Take the time necessary to prepare an outline before you write your article. This is what will set your article apart from others. You are prepared, have done your research, and have developed your method and procedure for writing articles and it will show in the quality of your finished product. Here's how it is done.

Why Is Writing An Outline Important?

A carpenter would never start building a house without a carefully planned out blueprint. A cook does not start preparing a entree without a recipe. You would not take a long trip in your car without a roadmap. An article writer should not start an article without a well thought out outline.

What Is In An Article Outline?

Think of the outline as a blueprint of how to write a feature article. No matter where you have to stop, you can always jump right back in without losing your train of thought - just check the blueprint and you're back on track. It guides you in each step of your article and holds the thoughts you know will make your article creative and appealing.

The Outline Template

The greatest outcome from creating an outline is that will become a standard template to use over and over. In fact, it's really useful to do so - make the template once, and you only have to plug in answers from there on out. You'll be ready to breeze through writing any article. There are three parts to include when you're writing an outline template. Introduction: State your point, in two or three short sentences with virtually no detail.

Validation: Why should anyone care?

Tell them what value they'll get from reading the article. Preparation: What do they need to know to understand the rest of the article?

The Content:

Each paragraph should provide one concept at a time. Keep them to a few sentences and leave out confusing jargon. Explain how to use the information to further their experience or talk about a case story where this information was used towards a successful end.

The Conclusion:

State, in two or three short sentences, what you just talked about.

Call to Action:

Explicitly invite your readers to do something with what you've written.

Article Outline Example

Writing With An Outline Topic: Benefits of creating one outline for all articles.

Audience: Writers of articles for online marketing.

Introduction

Notes: The first sentence of the article, some way of attracting the interest of my reader is a great start. Provide a value statement for the reader to entice them to continue reading.

Content Notes: Transition sentence between the introduction and content.

Sub-Title 1: Sub-topic that describes how-to, explains one facet of my topic, etc. Attention grabbing first sentence. Research to get all the facts that will support and go against your point.

Sub-Title 2: More of the above.

Conclusion Notes: Summarize what you talked about. The conclusion will wrap up your points and drive in what you are saying in your article.

Final thoughts. Call to action. Using an outline may seem like a useless step but as you fill in the blanks you will see your article appear. Review and reread your ideas and notes to gain mastery and sufficient familiarity with your topic. This will make writing your feature article easier.

Writing Your Feature Article

Now it's time to get creative and add flesh to the meat you've jotted down. Write out your first outline and use it to create a draft. This may take more than one attempt but remember that it is called a draft for a reason. Your outline shall be perfected as each draft is written and this draft is meant for your eyes only so there's no reason to feel ashamed. As you go on, you will clearly see the bigger picture and write an article that will perfectly suit what is demanded of it. Always refer back to your outline. When you start going through your first draft to make edits, make sure that every sentence propels the article toward the conclusion you intended. Your outline will help you keep in track.

Your outline template will serve as your guide in writing articles. Trust and rely on this valuable tool. It will prove to be a very helpful tool in writing all of your articles. A carefully planned and fully prepared project would guarantee and ensure a problem and worry free procedure that can virtually go without any hassles. Creating an outline for all your articles will get you ready and breeze through writing an article in no time at all.

Toni Grundstrom is a freelance writer with emphasis in the Marketing field. With 17 years of experience I provide valuable content in all aspects of Marketing.

Click Here for additional information about article marketing and how it can make you money. This article may be distributed freely on your website as long as this entire article, including links and this resource box, are unchanged.

---