Some people can sit down and write a stirring draft right off the seat of their pants.  More often, though, people who go that route end up wasting time fixing mistakes caused by their lack of planning and preparation.

If you want to avoid getting in the same boat, we highly recommend working with an outline.  As a blueprint for your document, it allows you to structure your ideas and content, such that you can see how it flows before you even begin your draft.  That way, you can catch potential pitfalls before you waste your time writing 2,000 words for something you’ll realize you’re better off scrapping.

Grammar and other writing mechanics aren’t the biggest problem for many writers and students.  We already have powerful grammar programs that can take care of fixing that area.  Ask any professor who regularly checks student essays about the most common writing problem and they’ll likely point to poor organization as the primary are most papers need improvement on.

With an outline, you can prevent many writing problems that your favorite grammar software can’t handle.    Gaps in logic?  You can discover them right from an outline.   Errors in organization?  Caught easily.  Poor structure, inadequate evidence and weak points of argument?  Chances are, you’ll easily make those out right from the outline.