OUTLINING: Is it over-rated and obsolete? MCT:Yes, IEW & WWS:No

[fluffybunny]

This is what MCT says at the back of Essay Voyage: "...I do not recommend (outlines and rough drafts). ... Computer technology has made some of the traditional approach obsolete. Why hand write notes when you can type on a laptop? Most word processors have outline processors built in. Times have changed, and for the better." :ohmy:

 

My son only types: he is a fast typist but has trouble with handwriting. He hates outlining, especially for writing stories; he says he just wants to 'write it'. A while ago I asked what experienced homeschoolers would do with a child who argued about outlining. Everyone seemed to be saying that I should make him outline and make him follow it.

 

But most famous writers say they just allowed stories to write themselves without an outline, or even knowledge of where they were going. CS Lewis and L'Engle are some who say they did this. I never wrote outlines in school, yet English was my best subject, and I did an English Major at Uni. Would I now be an Oxford don if I had outlined instead? ;)

 

So, what is the big deal with outlining, and does it only work for writing non-fiction essays? Is it obsolete as MCT says??

[IrishMum]

:lurk5: again! I'm interested to see what the Hive says.

[Pawz4me]

I think it totally depends on the kid. Oldest DS doesn't need to outline or make notes. Whether he's writing fiction or non-fiction it really does just pour out of him. His brain can organize everything w/o writing it down first. Youngest DS is the opposite. He really needs an outline to organize his thoughts before he can get them on paper. I've always written like my oldest, organizing things within my head w/o needing to make an outline or notes first. I found I could NOT teach writing to youngest DS w/o IEW's help because our styles/abilities are so different. It would drive me mad to have to make a detailed outline before writing, but he thrives on it. So . . . whatever works for the individual. I don't think either is better or worse.

[nellecv]

I agree that it depends on the kid. Outlining can be an invaluable tool for weaker writers who struggle with clarity and organization. What seems obvious to those of are naturally strong writers often needs to be explicitly taught to them.

[Teachin'Mine]

For formal writing an outline can be very helpful. For creative writing IMO it's unnecessary for most writers.

[Harriet Vane]

It's not obsolete at all.

 

I don't see what handwriting has to do with anything. You can type an outline just as easily. ??

 

I have tutored many, many students in writing over multiple years. I have noticed a huuuuuuuge difference in quality when they are required to outline first. I have noticed this difference in both my advanced students as well as the students who struggle with writing. Simply put, organizing one's thoughts first results in a tighter, more well organized paper.

 

I also believe in the value of outlining notes when studying (as when reading history, for example). Outlining is a physical tool to help the mind see the organization of information. Outlining can take a rambling historical narrative and show the logic and the patterns.

[Tiramisu]

I agree that it depends on the child. However, I will say that I was someone who was not helped by outlines through college but knowing more about outlining would have helped in graduate school.

[Jann in TX]

I always found formal outlines tedious... and I always ended up doing them AFTER my papers.

 

For non creative papers I would sketch out a plan (inforam outline) so I knew what each section/paragraph should be about... but I did not bother with the strict formal outline procedures... that stuff just got in the way of my thinking/

 

-

I think outlining is just one tool that we should present when we teach our students writing. Some will find it valuable and some will find it a waste of time.

[Candid]

Given a tablet and learning to use a Swype keyboard, you can outline on a computer. I just finished outlining a book on debate on my tablet.

 

That said my outline did not look like a formal outline. I used the book itself to guide my structure.

[PeterPan]

If he doesn't need an outline yet, he's not doing hard enough projects. ;)

 

Also, he may be outlining mentally or in other ways you don't recognize. For instance I would classify myself in the non-outlining category, but I make webs as I think through the topic, and I mentally draft everything almost to the point of perfection. There are people like this, for whom getting it on paper is just a final step.

 

If he's more of a visual thinker or thinks in bubbles, you can use something like Inspiration where he creates a visual web, filling his detailed information and quotes into the bubbles, then he hits shizam and it converts over to an outline. I don't think it's rational to attempt to teach a student to do a longer work (6-10 page research paper) without SOME form of structural layout. Unless he has really superior mental skills, that's just ridiculous. And really, he's probably doing it anyway. It's just that if you get stuck on outlines as a linear form you ignore the way he IS thinking and IS outlining.

