Words on a page

I talk a lot about creating outlines. They’re a useful tool for any writer. In fact, I don’t think anyone should start a writing project without an outline. One of the best ways that I’ve found to create an outline is to use outlining software. Sure, I could use paper but have you ever seen my handwriting?

Over the years, I’ve used a number of desktop outliners. Some were quite good, others weren’t. When I started using my netbook outside the house (instead of carrying my laptop computer everywhere), I ran into a small problem: keeping my outlines in sync between the two computers. There was no easy way to do this, and to be honest I didn’t relish the thought of copying or emailing outline files between my computers.

So, I turned to the Web. After looking at a couple of Web-based outliners, I settled on LooseStitch.

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I tend to drone on and on and on about the need for, and usefulness of, an outline when you’re writing. This is especially true when you’re writing a long document or a very structured one like a report or a white paper.

It seems that I’m not the only person who thinks this way. White paper guru Michael Stelzner writes:

The outline is your architectural blueprint.

It shows where you need to start, the major milestones and guides you to the end.

The outline can also be shared with others to help achieve buy-in before you begin any major effort.

When crafting something complex, like a white paper, the outline is essential.

I like the architectural blueprint metaphor. It really brings home the role of the outline in the writing process. With several projects that I’ve tackled, a carefully crafted outline helped make the job a lot easier.

I often talk and write about the need for, and advantages of, preparing an outline as the first step in embarking on a writing assignment. Tech-Writer.net has a good article on the pros of outlining and pre-writing. If you do any kind of writing – whether just a memo or a full-blown book — you should read it.

Most people I know who put words to paper (or on screen) for a living start every project off by creating an outline. For the longest time, I’d write my outlines on pieces of paper folded in half. These outlines would show the major points and overall flow of the piece, as well as delineate key sections, in short form. If you’ve ever seen my handwriting, then you know that these bits of paper quickly became useless — there were times when I can’t read what I’ve written.

Luckily, enterprising software developers have created outliners, which make the whole process easier and more convenient. I’ve tried a number of freeware, shareware, and commercial outliners and have found three that I really like. When working in Linux (and that’s most of the time), I use TkOutline; a little app called Thought Tracker is a close second, and the outline mode of the Emacs text editor is third. In Windows, my fave is KeyNote. And, when I’m tapping away in NewDeal Office, I thank the folks at BreadBox Computing for their Outliner program. It makes writing and planning my writing projects in that environment a lot easier.

Using an outliner has a lot of advantages. It makes sure that your thoughts and ideas are organized before you commit them to paper or screen. Sure, free writing can be a useful exercise, but I’ve found that it more often than not ends perhaps not in tears but with a lot of unworkable prose. And, most outliners (including the ones I use) let you export information into a format that can be used with your favourite word processor, or at least to copy and paste an outline into another application.