Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with outline

Outline format in Pages '08?

oneirodynia — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:52:12 -0800

How do I make an outline in Pages '08? I'm trying to make the basic (I., A., 1.) sort of outline. Attempting to use inspector to make a list, but all I can do is make the first level and move it around. I'm unable to make sub -points show up at all.

How to write a compelling pitch for a reality show?

Elle Vator — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 17:38:37 -0800

Dear Hivemind: Where can I find examples of treatments for Reality TV shows? I have experience writing treatments for film, so I'm already on the right track in terms of describing character or writing synopses... but I'm a bit at a loss as to what points must be hit, in what proportion and in what sequence in a Reality TV Treatment. I've worked in reality before and I'm fascinated by the genre, so I know what goes into a show similar to this. That said, I also know that I've never written a treatment for this format and I could really use some guidance.

Here's how I'm picturing it:
-logline
-expansion on logline (short paragraph)
-nuts and bolts stuff (length of season, length of episode, basic production premise, audience/market brief... too much? not enough?)
-background of the concept (establishing main characters and reasons why the show is being made and will be awesome)
-more detailed breakdown (consisting of...?)
-> season synopsis
-> episode breakdown
-> overall result of the first season and possibilities for subsequent seasons
-team bios
...all about ten pages of well-spaced text (with the first page created as a stand-alone one-sheet) before we add pictures.

I know I'm on the right track, kinda/sorta... but my uncertainty is having a negative effect on my creative process. Me? I'm a writer who's been given a great opportunity and a fascinating concept which I've been consulting on for a while. I'd rather not go boldly in the wrong direction on this, if you know what I mean! I think what I need is to see is some sample documents and/or get pointed to a book or article that breaks it down how the document is formatted in a general way.

Tips? Answers? Illumination of any sort? I'd really appreciate it. :)

Help us organize all this info

edjusted — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 10:18:54 -0800

How do we organize status reports from our sales reps? I'd like to find a happy compromise between not making it too onerous to the reporter and not making it too onerous for the people reading the reports. More inside... Currently, we get weekly status reports on customers/projects from various people. The reports are in the form of a long-*ss e-mail that goes something like this:

1. project 1: blah blah blah
6/30: I called client and discussed blah blah
7/2: client asked for samples
7/3: we did artwork to show the client

2. Acme customer: blah blah blah
5/20: we did this
6/7: followed up

etc.

The people doing the reports keep adding on to each section, and it's getting really unwiedly. Lots and lots of scrolling to wade all the info.

Any ideas on how to make these easier to digest? Maybe an open-source project manager web site or something? Maybe just have people do the report in some sort of outline-form in Word? Or maybe even some sort of blog set up or something?

Ideally what I'd like to do is:
1. see each project title and the summary. e.g. "project a: we're trying to do this and this" or "customer x: they sell this and that in new york"

2. See *only* the most current update

3. Have the option of going back and reviewing past updates to see what's gone on before.

Now that I think about it...something similar to a RSS reader would work. That is, let's say I had a subscription to 20 "blogs"...I could see which postings I haven't read yet, and I would want the option to go back and look at previous postings. Substitute "project/custom" for "blogs" and that just might be our solution.

Software Reccomendations: Writing a Paper While Keeping An Outline

rossination — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 12:19:44 -0800

Need toms help finding a good program or method for maintaining an outline structure within an essay. As you can tell, I'm having a hard time describing my problem. Basically, I want to be able to write a paper in an outline format, and then expand that outline out into paragraphs. At any time, though, I'd like to be able to go back to the outline "view" of the paper and be able to do things like drag sections around, reorder them, etc.

It seems like Omnioutliner, Word, or Pages should include something like this, but they don't seem to (I'm on a mac, obviously). Basically, I'm just looking for some embedded structure to be preserved when I go from outline -> double-spaced MLA style paper.

I'm not writing dissertations here, either. This is mostly for simple, easy-peasy 5-10 page papers.

Any ideas? Obviously, free or cheap programs are appreciated. I'm seeing some of these types of features in "novel writer" programs like Ulysses and Scrivener, but those still seem like overkill for the small scale that I'm working at. Plus, they're a bit more than I'd like to spend (even Scrivener). But, if you can convince me that it's worth a second look, go for it.

[Also, should this go in "writing & language", or "computers and internet"?]