 

Here, I'll try to attach a pdf of the map she made for her last major written work. If it doesn't work as a pdf, I'll try a screen shot. After she made this visual/bubble version, she converted it over (click of the software) to an outline to write from. I'm not sure I would have clicked it over to an outline for me, but I think the exercise of getting all your info precise, your quotes in place, etc. is good for anyone. Just makes it easier to do it visually if you're vsl. He may be doing that anyway if he's a visual thinker.

 

Well rats, both the screen shot and the pdf are too big. I'll try this link and see if it works.

 

http://www.smugmug.c...-vj4GBgH-X3.png

 

You'll notice the use of color. It allows you to break up sections visually or to distinguish cells with quotes, cells with data, whatever you want.

[regentrude]

I do not see what outlining has to do with handwriting or not - you can outline on the computer.

 

This said: some writers do not need to make a formal "outline". Some have an instinctive feel for the flow and structure of their paper. Some do it in their heads. I never used a formal outline for my academic writing, not even for my doctoral thesis; there I had a rough idea of the basic chapters. I wrote my table of contents afterward.

For a writer who has difficulty with the organization and structure of a paper, it can be a useful tool.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Outlining is a usefull skill for some as part of notetaking. Text books are often clearly written from an outline so that is an easy format for note taking from a text. As for writing-I imagine each creative writer goes about a project their own way; essay and research paper writers may still benefit from planning their approach and a outline is a valid way to accomplish this. Further more-looking a long way down the road-I would never have survived final exams in college without knowing basic outlining. I quickly outlined every "blue book" essay before beginning so as not to miss any points required by the question nor any that I thought relevant. They were too easy to forget if I had been just writing from my brain-especially under pressure. Some folks don't need to outline-some do, a matter of personal preference or a tool one could choose.

 

I disagree with the MCT quote about outlines and rough drafts. Both remain valid even if performed on a computer. One can outline on a computer-even using its self-formatting abilities and one can edit a rough draft on the computer (or even print and hand edit before revising on the computer). I think it is pretty arogant to assume that every writer will produce a worthy final draft on their first attempt and in my book any version prior to the one that is turned in is a rough draft. I do think that if you are going to use a computer to outline you still need to understand outlining basics (ie. what info goes where, levels, etc.) otherwise the program could put your words at any level and if you don't know where you want your ideas to be in an outline and why then the computer still won't be very useful.

 

In short outlining can be a useful skill. One worthy of knowing. For creative writing, I leave my kids alone. I'll help with grammar, spelling, punctution, etc. I'll talk ideas and story organization but I ask or demand nothing from them creatively nor try to impose an organization scheme. I also don't require creative writing-even though I have at least one inclined towards it. Social studies and lit essays are a different matter.

[Brenda in MA]

It's not obsolete at all.

 

I don't see what handwriting has to do with anything. You can type an outline just as easily. ??

 

I have tutored many, many students in writing over multiple years. I have noticed a huuuuuuuge difference in quality when they are required to outline first. I have noticed this difference in both my advanced students as well as the students who struggle with writing. Simply put, organizing one's thoughts first results in a tighter, more well organized paper.

 

:iagree:

 

Outlines can definitely be made on the computer.

 

Also, requiring an outline (and it doesn't have to be extremely detailed) helps me as the teacher to discuss the writing project with the student before he/she invests a lot of time in the effort. I can quickly understand the framework of his/her argument and see if there is likely to be enough supporting information there. I can also see if their thesis statement is supported by their body paragraphs. I've found that students get very discouraged when they go ahead with a writing project first, without an outline, and then come for review, only to find out that their work needs a major re-write.

 

As with anything, I do agree that how one manages the writing project would differ somewhat with each particular student's strengths. If a student has demonstrated the ability to organize and support his/her thoughts well, then I'd require less or no upfront outlining work.

 

For a creative writing project, I would either require no outline, or a very, very high level one. And with that, I might expect the student to veer from the outline as the story is written. Stories can develop and take some twists and turns, and I think that would be a good thing.

 

JM2Cents,

Brenda

[SailorMom]

For creative writing - I don't/won't require one. I think it could be useful for, say, a book length project, though....

For academic writing.... heck yeah.

