Hazel Stephenson taught me way back in 1956 how to outline in her English class for high school seniors. I consider the lesson still as one of the most important in my life.
I rely on outlining so much that I am forever on the lookout for outlining tools. I have recently come across a very comprehensive [though a bit out of date] list of outliners. I thought I already knew most of the outliner programs, but this list uncovers many I’ve never heard of.
I have already written a post about the general structure of computerized outliners. They take several basic approaches: single-pane, like old-fashioned paper-based outlines; double-pane, the most common format for computers; multi-pane, which offers even more power. My personal favorites are:
- Single-pane: Storyview [and I'm just beginning to explore the outline function in TextMaker, a component of SoftMaker Office. Incidentally, StoryView has just recently received a thorogh and highly complimentary review, which considers it "among the best creative writing software," citing its outlining features as a particular strength.].
- Double-pane: Keynote — see my review
- –Multi-pane: WhizFolders Pro
Looking over the list, however, I fine several others I like and use for specialized tasks. ListPro helps me with checklists that I use over and over, such as steps to take before I head to the airport. My major discovery from the list, however, is a software that I used to depend on back in DOS-days: Maxthink. Frankly, I’d forgotten about it and am delighted to see that it’s still alive. I’ll be checking it out again.
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