Writing Assignment: Outline A Logical Argument

by Randy Murray on August 20, 2010

If your goal is to become a better writer, you need to practice. Here’s your writing assignment for today: create an outline plotting your plans for world domination.

One of the most critical tools in expository writing is the outline. The outline is the skeleton, the structure of your argument laid bare. If you plan on persuading or convincing your readers of a particular course of action, the validity of an idea, or just to urge them to purchase your product or service, you need to clearly see your argument before fleshing it out in prose.

Professional writers use outlines as the specifications and blueprint of projects that they write for clients. The outline allows for rapid agreement between the client and the writer and the test standard for the final deliverable.

In today’s assignment, write a short outline of your plans for world domination. You may base your argument on either product or villainy. Be sure that for every sublevel of outlined point there should be at least a matching point. For example, for every 1 there is a 2, for every A a matching B, and so on.

Here’s my example:

1. Introduction

a. The current global population is fragmented by significantly disparate experiences and points of view.
b. When experience and POV are shared, common themes resonate and joint action is possible
c. World domination can be achieved by creating universally accepted and used perspectives and a common set of experiences

2. Products can bridge geopolitical boundaries and the weight of history.

a. Popular products quickly appear in even the remotest part of the planet.
b. Owners of popular products establish connections with other product owners and convey special status upon one another.
c. Non-product owners quickly choose either to become product owners or form societies of competing product ownership, breaking previously held and historical relationships.

3. The ideal product to gain universal ownership would combine communication, commerce, and entertainment.

a. Communications enables coordinated joint action.
b. Commerce capabilities provide revenue to sustain the project and the ability to reward or punish users.
c. Entertainment keeps the users compliant.

4. The competitive and evolutionary model calls for a multiple-generation approach.

a. Introduce and create domination with a product focused strictly on entertainment.
b. Transition to a combined entertainment and communications product.
c. Complete domination with full product incorporating advertising revenue model and full commerce capabilities

5. Current Status Of Our Project

a. Our project is in the mid point of the second phase of domination.
b. With the current fourth generation of our communication and entertainment device we will begin to phase in revenue generation and enable visual communications, coordinating joint action.
c. World domination is on schedule for our planned 10th generation device.

You may leave your completed assignment in the comments section below.

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