do they help to create meaning and deepen our understanding of the characters and events?
8. Dialogue Writing: Write a scene that is mostly dialogue, focusing on character development, conflict, and tension. Pay attention to the rhythm and tone of the conversation, and how it contributes to the overall mood and atmosphere of the story.
9. World-Building: Write about the world or worlds in your story, exploring the details of their cultures, economies, politics, and technology. How does this world impact the characters and the story as a whole?
10. Action Sequence: Write a scene that features a high-stakes action sequence, focusing on pacing, tension, and character development. How does the action reflect the characters’ motivations and goals? How does it drive the story forward and create suspense?

Beginning with the End to Return to the Beginning
Creating an outline is an important step in the writing process that can help you organise your thoughts and keep your writing on track. By breaking down your ideas into manageable pieces and arranging them in a logical order, you can make your writing easier to write and easier for your reader to understand. To help you achieve your outline goals I have added a useful word map:
Start with brainstorming and idea generation.
Develop the central idea or theme.
Create a character sketch for key characters.
Write about the setting and its impact on the story.
Explore the conflict and sources of tension.
Analyse key plot points and their impact.
Develop the theme and its expression throughout the story.
Experiment with different points of view.
Explore symbolism, metaphor, and their role in the story.
Write action sequences and focus on pacing, tension, and character development.
Refine and revise the outline as needed.
Begin writing the first draft.