Outline - What We're Doing and Why
This lesson is part of the orientation series for potential newline authors. If you've landed on this page - and you're interested in creating a book or course -- you might consider starting back [at the author application page](https://www.newline.co/write-a-book) for context.
Lesson Transcript
[00:00 - 00:07] Okay, so why should we outline? The reason is an outline makes writing easier. I want to talk about how we do outlining and there's a few ideas that I want you to keep in mind.
[00:08 - 00:15] So of course, you already have a picture in your mind of the course you want to write. But I find that as I sit down to write what happens is I struggle with making it concrete.
[00:16 - 00:25] What can happen is what seems so clear when we were starting the project is in fact pretty fuzzy when we sit down to write. So as long as you follow this methodology, you will never struggle with writer 's block.
[00:26 - 00:39] This process I'm going to explain guarantees that you'll always know what the next step is and you'll always know what to write about. So this is a huge advantage while you're writing because well, you're not constantly going to struggle at your desk and you know getting up and cleaning your office and stalling.
[00:40 - 00:50] When you follow this process, you'll know exactly what to do next and you'll be surprised at how fast you can write this whole course. This course is going to take a couple of months, but it's going to generate revenue and reputation for you for years.
[00:51 - 01:01] So follow this process and you'll find that you never have writer's block. One of the main ideas that I want you to keep in mind as you're writing is that we want to take a holistic approach that goes beyond the official API docs.
[01:02 - 01:09] We want to show how all of the pieces fit together. The API docs already exist in the world. So why is someone buying this course?
[01:10 - 01:19] Why are they not just reading the API docs and then writing their app? Part of the problem that I see is that the API documentation authors, they tend to draw a really small circle around their area of responsibility.
[01:20 - 01:40] So for example, if I write an HTTP request library, you know, the author, they might show in the docs how to use the library, how to make different types of HTTP requests. But those docs aren't necessarily going to show someone how to architect your app, how to wrap the request in a service, how to load async data in your app or deal with errors or organize the data flow or how to test it.
[01:41 - 01:50] All these things are different real world parts that are required to actually make an HTTP request work within your app. And the API docs for a library are never going to cover that.
[01:51 - 02:06] So what we're going to try to do is provide realistic projects with examples that give us the opportunity to teach how all the pieces fit together. So instead of the outline looking like some ordered collection of language features like you'd see in a manual or something that mimics the API docs.
[02:07 - 02:17] Instead, we're looking for opportunities to teach how to quickly get started writing real projects. One of the things we always say is we're going to show you every step from empty folder to deployment.
[02:18 - 02:31] Because there's all sorts of useful things that we can share and teach people that almost never show up in the API docs. How to organize your code logically or how to organize it on disk or style guides, common language or build tool idioms.
[02:32 - 02:38] These are all things that we know because we do it at work. And I think that's really a common theme of what we're trying to do.
[02:39 - 02:49] These patterns, when you've been using a language or a framework for a long time, everybody who uses them professionally already knows these things. You just sort of internalize it. But someone who's just getting started, they have no idea.
[02:50 - 02:59] And it's these little gaps that we're trying to fill. We're trying to teach someone the shortest path from being a beginner programmer or a beginner in this technology to becoming intermediate.
[03:00 - 03:05] So once we have our direction, we can start flushing out the actual outline. The outline process looks like this.
[03:06 - 03:17] One, do a broad topic research, and then we'll narrow the topics down and probably order them. But then three, we'll do a really deep topic research and we're going to look at everything on this topic on the internet.
[03:18 - 03:24] Step four, we'll do a rough outline. Step five, then specify what you will learn in each chapter.
[03:25 - 03:34] And then step six, pick the example projects for each chapter. Then after that, our outline is basically done, but we'll start to get feedback from folks before we move on to implementation.
[03:35 - 03:41] So I've given you an overview of the process. In the next video, I'm going to walk you through more concrete instructions in the research process.
[03:42 - 03:49] Most blog posts out there are not very good. We, on the other hand, are going to give folks detailed, holistic instruction on how to build their apps.
