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You will need two documents open at the same time, one on the left, one on the right. Let's say the manuscript in its current form is on the left. Now, on the right, jot down some notes about the...
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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/26764 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/26764 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
You will need two documents open at the same time, one on the left, one on the right. Let's say the manuscript in its current form is on the left. Now, on the right, jot down some notes about the first paragraph -- what's going on in this paragraph? Do that for each paragraph. Now close the manuscript and put your paragraph-by-paragraph analysis on the left, with a new blank document on the right. This time, look at several lines at a time and describe what's going on in that group. Through this successive reduction process, you will end up with an outline of what you have already written. I think that after you have done this a few times, you will be motivated to: # next time make the outline before you begin writing the story. It is soo much easier that way.