I'm a 'natural' writer, but I could never keep 15 reference books and 5 different main topics neatly organized in my head. For a 1 page report? Sure, that doesn't need an outline. But for high school research papers or Lit analysis (etc.) I can't imagine myself or my DS writing without one.

Now - I don't care if my son does a 'formal' outline with the ABCD, I II III IV , 1234, etc. I just want to see a basic structural breakdown. I think IEW's Key Word Outlining used for basic outlining of a report (not just note taking) can be a great tool.

[Joan in GE]

I almost drive my concise writer son crazy with my disorganized emails....

 

He says - "Mom, it is like you are just writing your thoughts as they come"....Ok, I thought I was thinking in an organized/outlined way - but not to him....He writes concise, well-organized emails....

 

So I think even the concept of preorganizing ones thoughts is useful...you can tell from most of my posts that I need to work on this. :-)

 

But if children are taught from the beginning to organize their thinking and writing, it should pay off in the end...

 

Joan

[LisaKinVA]

Outlining has definitely helped my kids organize their papers, and even improve their content a bit. I don't have my kids outline as much as I've seen recommended in many cases...because I don't think they need THAT much practice ;) But, it is something they do, regularly.

[wapiti]

I agree with the PPs that there's a huge difference between writing a story and academic writing. A story is often fairly sequential - when it's in the mind, I see nothing wrong with sitting down at the keyboard and pounding it out. For other types of writing, organization is so important. (I am one who would have been well-served to have learned outlining prior to grad school.) I also agree that the aid of the computer is not particularly relevant to not outlining, even though it makes rearranging easier. I like to outline on the computer and then fill the body in. I do dislike automatic outline formatting in Word - I find it quite annoying and unnecessary.

[Alice]

Recently, The New Yorker has had two excellent articles by John McPhee on the writing life. Unfortunately they are only available online with a subscription (or if you pay) but you can read the synopsis on their website if you are interested. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/01/14/130114fa_fact_mcphee

 

The first article is titled “Structure†and in it McPhee talks about the ways he outlines or creates some kind of visual structure before writing and how it impacts his writing and influences the choices he makes. It’s a really fascinating article. He doesn’t always use traditional outlining, one system he developed involved cutting out pieces of paper and taping them on the wall to create a visual structure. He also talks about how he worked with a computer guy to develop a way he can use his same old-fashioned techniques but on the computer. The other thing that struck me in the article is that he talks about his high school English teacher who required them to write a paper a week and to have some kind of visual plan (outline, web, bubbles, etc) for each one. He credits that training with later being one of the main factors that helped him when he was stuck in his writing.

 

In the second, more recent article he talks about the idea of drafts. He claims that writing is unique as an art form because you are able to revise and refine. He also makes the claim that the idea of the genius sitting down to write without any revisions is a complete myth.

 

We haven’t gotten to the point of outlining in our school so I don’t know how it will work for us. I do think there is usefulness, especially for visual learners to learning the discipline of organizing thoughts on paper. I would think formal outlining is one tool, perhaps more useful for beginners or for those who don’t have their own natural way of doing the same thing.

[AK_Mom4]

Last week, DS17 was working on a research paper. He got stuck with writer's block - he had done the research but wasn't sure where to start writing. His teacher (public school) makes them fill out "Mind Maps", but organizationally that doesn't cut it for DS.

 

So he sat down on the computer and built an outline for his paper, with all his points, quotes and citations. Then, he went back and changed the outline points to sentences. He printed that to turn in as his "draft" copy. Afterwards, he polished up the word choice, double-checked his citations and quotes (can't afford to get those wrong!) and printed his final paper.

 

DD19 does her papers the same way, except she prefers the little bubble drawings on scratch paper to outlines. DS21, on the other hand, free-types his papers - organizes everything in his head as he goes along.

 

Different kids, different styles. I am teaching DD11 outlining in good-old "I35C" format because it seems to line up with how she thinks, though once she gets fluent in her writing I can see her being more like her oldest brother and free-typing.

[PeterPan]

The first article is titled “Structure†and in it McPhee talks about the ways he outlines or creates some kind of visual structure before writing and how it impacts his writing and influences the choices he makes. It’s a really fascinating article. He doesn’t always use traditional outlining, one system he developed involved cutting out pieces of paper and taping them on the wall to create a visual structure. He also talks about how he worked with a computer guy to develop a way he can use his same old-fashioned techniques but on the computer. ...

