If you write nonfiction, you may want to create an outline before you begin to write. There are several advantages to doing so.

It will help you to write quickly.

You'll have a blueprint so you'll know where you're going.

You’ll break the big job of writing your entire document down to a series of little jobs.

The creation of an outline does not have to be hit-or-miss, trial and error, or haphazard. There are methods that you can use to quickly develop your outline. These methods are called Approaches.

Approaches are a systematic method used to develop your topic into its major and minor points, that is, the outline for your article. By using Approaches, it's easy to break your topic down into points and subpoints. Approaches organize your material and assist you in proper word choice. They compel you to think logically and systematically. Whether you're writing a book or an article, you'll find Approaches invaluable.

You may have read about other ways to outline or structure an article, such as developing it chronologically or by cause and effect. Where these methods come up short is that they don't provide a system. The method you are about to learn provides an easy-to-use system for outlining your articles or books.

There are nine Approaches you can use to develop an outline. I’ve listed all nine at the end of this article, but for now we’ll learn how to use Approaches by looking at two of the most useful.

But before we can create an outline we need a topic to write about. Let’s use working as a freelance writer.

How to use Approaches

To use Approaches, choose one of them and apply it to your topic. As an example, let's look at an Approach called Advantages Of. To use Advantages Of, simply take an appropriate topic and think of all the Advantages Of that topic.

Here's how it works: Our topic is working as a freelance writer. Ask yourself, "What are the advantages of working as a freelance writer?" From your general knowledge of the topic, as well as from your research and interviews, think of the benefits, the good points, or the favorable results of the topic. You can easily think of several. List those advantages and there's your outline. Here's an illustration:

I. One Advantage Of working as a freelance writer is that you'll set your own hours

II. A second Advantage Of working as a freelance writer is that your income potential is unlimited

III. A third Advantage Of working as a freelance writer is that you'll engage in satisfying work

Let's study the specifics of this outline a little more carefully. You'll notice that each point consists of three parts—the Approach (Advantages Of), the topic (working as a freelance writer), and a descriptive word or phrase (set your own hours, etc.) Each point in the outline must contain all three parts.

Now try it yourself. How about a topic of exercising every day?

Some possibilities are:

I. One Advantage Of exercising every day is that you will lose weight

II. A second Advantage Of exercising every day is that you will feel healthier

III. A third Advantage Of exercising every day is that you will sleep better

You can easily see how this works. Simply by applying the Advantages Of Approach to your topic, you have created the main points of an outline.

Not every topic works with the Advantages Of Approach. Generally, when you have a topic with an ing word in it, that topic is a good candidate for Advantages Of.

Going in a different direction

Now, a question. What if you decide you don't want your article to be about the advantages of working as a freelance writer? Maybe you want to write about what qualities successful freelance writers possess. We can’t create an outline that says One Advantage Of successful freelance writers is . . . because that doesn’t make grammatical sense. That's where you'll use one of the other Approaches, called Characteristics Of. We’ll change our topic from working as a freelance writer to successful freelance writers. Then we can create this outline:

I. One Characteristic Of successful freelance writers is that they are talented

II. A second Characteristic Of successful freelance writers is that they are well educated

III. A third Characteristic Of successful freelance writers is that they work hard

You see now what great flexibility Approaches give you. After conducting your research and doing your interviews, you generally have an idea of what you want to write about. You can head in whatever direction you want to, as long as your outline makes grammatical sense. Just use the Approach that bests fits the purpose you want to accomplish.

More information about Approaches

Don't get discouraged if Approaches seem complicated, unnatural, or too much work. And restrain your doubts about the value of learning this somewhat complex information. Reserve your judgment and keep at it until you've practiced using Approaches enough to see just how practical and valuable they are. Knowing how to use Approaches will make the task of writing infinitely easier.

If using Approaches seems to stifle creativity, be too restrictive, or place too many limits on you, consider the paradox that only when we are restricted are we truly free. For example, say you are walking on a high, narrow bridge. If no restrictions existed, if there was nothing to keep you from falling off, you would be extremely limited in your actions. You would have to walk carefully, and walking is the only thing you would do. But if restrictions were placed on the bridge, that is, if there were walls so you couldn't possibly fall off, you'd be more free. You could not only walk, but run, ride a bike, or stand on your hands without fear. In the same way, the restrictiveness of the Approaches actually gives you more freedom to be creative.

You can use Approaches even if you know little about your topic. Your general knowledge and common sense will help you. But the real use of the Approaches comes after you do your research and interviews. Then the knowledge you gained will enable you to develop an outline quickly and easily.

Approaches may seem quite formal to you. They are. You might ask if they make your article sound too formal or too stilted. The answer is no, for an important reason, which is that the formal terminology of the Approaches is for your use only. Don't write your article in such stilted, formal language.

Depending on the length of your article, maybe all you'll need is main points. For longer articles or a book you'll want some subpoints. You'll use the same method to develop your subpoints that you used to develop your main points.

Once you become an accomplished writer, you'll find you won't consciously rely on the Approaches. You'll use them naturally and automatically. For now, though, stick to them like a dog sticks by its owner, because by using Approaches you can easily develop any topic into a workable, interesting outline. Using Approaches will give you incredible creativity and variety in creating outlines. Furthermore, you'll find that Approaches give you a leg up in composing your first draft.

All nine approaches

Here are all nine Approaches, with their names, explanations and a workable topic.

Steps To or Steps In

Use this approach when you are writing instructions.

Workable topic: Writing a news story

Characteristics Of

Use this approach when you want to describe precisely what the topic is, the essential qualities, the nature of it, a description. Characteristics Of works well when the topic is a noun.

Workable topic: The new city library

Example Of

Use this approach for plural topics. Simply list whatever follows logically from the topic. Often this list will be in decreasing order of importance.

Workable topic: Places to publish your book online

Reasons Why, Reasons For, or Reasons To

Use this approach when you want to explain something. This is telling why something did, should, or will happen.

Workable topic: An author's successful first book

Ways To

Use this approach when you're listing options for carrying out a plan. This Approach works when all the options are equal, or all have advantages and disadvantages.

Workable topic: Learning how to use new computer software

Requirements For

Use this Approach to list what you must do in order to meet some condition.

Workable topic: Getting a story assignment

Results Of

Use this Approach to describe what the consequence or outcome of your topic is. The results can be positive, negative, or neutral.

Workable topic: Buying new computer software

Advantages Of or Advantages In

Use this Approach to list the favorable results that come from an action. These are the benefits that are involved in the topic; the value in it.

Workable topic: Working as a freelance writer

Aspects Of

You will find that Aspects Of is the most valuable approach of all, because it provides great variety in creating an outline. Use this Approach to break your topic down into its components, parts, elements, or factors.

A term or phrase can be added either in front of the topic or after the topic.

Workable topic: Writing books