How to Write an Outline: Help! My Paper Is Due in Four Hours and
I Can't Get Started! Avoid academic writer's block with the help
of an outline You've come up with the perfect thesis or essay
topic—you've done plenty of research and know everything that
there is to know about your topic—and yet, you can't seem to put
pen to paper. You have plenty of great thoughts and ideas about
where you want your essay to go, but what you really need is a
plan of action. This is where an outline comes in. An outline is
simply a general plan of the material you want to discuss in
your paper, broken down in a clear and concise manner. An
outline is a great tool to organize your thoughts, find the most
logical order to present your material, and connect your ideas
to one another. Believe it or not, spending an extra 20 or 30
minutes creating an outline will enhance your understanding of
the topic and make the essay writing process much easier.
Outlines are so helpful in fact, that you may even find some
professors require an