 

We haven’t gotten to the point of outlining in our school so I don’t know how it will work for us. I do think there is usefulness, especially for visual learners to learning the discipline of organizing thoughts on paper. I would think formal outlining is one tool, perhaps more useful for beginners or for those who don’t have their own natural way of doing the same thing.

 

Yes, I've been told this is common with professional writers. Scrivener attempts to fill this need. He's older and started earlier, back when your options were limited. Now we have kids growing up who think it's normal that they can get an app on the ipad and write in bubbles, draw lines, drag in text or images, hit shizam, and have the whole thing convert over to an outline. This is stuff he didn't have. So you definitely want to move FORWARD into all the options that are out there. Lots of great apps. Inspiration that we use has an app. We used a different app when we were just doing one and two-level outlines, but now we really need Inspiration. That way you can have something large and take it from your ipad and get it onto the larger computer screen to work on it.

 

Popplet was the app we used for quite a while. It was plenty if all you're doing is 1 or 2 level outlines of a source. If you want to write a full research paper, move up to Inspiration or something more powerful. Scrivener is fine, but it's stuck with the notecard motif.

 

The interesting thing about a visual outline is it allows you to see where your work is imbalanced, where you have holes, where maybe you have an amount of thought piling up that needs to be broken into more points or pulled off as its own section. It's actually superior to a linear outline in that sense.

[Julie in MN]

I always found formal outlines tedious... and I always ended up doing them AFTER my papers.

 

For non creative papers I would sketch out a plan (inforam outline) so I knew what each section/paragraph should be about... but I did not bother with the strict formal outline procedures... that stuff just got in the way of my thinking/

 

-

I think outlining is just one tool that we should present when we teach our students writing. Some will find it valuable and some will find it a waste of time.

I totally agree with outlining AFTER you get going on a paper. I don't necessarily think it would do any good to do it after you're done (unless it's a requirement), but at least wait until after you've done a lot of your research and have a serious start on your writing.

 

If you start with a strict outline, then you are very confined in what you can do with your paper, and points can become forced. In the end, your paper might not say what you want to say, and might not match your research or your knowledge.

 

If instead you just start writing and THEN use an outline to try to see what exactly you're saying and how specifically you're saying it, then I think it's a great tool. Not a total necessity but very often immensely helpful in taking those points that you realize you had, and making them understandable to your reader.

 

I imagine MCT is speaking to the old method of : Research, fill out notecards, organize notecards, produce outline, and finally write sentences that follow suit. I don't find that method creates a good paper at all. Like others have mentioned, everyone is different, but I prefer first general research, then general writing, then outline, then specific research to fill in gaps, then final writing. And pretty much all on the computer -- colleges & jobs will be all about computer generated work.

 

Julie

P.S. Folks like MCT, or perhaps folks trained by MCT, might be able to generate solid thesis statements, and be able to write well about their thesis (theses?), without an outline at all. He is, after all, teaching academically gifted students for the most part.

[Corraleno]

 

http://www.smugmug.c...-vj4GBgH-X3.png

 

You'll notice the use of color. It allows you to break up sections visually or to distinguish cells with quotes, cells with data, whatever you want.

 

Elizabeth, what program is that?

 

Jackie

[Candid]

Last week, DS17 was working on a research paper. He got stuck with writer's block - he had done the research but wasn't sure where to start writing. His teacher (public school) makes them fill out "Mind Maps", but organizationally that doesn't cut it for DS.

 

 

If she gave them something to fill out it wasn't really a mind map. Mind maps should always be organically evolving. It's the only way they are different from outlining is more freedom. Once you have them down to plugging things into balloons or rectangles they are an outline.

[PeterPan]

If she gave them something to fill out it wasn't really a mind map. Mind maps should always be organically evolving. It's the only way they are different from outlining is more freedom. Once you have them down to plugging things into balloons or rectangles they are an outline.

 

I linked to a pdf of what my dd's looked like for her project. There are predetermined formats you can plug into, and it can be helpful for kids who need to see structure. However it's most useful when you start with nothing and just start making bubbles of all your thoughts. Then you draw lines between those thoughts. You try to see if you can make a central bubble that connects thoughts, then you realize what's in the center ISN'T the center, lol. It's a way of working and rearranging thoughts. As Candid said, if he only filled in a bubble chart, he didn't really see how it's a tool to visually rearrange thoughts and find relationships. VSL thinkers *tend* to see unusual relationships. Bubbles allow them to get that out.

