How To Write formal outline

Instructions

1. • 1
     Compose a sentence that describes what your book is about. In nonfiction, this sentence is synonymous with a thesis statement (eg, "This book examines why women in Southeast Asia have a higher pain tolerance than their American counterparts."). In fiction, the sentence you write identifies the book's core conflict (eg, "Miriam has 48 hours to prevent her brother from marrying the wrong woman.").
   • 2
     Divide the content of your book into three sections. Whether it's nonfiction or fiction, every book is structured around a beginning, a middle and an end. Assign these broad sections the Roman numerals I, II and III just as you probably did in school when you were learning how to create outlines for essays. Give each of these three sections a title or short phrase that summarizes the broad content of that section.

     In nonfiction, for instance, it might look like this:

     I. Methodology

     II. Case Studies

     III. Conclusions

     In fiction, the categories might be:

     I. Miriam learns who Harry is marrying

     II. Genevieve endeavors to silence Miriam

     III. The day of the wedding arrives
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   • 3
     Create subcategories under each of the Roman numerals and assign them the letters A, B, C and so forth. Depending on the level of detail you want to construct, you can then move to further breakdowns of 1, 2, 3, etc. and a, b, c, etc. When you have completed the outline, review each of your entries to ensure that they relate back to your original statement of intent, and that you've stayed on message. In her title, "The Scene Book," author Sandra Scofield emphasizes that each event in a work of fiction should have a definitive reason for its existence, a structure that advances the plot and a tempo that alternates between escalating the tension and allowing the readers to thoughtfully contemplate what they've just read. In nonfiction projects, each element should not only flow smoothly into the next but should embrace a structure in which simple concepts are introduced first and transition to more challenging material.
   • 4
     Rewrite the entries from your fiction outline into a narrative format if you're planning to send it to a publisher along with your query letter. Unlike a nonfiction outline in which all of the topics you've identified can stand as section and chapter titles and be submitted in exactly that form, a fiction editor wants to see an outline that reads like a sequential synopsis of events. Ideally, it should take no more than three paragraphs for this narrative overview and follow the same structure of beginning, middle and end.
   • 5
     Identify the placement of any supplemental content in your nonfiction project. This could include maps, photographs, translation guides, glossaries and appendices. During the writing process, including these elements in your outline will help ensure that you don't leave anything out.

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