Reverse Outline
A reverse outline maps what each drafted paragraph actually does and how that function serves the document’s purpose.
反向大纲在初稿完成后记录每段实际在做什么，以及它如何服务整体目的。
Method
- Write the document’s purpose or thesis at the top.
- For each paragraph, state its main idea or function in one short line.
- State how that paragraph connects to the purpose.
- Read only the outline and test order, flow, repetition, gaps, and irrelevant sections.
- Add, remove, split, combine, or reorder paragraphs before sentence-level editing.
A reverse outline does not need to match the original outline. Its value is that it exposes the structure the draft actually produced.
Connections
- Parent process: Writing Process
- Audience logic: Reader-Centered Writing
- Source module: AE26 Module 4-Writing in the University