by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer
Need a simple way to speed up your writing that you can use each and every time? I did too. That's why I invented my own outline or template, modeled after the style I use most frequently. If you write for several venues, you may need a different basic outline for each.
Design your outline. Think about what you will need within all or most of your submissions and design an inclusive outline. Because I most often write informative how-to-type articles for Yahoo! Contributor Network and my own venues, I only needed to design one outline. I use it every time, unless I have a special assignment that requires a different style. For YCN, my outline needed a title, byline, introduction, 5 steps, and a section at the end linking to three related pieces. Because I only write for myself when I'm not writing for YCN, I can use that same format for everything, unless I am doing a quick tip or that outline style won't work for the piece.
Each time you have an article idea, fill in what you can before writing. This has been even more of a life saver than my outline itself. I fill in the title and each point before I start writing. I generally will go through and do this with all my planned articles for each day before beginning to write. Sometimes an article will start flowing while I'm in the middle of this process because once the main points are filled in, it's very simple to complete the process. So I'll stop and finish that article. Once you try it, I can almost guarantee that you will never write an article the 'regular' way again.
Below is a sample outline, followed by that same sample filled in with info to begin an article.
Sample outline:
Title
by Lyn Lomasi
intro
Tip sentence. text
Tip sentence. text
Tip sentence. text
Tip sentence. text
Tip sentence. text
More from Lyn:
link
link
link
(As you can see in the above outline, each area that needs bold or italic text is pre-formatted that way to keep it easy.)
Sample outline 2:
Guide to writing for the web
by Lyn Lomasi
intro
Gear your text toward people and search. text
Gain an audience with niche specialties. text
Keep your audience by being truthful. text
Use personal experience to gain trust. text
Publish often and be consistent. text
More from Lyn:
link
link
link
(As you can see in this second outline sample, it will be very easy for me to write and fill in the rest of the details because I have my main points. They just need to be explained.)
Need a simple way to speed up your writing that you can use each and every time? I did too. That's why I invented my own outline or template, modeled after the style I use most frequently. If you write for several venues, you may need a different basic outline for each.
Design your outline. Think about what you will need within all or most of your submissions and design an inclusive outline. Because I most often write informative how-to-type articles for Yahoo! Contributor Network and my own venues, I only needed to design one outline. I use it every time, unless I have a special assignment that requires a different style. For YCN, my outline needed a title, byline, introduction, 5 steps, and a section at the end linking to three related pieces. Because I only write for myself when I'm not writing for YCN, I can use that same format for everything, unless I am doing a quick tip or that outline style won't work for the piece.
Each time you have an article idea, fill in what you can before writing. This has been even more of a life saver than my outline itself. I fill in the title and each point before I start writing. I generally will go through and do this with all my planned articles for each day before beginning to write. Sometimes an article will start flowing while I'm in the middle of this process because once the main points are filled in, it's very simple to complete the process. So I'll stop and finish that article. Once you try it, I can almost guarantee that you will never write an article the 'regular' way again.
Below is a sample outline, followed by that same sample filled in with info to begin an article.
Sample outline:
Title
by Lyn Lomasi
intro
Tip sentence. text
Tip sentence. text
Tip sentence. text
Tip sentence. text
Tip sentence. text
More from Lyn:
link
link
link
(As you can see in the above outline, each area that needs bold or italic text is pre-formatted that way to keep it easy.)
Sample outline 2:
Guide to writing for the web
by Lyn Lomasi
intro
Gear your text toward people and search. text
Gain an audience with niche specialties. text
Keep your audience by being truthful. text
Use personal experience to gain trust. text
Publish often and be consistent. text
More from Lyn:
link
link
link
(As you can see in this second outline sample, it will be very easy for me to write and fill in the rest of the details because I have my main points. They just need to be explained.)
Lyn is the founder of Write W.A.V.E. Media, parent company to LifeSuccessfully.com and several others. She enjoys publishing freelance writers and supports advocacy through journalism. She's also a freelance web journalist, Community Guide at Yahoo! Contributor Network, and a Y! Shine Parenting Guru. The homeschool ‘Momtrepreneur’ teaches with nature, books, and play. Pet and human homelessness, green living, positive parenting, and education choice (including homeschool) are her passions. She has been published all over the web with major media companies, as well as smaller businesses and organizations. Contact Lyn for guidance in the world of freelance writing.
Lyn on Twitter: @LynLomasi
Lyn on Twitter: @LynLomasi
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