An outline is a great way to organize your thoughts and research if you’re preparing a speech, an essay, a novel, or even a study guide. See step 1 to get started writing your outline!. Decide on your main goal. A paper can try to persuade the reader of your argument, inform the reader about a topic, or reflect on your personal experience. Choose one of these goals, along with the specific argument, topic, or experience the paper will be about.