Comments on: Monday Master Class: How to Use a Flat Outline to Write Outstanding Papers, Fast

By: human mathematics

human mathematics — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:06:21 +0000

I write whatever paragraphs and phrases come to mind in a plain text file. When the next idea is disconnected I leave plenty of vertical space (so I can’t see the text above) and just keep on typing. Whatever is in my mind about the topic, that needs to come out.

For longer papers, I use separate text files.

After I’ve dumped my brain onto the computer screen, I take a break. When I come back, I usually know what the outline of the paper is. The introduction comes from the details of what I’ve already written, rather than a schema that I set out beforehand.

Finally, the benefit of using LaTeX: after writing in plain text, I see a draft in professional-looking typeset text. How fancy my paper looks now! It’s almost as good as proofreading a printed copy.

Reading either the printed or the pdflatexed version, it’s easier to think with a different part of my brain that’s not tired. That’s how I spot where sections need to be bridged.

By: Angelina

Angelina — Sun, 29 May 2011 00:08:37 +0000

As Mr. Toft says, I always come back to this post too (and I have all of your books to keep me company, Cal). I’ve written a post about my experience using this outline method for the first time:http://angelinasblog.typepad.com/blog/2011/05/dont-spend-too-much-time-on-essay-outlines.html
It has really helped. I went from a C+ to an A on papers.

By: Doug Toft

Doug Toft — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:12:47 +0000

I keep coming back to this post. It has changed my writing life. Thanks much.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:23:24 +0000

This is basically what I do, but what about papers written in parts? They’re totally obnoxious, forcing you to either A) Write your paper all before the first part is due, and hand it in part by part, or B) you write it in parts, and have a messed up train of thought. Should I make the outline all at once, and transform it part-by-part?

By: Doug Sibley

Doug Sibley — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 06:44:06 +0000

I did the same with most of my papers in grad school (at least the ones I did well on). The first step for me though, was to get a stack of books on a topic I was interested in and then just read them putting scraps of paper on interesting pages. When I had some brain-dead time (i.e. time set aside for ‘studying’ but was too tired or burnt-out to do it) I would put large quotes into an outline with a few sentences of my own that related.

I’d do the same with web sources another day (though the cutting and pasting of quotes was easier). For the paper, I’d expand on each quote in a narrative paring most down and eliminating a fair number that didn’t end up on-topic. So in the end my problem wouldn’t usually be to “get enough sources” or to “write enough words” but to keep the length manageable and the topic focused (which is usually a nice problem to have!)

By: alice

alice — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:36:31 +0000

OMG this is exactly what I do too! It feels like so much less work because its more like connecting the dots than building from scratch. And depending on how you do it, most of the writing is already done in the planning stage.

By: carrie

carrie — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:13:25 +0000

hey, this is exactly what i do! glad to know someone else likes this idea.
it’s so much easier to pull the quotes and build around them. writing within the outline doesn’t even feel like work – “hey, just outlining here” – and soon enough the work is all done.

By: Political Issues W Fall 2009 » A useful post…

Political Issues W Fall 2009 » A useful post… — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:51:54 +0000

[...] might help with your writing process: Using a Flat Outline. Misc., Tools, [...]

By: Kam

Kam — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:56:49 +0000

I just wanted to thank you for the great advice. I’ve been using this and it really does make writing essays a lot easier. I used to write just the minimum, but now I find myself writing a little more. I love the idea of putting quotes into the outline. I got A’s on all my papers since using this. So thank you!

By: Study Hacks » Blog Archive » How to Quickly Capture Quotes from Electronic Sources

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:47:05 +0000

[...] reader recently wrote me with an improvement to my flat outline method for research paper writing. The original method asked you to build an ordered list of the topics [...]