Tuesday, March 20, 2012

How to Create an Outline for Your Article


We've done it through junior high, it expanded on it through high school and continued on into college. No matter how many times a person has done it, writing articles can be a task many of us prefer to avoid. Now at a time when writing articles is necessary for your work, facing the job at hand can be a daunting task.

While there are a great number of people who do not have a problem writing, others would rather walk on piping hot coals than do some article writing. What sets these two opposing factions apart from each other is the level of preparedness that each group possesses.

One tool that can help you write that article you are avoiding is to start by creating an outline. Creating an outline for all your articles gives you a starting point. You have an idea of what to do first and can make a plan for your succeeding steps. This helps make the job easier and faster.

An outline can act as the design or blueprint for your article. This will guide you in creating the introduction, body and conclusion of your article. The outline is where you write down your ideas and sentences that you feel will look good in your article and provide a focal point that will help make your article creative, interesting and appealing to a reader.

A carefully planned and prepared project will ensure a worry free procedure that can help you to virtually breeze through writing an article in no time at all.

Do some brainstorming and jot down your ideas. Think of some ways to attract the interest of your reader. Designate a time frame for your finished product. By this point, you should have completed all the research about your subject and have all your information jotted down. Review and reread your ideas and notes so that you have sufficient familiarity with your topic so that what you write is not stilted or copied.

Write a short introduction that will entice your reader. It doesn't have to be long, just enough to grab their attention and draw them into reading the rest of  your article. The next step is to figure out your sub topic and sub titles. These are the frames or skeleton of your article, now its time to 'flesh' it out. Write an introductory sentence for each topic and sub topic that you can use to connect them and allow them to 'flow'. (Flow is a very important component to an article as this ensures that one sentence leads to another.) These sentences will form the body of your article.

Once you have your outline you are ready for your first draft. This may take more than one attempt but remember that it is called a draft for a reason. This is where you figure out what you want to say and how you want it to read. Always refer to your outline so that you stay on track. It's easy to get caught up and lose track of what you wanted to say in the beginning. One you start writing, you will find that it is easy to add tips and points that bolster your initial idea.

When you have completed this step, you will need to write a short conclusion for your article to sum up everything you have written. It's great to have an article that is chock full of information, but you don't want to leave your readers in the lurch. A conclusion provides a place to reiterate your initial points, pros and cons, reason for buying etc.

By using this method, article writing won't seem like such a daunting task. Having a starting point makes it easier to say what you want, and by planning your project, you will be able to write an interesting article that makes sense from beginning to end.

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