 

Dd's map looked more like a mutant octopus for quite a while. Then you can click the arrange function in Inspiration and it tidies it into something more traditional looking.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Yes, I've been told this is common with professional writers. Scrivener attempts to fill this need. He's older and started earlier, back when your options were limited. Now we have kids growing up who think it's normal that they can get an app on the ipad and write in bubbles, draw lines, drag in text or images, hit shizam, and have the whole thing convert over to an outline. This is stuff he didn't have. So you definitely want to move FORWARD into all the options that are out there. Lots of great apps. Inspiration that we use has an app. We used a different app when we were just doing one and two-level outlines, but now we really need Inspiration. That way you can have something large and take it from your ipad and get it onto the larger computer screen to work on it.

 

Popplet was the app we used for quite a while. It was plenty if all you're doing is 1 or 2 level outlines of a source. If you want to write a full research paper, move up to Inspiration or something more powerful. Scrivener is fine, but it's stuck with the notecard motif.

 

The interesting thing about a visual outline is it allows you to see where your work is imbalanced, where you have holes, where maybe you have an amount of thought piling up that needs to be broken into more points or pulled off as its own section. It's actually superior to a linear outline in that sense.

 

My dd loves Scrivener for creative writing. They just came out with a new app called Scapple that is a fascinating way of computerized mind mapping/visual organization. It only took her a few minutes to get the hang of it. I'm not sure what platforms it is available for other than OS X.

[PeterPan]

Jumped, thanks, I didn't know about Scapple! :)

[AK_Mom4]

 

 

If she gave them something to fill out it wasn't really a mind map. Mind maps should always be organically evolving. It's the only way they are different from outlining is more freedom. Once you have them down to plugging things into balloons or rectangles they are an outline.

 

Sorry, I said that wrong. She gave them a blank sheet with the words Mind Map at the top and he had to fill it in with his boxes and arrows and such. It just isn't very helpful for DS because the teacher specifically required that the map not be sequential and he is a line-it-up kind of guy. Outlines match the way he thinks.

 

Apologies for the confusion

[PeterPan]

Sorry, I said that wrong. She gave them a blank sheet with the words Mind Map at the top and he had to fill it in with his boxes and arrows and such. It just isn't very helpful for DS because the teacher specifically required that the map not be sequential and he is a line-it-up kind of guy. Outlines match the way he thinks.

 

Apologies for the confusion

 

 

How ironic. Well isn't there sort of a schematic/flow chart approach engineers use? Might have satisfied her.

[JanetC]

Also, I didn't read that quote from MCT as saying, "Don't use outlines" so much as "Don't have kids turn in outlines and rough drafts for grading" and "Don't require one system (such as notecards) for everybody"

 

He is referring to teachers with classrooms full of kids, and says having kids turn in preliminary notecards and outlines and wait for them to be graded and returned before proceeding slows down the process too much.

[TranquilMind]

This is what MCT says at the back of Essay Voyage: "...I do not recommend (outlines and rough drafts). ... Computer technology has made some of the traditional approach obsolete. Why hand write notes when you can type on a laptop? Most word processors have outline processors built in. Times have changed, and for the better." :ohmy:

 

My son only types: he is a fast typist but has trouble with handwriting. He hates outlining, especially for writing stories; he says he just wants to 'write it'. A while ago I asked what experienced homeschoolers would do with a child who argued about outlining. Everyone seemed to be saying that I should make him outline and make him follow it.

 

But most famous writers say they just allowed stories to write themselves without an outline, or even knowledge of where they were going. CS Lewis and L'Engle are some who say they did this. I never wrote outlines in school, yet English was my best subject, and I did an English Major at Uni. Would I now be an Oxford don if I had outlined instead? ;)

 

So, what is the big deal with outlining, and does it only work for writing non-fiction essays? Is it obsolete as MCT says??

 

 

Whoa! Not to me. I make my kids outline because the very act of writing it down again is another form of studying, which I find more useful than just typing. Though typing an outline while looking at a book is the same, but not that cut and paste stuff.

