Why bother creating an outline?
Outline reveals a dud thesis early on

The best reason for creating an outline is so writers find out fast whether the thesis they have chosen will work.

Making outlines because the teacher demands one is a waste of time — the teacher's time as well as the students'.

For a five-paragraph essay, writers need at least three points to start with, or they’re dead in the water.

Writers can’t be absolutely sure their thesis will work if they can write a three- to five-point outline about it, but they can be pretty darn sure it won’t work if they can’t write at least three points.

Why three points?

Coming up with at least three points right at the start is a good insurance policy. Four is even better. Five is an embarrassment of riches.

What usually happens to beginning writers (and sometimes to those of us with more experience) is that one of their original points fizzles. Perhaps it turns out that two of the points really overlap. Or maybe there is no evidence to support one of the points.

If writers start out creating an outline with three points and one fizzles, there may be enough material for a decent essay without that third point if the two remaining points are strong enough.

If writers start out with only two points and one fizzles they either have to get a new thesis or do some serious research quickly to find one or two new points for the body paragraphs.

No wonder students pull their hair and bite their nails! Supporting a thesis is tough!

There’s no virtue in many main points. In fact, having more than five main points is risky. Writers must be able to remember their points when they sit down to compose. Most people can remember three points without difficulty. Beyond three, it gets increasingly difficult for people to recall the points.

I know you're wondering how a 5-paragraph essay can have only 4 paragraphs. That is a really important issue that deserves a page or two.

For now, let me suggest an analogy. If you copy a dress pattern exactly, what you will get is a dress pattern. If you want a dress based on the pattern, you have to make at least a few modifications.

Outline points = topic sentences

For the kinds of expository assignments students do in middle school and high school, the outline must have a thesis statement and as many main points as body paragraphs in the finished piece.

In other words, if the assignment calls for a five-paragraph essay, the outline for that essay will have a thesis statement and three main points.

Each of the three main points of the outline will become the topic sentence of its body paragraph.

Note that the introduction and conclusion paragraphs aren’t included on the outline. When creating an outline, you focus all your attention on the body paragraphs.

For longer papers, like term papers, students usually have fewer main points than body paragraphs. That happens because longer papers develop more complex ideas. A single complex idea may take several paragraphs to develop.

Make plans instead of outlines

I have students make a topic-sentence outline prepared a special way to keep focus on the thesis. Instead of creating an outline, I have students create a writing skeleton™.

Changing my terminology takes the stress out of the whole business of creating an outline.

Planning is far less stressful for students than preparing outlines. Everybody makes plans. Weirdos make outlines.

If you use the phrase topic-sentence outline, be sure you add that it is an outline consisting of the topic sentences of paragraphs. Otherwise students may think you are referring to a sentence outline about a topic. Students misunderstand enough without your laying traps in their paths.

I do not require students to do outlining beyond the initial writing skeleton™. Instead, I teach students to plan their writing following a five-paragraph essay template that looks like a form for them to complete. It’s really an outline, but I never say that.

With little effort, students end up with detailed plans that lack only traditional numbering to be considered formal outlines. Nobody gets stressed out over creating an outline. Everybody’s happy.