The world is entering a new era of conflict. Where before you could board a plane with no concern, today one worries about the guy two rows up with the dark sunglasses and black briefcase, and where before you could simply walk where you please in cities like Washington DC, you are now required to present photo id in some places. The threats we are faced with today are not new. However, what is new is the disconcerting notion that any normal household object, such as a bottle of water, could instead be a weapon of mass destruction. In order to deal with these threats, we must act decisively and take bold action when necessary. But neither should we charge recklessly with abandon. Rather, we must take the time to write an outline.
Whether it's a certain war in the Middle East or the novel in your head, any bold project can be destroyed due to lack of planning. No matter how great your idea or how superb your writing, your novel will lose coherence, ramble along, and lack cohesion if you do not take time to sit down and write an outline.
Planning ahead can be tough; just ask any college graduate. But it can be well worth it and you will come to regret it if you do not plan ahead; just ask any retiree in Florida. So while it may indeed be a pain to write that outline rather than forge ahead with your brilliant idea, your novel will be the better for it.
So how then do you write the outline? There are many ways to do this and it will vary from person to person. Some like to write their outlines for their novel as they would for their English paper. Others simply like to write a short synopsis for each chapter. Still, others like to go above and beyond with their outlines and practically write the entire novel before bothing to write the first sentence.
Alas, though, for I have neither the time nor the patience to diligently explain each method. Instead, what I'd like to do is ask everyone else how they go about coming up with an outline. So... how do you write your outline?
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