By James Gamboa I never really questioned the necessity of writing an outline for an assignment. In most cases, outlining is pretty much habitual. Rarely will I write an essay with only the assignment prompt to work with. To me, outlining is an art form. It is a phenomenon that has yet to be fully understood by writers from different backgrounds and disciplines. There is a sort of beauty in the way writers are able to jot down jumbled words and phrases that somehow capture full, complete ideas of the writer. However, all the niceties aside, I also want to make the claim that outlining can be the worst, most unenjoyable part of the writing process. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “James, why go on about how great outlines are if you’re just going to hate on the process?” Well, that’s the beauty of writing. There is no distinctive feeling one should have about the process—feelings about writing evolve.
I became more appreciative of outlines when I was introduced to the art of literary analysis in my 9th grade English class. My teacher would always tell the class that in order to have a strong essay, we must begin with a good outline. “An outline”, my teacher would say, “is the backbone of your paper. Take good care of it. Outlining is a must”. Being the enthusiastic freshman I was, I took her word for it and scheduled a meeting with her to talk about how I can approach the outline. I ended up defaulting to an alphanumeric outline (see link below for an example of an alphanumeric outline). To this day, I still use this form of outlining for my writing assignments. Examples of Alphanumeric Outlines https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/developing_an_outline/types_of_outlines.html https://redhawks-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/gamboajames_seattleu_edu/EVeyuPIEu61OhedFQvugnn0B0EaFJpuwbWNi6x-Tb6RFxQ?e=rzfrVz&wdLOR=c9EA0D7C1-CC11-4731-8FFC-F62A67A03BCA The Positives What I love about outlines is that there is no wrong way of writing one. You can make it as thorough or as simple as you want. You can write full sentences or simply take notes. What I appreciate about outlines is that the writer will have the ability to constantly use an outline as a reference during the drafting process and into the final stages of the writing process (i.e. peer editing, revisions, etc.). The versatility of outlines gives the writer the ability to also tweak the outline as the paper progresses. The outline will evolve just as much as the actual paper. The possibilities for outlines are just as endless as the final draft. If you’re devoted enough to spend an hour or two on an outline, then the paper practically writes itself. The Negatives As much as I love what my 9th grade English teacher taught me about outlines, I am going to have to disagree with her on one thing. This actually goes for all of my past English teachers in high school. I truly don’t believe that outlining is/should be a requirement when writing an academic paper. Often times, teachers would make outlines worth a hundred points in the gradebook to ensure that all the students wrote one. In turn, students would panic and start jotting down random ideas just to earn a good grade. In this case, outlining becomes futile. Additionally, student writers would be stripped of their creative freedoms when writing their paper, making them less motivated to actually engage in their own work. The outlines that they end up writing would be too artificial, as their work initial ideas for their paper are written in the way that satisfies the teacher rather than the actual writer. You Do You! The best writing processes that will result in coherent and thoughtful papers are the ones that capture the idiosyncrasies of the writers. In my experience, the best papers I’ve written are the ones that have allowed me to take whatever course I feel is most appropriate and what I believe would capture my ideas in the most authentic way possible. I personally don’t like it when I’m told that certain aspects of the writing process are required. It just feels so limiting. In the writing process, nothing is more valuable than one’s creative freedom. Now, I’m not saying that you should defy your teachers’ every instruction. I am simply implying that in every paper you write, your true, genuine self should be at the forefront. I now invite you to challenge yourself to really think about what this may look like for you. Happy writing! -James
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January 2024
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