Why Outline?

Despite what teachers say, no one really likes to outline. It seems like a waste of time. With EssayMaps, you can answer questions, even on your cellphone, and it will generate an outline that you can print out or upload. Total time is often less than 15 minutes. Even better, it also inserts your outline terms into your paragraph or essay on the appropriate lines. Remember, that outlines do not have to be that extensive. If I'm writing about the wonderful international food in New York, the outline would probably just say, "Food." If I'm writing about the entertainment that you can find everywhere, from Broadway to concerts, the outline would just have the word "Entertainment." That's why a lot of writing teachers refer to "key word" outlines. You just need a key word. Keep in mind that writing an outline can be a bit tricky because of the way our brains work. With the hamburger paragraph or essay, the most important reason comes last. When we try to think of why something's important, though, our brain produces the most important reason first. It then struggles to come up with the other reasons. That alone is an important reason to write an outline before you begin an essay, so you can sequence your reasons from least to most important. So don't skip the outline. Besides, many instructors require it, so you might get a few extra points. Home