ShmoopTube

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Outlining, a la Shmoop. Oh, if only outlining an essay were as easy

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as drawing a thick black border around the edges of the paper with your favorite Sharpie. [hands draws big black box with sharpie]

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As pretty as that is, Intro to Art is next period.

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We’re talking about an entirely different kind of outlining.

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The purpose of this whole process is to have some idea of where you’re going. [boy walks across screen blindfolded]

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Not having an outline would be like taking a cross country trip without a map or GPS…[man throws map and GPS out of the car]

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…or cooking something in the kitchen without turning on the light. [hand reaches for pot and gets burnt on the fire]

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It makes clear and helps us solidify in our own mind what our purpose is…

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…how we plan to go about communicating that purpose…[hand opens up head and shows brain]

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…and how we’ll argue our point.

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It also allows us to make use of the bullet tool in Word, which doesn’t get nearly enough

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play. You may be thinking, “I know I’m supposed

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to do it, but it just seems like extra work. I have to write the essay anyway, so why write

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this other thing beforehand?”

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You know what? In the time it took you to complain, you could be halfway through your

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outline already.

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Food for thought. An outline includes every major point you’re

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going to make in your essay…

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…arranged in the same order you intend to present them.

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This is where that wild and crazy mess of brainstorming notes gets organized into a

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clear, structured plan of action. [tornado passes through colored paperclips and organizes them into a color wheel]

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If there’s a method to your madness, now is a good time to let it show.

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You will want to clearly divide up your argument into an introduction, where you’ll wrap

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your readers around your little finger, and make them ravenous for more…

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…a thesis, where you will state what position you’re taking… make it a strong one…

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…at least 3 body paragraphs, where you lay down the facts, Jack, and show how they support

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your position…

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…and finally a stirring conclusion, where you’re going to leave your readers with [ladle dumps kid into a pot]

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no choice but to agree with you. It’s totally fine if you end up tweaking

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things later…

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…but having an outline will ensure that you actually have enough to say when you start

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writing.

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That way, you won’t be halfway through and then suddenly realize that… you don’t

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really have a point to make, per se. Taking the time to assemble a comprehensive

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outline is going to save you tons of time and heartache.

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You’ll be able to block Writer’s Block…[kid blocks an attack from a lego]

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…and you’ll never get lost in the… literary woods.

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It may seem like a hassle, but trust us… the outline is going to be your new best friend.

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Sorry, Tommy Turtle.

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