9 Outlines (+AI Prompt) That Makes Writing 90% Faster
Write your first draft in 30 minutes
Have you ever felt lost when trying to write something?
You know where you’re supposed to go, but you don’t know how to get there. It’s like being in a foreign country, trying to get to your hotel with only vague descriptions of it on your head.
Sometimes, it works. Hurray! But often, you waste hours and hours circling the wastelands of your thoughts.
This is what makes writing painful, that sense of being lost. But it’s not just painful, it’s also wasteful— hours spent tearing your hair out in frustration is hours spent not building an audience, not making money, and not growing your business.
This is what outlines are for.
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Outlines are awesome
They guide your thinking. They are like helpful signposts that point you to your destination. Outlines help because:
You get a clearer picture of the final product.
They reduce cognitive load of starting from scratch.
You feel less intimidated by starting (solves “writer’s block.”)
Ever since using outlines, I’ve drastically sped up my writing time from 3 hours, to 1 hour. That’s 3x as fast. That’s not even counting AI. If you use well-crafted prompts, you can create a first draft in 30 minutes (I’m going to insert the exact prompt you can use in the end.)
I’m sharing the ones I use most here — I’m confident that this will help your writing. Enjoy.
1. Problem, agitate, solution (aka my personal favorite)
A tried and tested classic. Use this when your topic is clear-cut — ie, when you know exactly what the problem is, and how to solve it. Otherwise, it’ll just be wishy-washy.
Problem: How is it affecting the audience? Does it cost them time, money, energy?
Agitate: Make the problem bigger. Stir up their emotions. What should they feel? How many layers of suck sandwich are they eating?
Solution: Offer relief by presenting a clear, well-defined solution. Discuss how this gives them back their time, money, and energy.
This works best if the problem you present directly resonates with your target audience.
2. Question, importance, unconventional solution
Use this if you want to generate controversy in a specific topic, by presenting an unconventional viewpoint.
Question: What is it that you want to answer? What mystery do you want solved?
Importance: Make the question “larger,” say why readers should care.
Unconventional solution: Offer relief by stating the solution to their problem. The secret sauce? Make sure it’s solution they were not expecting.
For this to work, make sure the perspective you offer is indeed unique. Otherwise, you’re just writing a position paper.
3. The Hero’s Journey
Perfect for storytelling. Use this when you want to tell a valuable story that keeps readers hooked.
Everyday: Start with the ordinary world. What’s life like before the story begins? Readers need a baseline to relate to.
Disruption: Introduce the call to action. What shakes the normal? Highlight the stakes—what could be lost?
Setting Out: Show the decision to take action. What obstacles arise as the journey begins?
Meeting Mentors: Introduce helpers or guides. Who provides wisdom, tools, or insight to keep going?
Facing the Dragon: Build up to the climax. What’s the biggest challenge your character (or reader) faces? Show the struggle, then the victory.
This works best if your goal is to inspire readers to undergo a transformative process. Use hypotheticals, or dramatized versions of your own experience.
4. Lesson learned
When you want to share personal growth or wisdom, this is the way to go.
What Happened: Start with the situation. Be specific and relatable.
What You Realized: Share the "aha!" moment. What clicked for you?
Key Takeaway: Connect the lesson to your readers’ lives. What are the key takeaways? Why should they care? How does it help them?
Use this for reflective, persuasive, or motivational content. It resonates deeply because you’re connecting your story to readers’ struggles.
5. Past, present, future
This is a time-based structure that makes abstract ideas more tangible. Basically a more punchy and versatile use of the Hero’s Journey.
Past: Set the stage. What was the situation like before? What challenges or opportunities existed?
Present: Show where you (or the audience) are now. Highlight the change—what’s improved, or what still needs work.
Future: Paint the vision of what’s next. What’s possible if they take action? Be aspirational yet realistic.
This outline simplifies complex topics by grounding them in time. Use it for analysis, progress reports, or motivational pieces.
6. Listicle: How-to, best of, guide to.
When you need clarity, speed, and engagement, nothing beats a listicle. The best thing? They all pretty much have the same outline.
Introduce the problem
Make them care about it
Discuss the benefits of solving the problem
Present the solutions
Step/tool 1
Step/tool 2
Step/tool 3
Conclude by reiterating how they solve the problem.
Listicles are powerful because they’re easy to digest. Use them to provide quick value.
And yes, this newsletter is in listicle format. Bite me.
7. STAR (Situation, Task, Approach, Result)
This is a format I co-opted from interview guides.
Situation: What was the context? Frame the problem or need clearly.
Task: Define the goal. What was expected, or what needed fixing?
Approach: Explain what you did to solve it. Highlight strategies or key steps.
Result: Share the outcome. Use metrics, specific benefits, or tangible results.
This one’s a neat little trick for case studies, testimonials, or showing off achievements.
8. Framework breakdown
Do you have a unique idea, or framework? This is how you present it.
Problem: Introduce the problem or gap your framework solves.
Benefit: Tease the framework and its value.
Components: Break it down into clear components (with subheadings or visuals).
Dive into each component: Explain each component with examples or practical insights.
Application: Conclude by showing how to apply the framework. Present examples or resources that make this easier.
This way, you can simplify complex frameworks into actionable chunks for your readers.
9. Call-out + Solution
This is when you challenge a flawed but otherwise mainstream idea, approach, or rule. Then, you introduce a better way to think about it.
Status quo: State the prevailing popular belief.
Challenge: Explain why it’s wrong, imperfect, or limiting.
Present: Introduce your alternative perspective.
Solve: Discuss how this solves the problem.
Practical steps: Discuss how readers can apply this alternative perspective.
Challenging popular ideas often generate a lot of interest — that’s the main draw.
However, this is also exactly why you must be very careful about these assumptions. Make sure you present value, and aren’t needlessly antagonizing anyone.
Plug-And-Play Outline Prompt Technique
These 7 outlines will already massively improve your writing speed. But we’re not done yet, oh no. After all, our goal is to write 10x better.
With this prompt, you can generate a full article draft that you can then work on to refine — preferrably with the Hourglass Method.
I’m trying to write about [general topic].
Talk about it for [audience and demographic information], who want to [general goal]. Specifically, please discuss [specific goal]. In your [word count and form] answer, please discuss the following points:
**[insert the outline you want]**
Use the writing voice of this sample, but don’t copy other things from it:
[insert ideal writing sample]
Follow the examples. Write as concisely as possible. Write in a way that is accessible to [ideal reading level]. Ensure high Flesch scoring. Ensure that you use second person POV (“you”) appropriately. Ensure idea flow, ensure sentences flow from general main ideas, to specific supporting ideas. Minimize enumerative sentences with too many commas, focus and develop on one idea. Ensure engagement.
I must say, though, you need to use this prompt responsibly. Don’t focus on it too much. Rather, focus on the actual content flow behind the prompts.
I talk more about that philosophy here in this Medium story.
That’s it for now.
What do you think about the outlines + prompt? Tell me in the comments, or reply to this email.
This is a great piece of information James. I knew about the STAR framework and the Hero's Journey, but the other frameworks and their context of application are very helpful to know. Thank you for sharing them!