How to generate a TOC in Word.

craven_morhead — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 07:42:24 -0800

How can I automatically create a table of contents in MS Word? There's got to be a better way... I have over a hundred pages of notes for my classes (first-year law school). They're outlined using MS Word's default bullet outline setup, with some case headings in bold and others in italics. I figured out (somewhat ham-handedly) how to set up a TOC, but it seems like I have to flag each line that I want to appear in the TOC manually. Is there any way to have the left-most tabbed line in the outline show up in a linked TOC?

What if it's not a novel I want to write?

sandra_s — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 11:14:36 -0800

I have found a ton of information both here and other places about the outline of a NOVEL, but not other types of books. What would be the general structure of an outline for a book that is: 1/3 history, 1/3 case-study/interviews/current applications, 1/3 how-to and NOT a novel. Useless information included inside :-) XXXXX = The subject

I intend to write a book about XXXXX (which is a certain legal, non-mainstream, wildly misunderstood, often confused with something else, social subject and/or activity). I have done my research, compiled my sources, and have all the information ready to assist me in writing the book. I need to create an outline as a blueprint to build the book by prior to writing.

Through many years of practicing XXXXX and an actual love of XXXXX, it turns out that I inadvertently happen to be somewhat of an expert in the history of XXXXX, along with the practice, technical aspects and logistics of XXXXX as well.

I have had a rather popular online presence dedicated to XXXXX for almost six years, been involved with it for almost fifteen years and am called on frequently to provide advice or my opinions on the subjects dealing with XXXXX. It has been suggested to me on numerous occaisions that I should write a book about it. My research shows that there is not currently, and as far as I can tell has never been, a book published dealing solely with XXXXX. In passing, it has been mentioned in other books, but not as the book’s sole subject matter.

The subject matter will appeal to an audience that is a niche of a niche, so whether or not a book about XXXXX is commercially viable is not my concern. If I could self-publish even one copy and hand it to someone to needs/wants the information, I would be happy. I hope it would be successful, but have no real aspirations in publishing.

Please restrict comment to how a book such as this should be structured. Thanks in advance!

Do you have an example of a well designed alphanumeric outline?

McGuillicuddy — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 16:16:05 -0800

Have you seen the redesigned Presidential Daily Brief memo featuring "terrorist determined to attack America"? (Do you have the link?) I'm looking for the same type of design examples for alphanumeric or numeric outlines. I. I have an ugly outline.
A. I need a better one.
1. More reader-friendly.
i. More focused on graphic design than information layout
II. Online examples most prefered.
A. Source code would be cool.
B. Books are ok too
III. Can you help?
A. Thank you.

Virtual Note Cards

al_fresco — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 22:27:28 -0800

OS X: I'm looking at outliners/organizers for the Mac, and can't seem to find just what I need. I'd like a virtual box of index cards that I can use to make an outline/lesson plan. Here is the ideal way that it would work:

I'd like to be able to store information in little chunks (like virtual index cards) that I can sort by keyword/subject
I'd like to be able to create new cards either by drag 'n' drop or through a Service (create new card from selection) to import text from other apps
I'd like to be able to drag 'n' drop cards into any order to create a set that I can then print (onto index cards), or
I'd like to be able to create an outline with my sorted set

I've found apps that are great for outlining (OmniOutliner, et al) or good for creating cards, but the drag "n" drop set creation is harder to find. I imagine the ideal would be multiple windows, with the main card database in one window (or a drawer), with the ability to drag cards into a new window/document to create the new set.

I have OmniGraffle Pro, and I've had limited success getting what I want out of that, but it is really best for titles or smaller chunks of information, and not subjects that are more fleshed out. I looked at SuperNotecard, but 1) it's a Java app, 2) it seems more geared toward creative writing (rather than presentation/lesson planning, and 3) it hasn't been updated in a while.

Does anyone use anything like this, and if so, can you point me in the right direction? Maybe you have a workflow that uses a combination of apps that is workable. Cheaper is better, of course. Thanks!

Book Outline Examples

NotMyselfRightNow — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 13:08:58 -0800

Prompted by this question the other day, where can I see some examples of the outlines authors (fiction or non) put together before they start writing their books?

outline maps of countries

Vidiot — Fri, 20 May 2005 10:35:11 -0800

I'm looking for a source of simple outline maps of the countries of the world, showing only their shapes. Any ideas?