 

I don't expect perfect outlines. Just logical ones that go somewhere. But that is more for studying for tests or writing actual papers, not fiction. With fiction, sometimes the "stream of consciousness" method with editing to follow is the right one.

[Cabertmom]

I think it depends on the type of writing too. For creative writing, it makes sense to form the characters and then "see" what they do without an outline.

 

However, for essays, I think an outline is invaluable. I say that as someone who would actually write the paper first and then make an outline from it in high school when they "made us" turn in the outline. It wasn't until college that I realized that all the hard thinking work goes into the outline. After that is done, writing the actual paper is easy.

 

We use IEW, and I really like the fact that he emphasizes outlines, but they are a simpler form of outline. When the paper is a research paper, it's all the more important. The idea I think is to get the plan of what to write on paper in outline form so that while actually writing the paper, it's possible to focus on the best way to express an idea rather just what to say.

 

There's my 2 cents anyway.

[Starr]

Like outlines or not dd has had to turn in a lot of them in college. Professors want to have an idea of what you're writing and they give input before the actual paper is written.

[BlsdMama]

It's not obsolete at all.

 

I don't see what handwriting has to do with anything. You can type an outline just as easily. ??

 

I have tutored many, many students in writing over multiple years. I have noticed a huuuuuuuge difference in quality when they are required to outline first. I have noticed this difference in both my advanced students as well as the students who struggle with writing. Simply put, organizing one's thoughts first results in a tighter, more well organized paper.

 

I also believe in the value of outlining notes when studying (as when reading history, for example). Outlining is a physical tool to help the mind see the organization of information. Outlining can take a rambling historical narrative and show the logic and the patterns.

 

I *strongly* agree with all of this.

 

In weak students, it allows them to put pencil to paper and to "help" them to move along and make sense of what is floating in their head. It gives them a place to begin.

 

In advanced and naturally capable students, outlining helps them to stay on point. Moreover, when they are writing persuasively it makes them far more effective.

 

I don't teach or require creative writing so I have no opinion on that. :)

[PeterPan]

Like outlines or not dd has had to turn in a lot of them in college. Professors want to have an idea of what you're writing and they give input before the actual paper is written.

 

 

I never had a prof ask for one after freshman comp.

[Chez J]

Last week, DS17 was working on a research paper. He got stuck with writer's block - he had done the research but wasn't sure where to start writing. His teacher (public school) makes them fill out "Mind Maps", but organizationally that doesn't cut it for DS.

 

So he sat down on the computer and built an outline for his paper, with all his points, quotes and citations. Then, he went back and changed the outline points to sentences. He printed that to turn in as his "draft" copy. Afterwards, he polished up the word choice, double-checked his citations and quotes (can't afford to get those wrong!) and printed his final paper.

 

DD19 does her papers the same way, except she prefers the little bubble drawings on scratch paper to outlines. DS21, on the other hand, free-types his papers - organizes everything in his head as he goes along.

 

Different kids, different styles. I am teaching DD11 outlining in good-old "I35C" format because it seems to line up with how she thinks, though once she gets fluent in her writing I can see her being more like her oldest brother and free-typing.

 

 

This is essentially the IEW writing process in a nutshell, including tracking sources.

 

And, I agree with others that creative writing is a different process from academic writing.

[dhudson]

I think they should know how to do an outline. It should be in their toolbox if they need it. Do I think they always have to? No, but my ds has gotten stuck on a 10 page research paper and his outline saved him.

 

It is a tool that I think they need to be prepared for college.

[J-rap]

I think outlining is a great skill to have, and whether it's done on the computer or by hand, it doesn't matter. When there's a lot of information to go in there or not a lot of time, plus a number of other reasons, it's just a good habit to get into.

 

A lot of people probably don't officially outline anymore, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did some kind of an outline in their head first.

 

I don't think the very formal outline with Roman numerals and all of that is necessary, but just some kind of an outline can be truly helpful in organizing your thoughts and information.

 

It also really, really helps when working on a timed essay for the SAT. :)

[In The Great White North]

IS there something similar to Scapple for PCs?

[Job384]

I think it depends on the person.

 

My husband writes stories professionally, and he outlines extensively. He likes everything to fit together precisely, and he does not begin writing until he knows exactly how the story is going to go and exactly where the beats are and whatnot.

 

I write as a hobby, and I don't outline. I only write short stories and essays though.