[03:50 - 03:53] And a good research process is our first step.
[00:00 - 00:07] Okay, so why should we outline? The reason is an outline makes writing easier. I want to talk about how we do outlining and there's a few ideas that I want you to keep in mind.
[00:08 - 00:15] So of course, you already have a picture in your mind of the course you want to write. But I find that as I sit down to write what happens is I struggle with making it concrete.
[00:16 - 00:25] What can happen is what seems so clear when we were starting the project is in fact pretty fuzzy when we sit down to write. So as long as you follow this methodology, you will never struggle with writer 's block.
[00:26 - 00:39] This process I'm going to explain guarantees that you'll always know what the next step is and you'll always know what to write about. So this is a huge advantage while you're writing because well, you're not constantly going to struggle at your desk and you know getting up and cleaning your office and stalling.
[00:40 - 00:50] When you follow this process, you'll know exactly what to do next and you'll be surprised at how fast you can write this whole course. This course is going to take a couple of months, but it's going to generate revenue and reputation for you for years.
[00:51 - 01:01] So follow this process and you'll find that you never have writer's block. One of the main ideas that I want you to keep in mind as you're writing is that we want to take a holistic approach that goes beyond the official API docs.
[01:02 - 01:09] We want to show how all of the pieces fit together. The API docs already exist in the world. So why is someone buying this course?
[01:10 - 01:19] Why are they not just reading the API docs and then writing their app? Part of the problem that I see is that the API documentation authors, they tend to draw a really small circle around their area of responsibility.
[01:20 - 01:40] So for example, if I write an HTTP request library, you know, the author, they might show in the docs how to use the library, how to make different types of HTTP requests. But those docs aren't necessarily going to show someone how to architect your app, how to wrap the request in a service, how to load async data in your app or deal with errors or organize the data flow or how to test it.
[01:41 - 01:50] All these things are different real world parts that are required to actually make an HTTP request work within your app. And the API docs for a library are never going to cover that.
[01:51 - 02:06] So what we're going to try to do is provide realistic projects with examples that give us the opportunity to teach how all the pieces fit together. So instead of the outline looking like some ordered collection of language features like you'd see in a manual or something that mimics the API docs.
[02:07 - 02:17] Instead, we're looking for opportunities to teach how to quickly get started writing real projects. One of the things we always say is we're going to show you every step from empty folder to deployment.
[02:18 - 02:31] Because there's all sorts of useful things that we can share and teach people that almost never show up in the API docs. How to organize your code logically or how to organize it on disk or style guides, common language or build tool idioms.
[02:32 - 02:38] These are all things that we know because we do it at work. And I think that's really a common theme of what we're trying to do.
[02:39 - 02:49] These patterns, when you've been using a language or a framework for a long time, everybody who uses them professionally already knows these things. You just sort of internalize it. But someone who's just getting started, they have no idea.
[02:50 - 02:59] And it's these little gaps that we're trying to fill. We're trying to teach someone the shortest path from being a beginner programmer or a beginner in this technology to becoming intermediate.
[03:00 - 03:05] So once we have our direction, we can start flushing out the actual outline. The outline process looks like this.
[03:06 - 03:17] One, do a broad topic research, and then we'll narrow the topics down and probably order them. But then three, we'll do a really deep topic research and we're going to look at everything on this topic on the internet.
[03:18 - 03:24] Step four, we'll do a rough outline. Step five, then specify what you will learn in each chapter.
[03:25 - 03:34] And then step six, pick the example projects for each chapter. Then after that, our outline is basically done, but we'll start to get feedback from folks before we move on to implementation.
[03:35 - 03:41] So I've given you an overview of the process. In the next video, I'm going to walk you through more concrete instructions in the research process.
[03:42 - 03:49] Most blog posts out there are not very good. We, on the other hand, are going to give folks detailed, holistic instruction on how to build their apps.
[03:50 - 03:53] And a good research process is our first step.