Comments on: I Hate Outlining

By: Kivi Leroux Miller

Kivi Leroux Miller — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:36:19 +0000

Hi Cindy and Joanne-
Glad to hear I am not alone! And Joanne, I hadn’t made that connection, but you are absolutely right about the mind mapping! I actually bought that software for another project and had even thought about it for the book. Doh!
Thanks,
Kivi

By: Joanne Fritz

Joanne Fritz — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:03:02 +0000

Outlining has frustrated me since my days as an English teacher many years ago. I was supposed to teach my students to outline their papers before writing, all the time knowing that I never did that. I think there are different kinds of writers: what I call “organic” writers and then “outline” writers. Organic writers write from the inside out like a flower growing and blooming and bursting forth (I know, it sounds silly). Others write outlines and then fill in the blanks, sort of from the outside in maybe. I was much relieved when “mind mapping” came into vogue. Here was a representation of how I think and write. Even when I take notes, I go in circles and end up writing around the margins of my paper with lots of arrows going off here and there. I love your idea of being an organizer rather than an outliner. I sit down and start writing. Then I organize, fill in, and make it logical. I don’t think there is a good, better, best way to write…it has to do with the way our brains are wired.

By: Cindy Dashnaw

Cindy Dashnaw — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:11:34 +0000

I don’t outline, either. On a complex project, I might sort of categorize ideas so I’m not trying to keep everything straight in my head, but otherwise, I need to just jump in and start writing. Otherwise, I think I’d never get past the outlining stage.