The Outline
The outline is a method of approaching the writing of a paper that often chafes people. Part of the reason the outline is bothersome is that some people find it restrictive. To avoid feeling this way, you need to remember that, like the thesis statement, the outline is a tool for you, not a taskmaster.
The thesis statement will keep you straight on what direction to take in your paper. The outline is the path you plan to take to keep you pointed in that direction. It is important to remember that your outline should be fluid. As you have new ideas, you should make changes to accommodate them, dropping or adding items as necessary.
If you take the time to have your ideas placed in relation to each other, you don't have to worry about repeating yourself as you write. You will also be able to manipulate the order in which your thoughts appear, which in turn will allow you to see the entire paper conceptually.
When you start writing ten- or twenty-page papers, having an abbreviated list of what ideas should be presented provides you with a handy visual tool, letting you know where to insert new ideas or how to arrange aspects of the paper effectively.
There are two primary reasons for making an outline before you begin your writing: first, to organize your ideas; and second, to keep those ideas within view.
Academic writing is very demanding in the organization department, so it's good to have all of your ideas proceeding in a logical and related sequence. Outlines can be very helpful, enabling you to see how your ideas progress.
Outlines also help make sure you don't forget any of your ideas. If you have all your ideas written down and in the order you wish to present them, you don't need to worry about whether you've inadvertently omitted anything. You can simply move from idea to idea, checking them off as you proceed with your writing.
Effective Outline Formats
There are two effective ways to make an outline. The first is the traditional format. Main subjects are marked with Roman numerals (I, II, III, IV, etc.). In short essays, you can use these to mark paragraphs. In longer papers, they work better as section markers. Topics within those subjects are indented one level and defined by capital letters. As you get more specific (say you feel the topic marked “C” needed more notes to help you remember where you wanted to take your discussion), you indent again and use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). You can get as detailed as you want, using lowercase letters, lowercase Roman numerals, etc. Again, this is your tool. If you want to use a different alphanumeric sequence, just make sure you can remember it. No one else needs to. You just need to remember how it is broken up.
Establishing Comics as Literature
Function of comics
communication
storytelling
genres
aesthetic response
How to read comics
Characterization
Hero and Heroine
Villain
Everyman
Story Progression
Another option that seems less confining to most people is to use stacks of 3″ × 5″ cards. One method is to color code them with a marker or a sticker to separate main topics, then put them in the sequence in which you want to discuss them. You may want to play around with the marking system until you find one that works for you (after all, the outline is a tool for you, not the other way around). A major advantage of this method of outlining is that you can easily reorder the topic cards without spending time editing a document you made. It is just as easy to add or remove topics and subjects as any other outlining method.
If, while doing your research, you write your notes from your sources onto your index cards or within your outline document, you'll have your quotes and citations already prepared for your report.
Note cards are also useful in that you can either stack them to save space on your desk (or at the library) or lay them out on a flat surface in order to see everything at once. Do what helps you work best.
For Longer Essays Only
One final note on outlines: They may take more time than they're worth for very short essays. In high school you may have learned the “five paragraph” format for essays. In this method, you introduce what you want to say in one paragraph, specifying three things you will use to prove your thesis. The next three paragraphs each discuss one of those three topics. The final paragraph restates your thesis and what you did to prove it. This sort of essay is very effective and is solid writing, but a full outline for this sort of essay is tantamount to writing it twice! In this case, simply write a thesis statement and jot down the three things you will discuss to elaborate your thesis. This should be sufficient. (It is also a good habit to have for when you need to complete the essay portion of the SAT test.)
Remember: An outline is intended to be a tool to help streamline your work; it isn't something that should become a tedious chore or create more work.
