Five Outlines To Speed Up Your Writing (And Make It Irresistible To Read)

A guide to my favourite 5 outlines (with tips and examples)

My first few months on Medium were awful.

After 3 months I had 66 followers and less than 500 views. I’m amazed I didn’t give up. But fast forward 6 months and I’m flying. 1133 followers and 6500 views/month.

My growth started when I discovered the wonder of outlines.

It used to take me forever to write an article. The structure would evolve as I wrote. I’d often need to reorder it. Sometimes I struggled to start daunted by the blank page. So much time is wasted.

Then I heard Nicolas Cole say successful writers use outlines. I tried it. And it transformed my writing.

Outlines offer 2 huge advantages you can’t afford to miss.

Faster writing

Sketching out your outline before writing will cut your writing time by 50%. It’s a fill-in-the-blanks approach. A 1000-word article with 5 points becomes 150 words on each point. This solves the blank page problem. It gets you started. Anyone can write 150 words.

It also stops you from wasting time ordering your thoughts. Planning your structure and writing the words are two different activities. Do them separately to save time.

Compelling writing

Outlines fit the way a reader’s mind works.

They arouse curiosity and captivate the reader. Without a strong outline, you only have words to keep your reader hooked.

For example

You are describing a 5-step process. It’s hard for a reader to stop at step 3. The brain needs to close the loop and discover the final 2 steps.

Outlines produce better and faster writers.

These are my favorite 5. Use them to power up your writing.

1. Listicle

The simplest and easiest of outlines

You have a topic, and you have a list of points. That’s it. Tips, hacks, mistakes, or lies. Take your pick.

Listicle outline:

• intro (usually short)
• point 1
• point 2
• point 3
• etc

Example:

How to make this outline work:

This outline requires the least thinking. It doesn’t matter the order of points or what they are. But it’s the weakest format.

The points aren’t linked (you don’t need tip 5 to use tip 3). So the reader isn’t compelled to read on. Best to start with your strongest points.

Intro — keep this short. Sometimes it is worth building the case with a stronger intro. To inspire your reader to read all your points

Numbers — Odd works better than even for clicks (unless it’s 10)

Negatives — Adding a few negative articles can be an effective twist on the usual ‘5 ways to’ (mistakes, lies, remove, don’t do)

2. Life Lesson

Authenticity is in.

Everyone wants to know the writer and hear about their personal experience. Sharing how you learned something is as important as the lesson itself.

Look at the topics you write about. Find about events and experiences in your life that illustrate these.

Life lesson outline:

• what happened
• explain the lesson
• how the reader can use this

Example:

How to make this outline work:

You need good storytelling skills to pull this off.

The story is about you but is for your reader. This means removing any details not related to the main lesson you want to teach.

Experiment with varying the length of each section:

• long story with a quick application
• short story with a listicle added

If you are new to storytelling. Keep your story short.

3. Process (step by step)

This is a stronger version of the listicle.

With a process, the points build on each other. Giving the reader a step-by-step guide on how to do something. You can create a process around anything you do.

Process outline

• why you need this process (the problem it addresses)
• cost of not using this process/rewards of using it
• step 1
• step 2
• step 3
• etc

Example:

How to make this outline work:

Processes are not exciting but the problem they solve is.

Make sure you build a strong case for your process. Highlight the pain it eases. Avoid simplistic processes that don’t add any value.

Produce original content with your process. Think about how you do something. Write out the process you follow. Turn it into 3/5/7 steps.

4. Problem/solution

Solve a problem for your reader and you’ll become irresistible.

This is a powerful outline. If you have a real solution for a real problem.

Problem/solution outline

• problem
• solution
• what to do

Example:

How to make this outline work:

You need to spend the right amount of time exploring the problem.

If the issue is top of a reader’s mind and a high pain point. You won’t need to labor the point. Highlight it and dive into the solution.

For example, if you are explaining how to make extra money. Don’t spend lots of time discussing why more money is good. Doh!

But if the reader doesn’t realize this is a problem. You’ll need to raise the stakes. And explore why this matters. Explain the cost to your reader.

This is stating the obvious. But your solution needs to work. Ideally, one you have tried and has worked for you. This increases your credibility.

Finish with some details on how to use your solution.

5. Change your thinking

This advanced tactic can establish you as a thought leader.

You challenge something everyone thinks. Showing why it is wrong and why it matters.

Get this right and you can seriously enhance your reputation.

Change your thinking outline:

• people think this
• the negative effects are
• this is wrong because
• a better way to think

Example:

How to make this outline work:

This outline relies on being in tune with your audience. It is easy to miss the mark:

• you don’t persuade people to change their mind
• you challenge a truth your audience doesn’t believe anyway
• your style irritates your audience (no one likes to be wrong)

Readers favor quick solution articles. So only use this outline once you’ve built an audience. Then it will upgrade your credibility as a writer.

Hope you have fun experimenting with these outlines.

If you liked this, you’ll love this one: