Most people start a paper with a list: it's comforting, it tells the writer he's going somewhere, it gives control by suggesting limits, and it doesn't take too much time. When the lists are too short or too long, however, the writer may feel frustrated. The paper feels wrong, somehow, even though it has obeyed the rules. Though the writer may bravely go ahead and try to pretend that writing will correct the problem later, he may be asking for trouble.

List-making needs the same balanced treatment of freedom and discipline described above as rough magic. Proceed steadily and quickly, putting down everything that might be important, and then examine the list. Are all the ingredients here? Okay. Do you need them all? (Well, maybe I don't need to put in that bit about my trip to Hawaii, after all, this paper is on Dostoyevsky....) Did I leave anything out? (Is my section on Hobbes too nasty, brutish, and short?)

After you've made your list and checked it twice, write your first draft with one item to a paragraph. It's okay if the paragraphs look long and unwieldy; before the rewrite you'll examine them for proper balance and consistency. For now, the list is telling you simply to put things down.

   Using The Paper Topic
   Rough Magic
   Grocery Lists
   Up Against The Wall
   Paragraph Outline
   Building On Evidence
   Traditional Outlines
   Starting With Last Paragraph