outliner
Nested list maker
An outliner is software for creating and organizing hierarchical lists—outlines with nested items that can be expanded, collapsed, and rearranged.
Writers use outliners to structure documents, planners use them for projects, and note-takers use them to organize information: I drafted the whole book in an outliner before writing prose.
The term also applies to someone who outlines: She's an outliner, not a pantser—distinguishing writers who plan from those who discover the story as they write.
Arrangement of interconnected parts
- hierarchyRanked authority structure
- organizationStructured group with purpose
- draftPreliminary version of text
- brainstormSpontaneous idea generation
notes · skeleton · framework · planning · composition · narrative · thesis · chapters
Hasty informal drawing
- diagramSimplified explanatory sketch
- mindmapRadial idea diagram
- flowchartDiagram showing workflow steps
- treeWoody perennial plant
branches · nodes · connections · layout · thumbnail · schematic · wireframe · whiteboard
Formal request document
- collapsibleAble to compress compactly
- expandableAble to be enlarged
- indentationInward cut or setback
- bulletFired metal projectile
node · export · sync · sidebar · pane · markdown · nesting · drag-and-drop
Broad general summary
- synopsisCondensed version of content
- abstractCondensed version of text
- condensationVapor turning to liquid
- précisConcise summary of text
briefing · rundown · recap · gist · distillation · encapsulation · digest · abridgment
structure
Arrangement of interconnected parts
- hierarchyRanked authority structure
- organizationStructured group with purpose
- draftPreliminary version of text
brainstorm · notes · skeleton · framework · planning · composition · narrative · thesis · chapters · sections
sketch
Hasty informal drawing
- diagramSimplified explanatory sketch
- mindmapRadial idea diagram
- flowchartDiagram showing workflow steps
tree · branches · nodes · connections · layout · thumbnail · schematic · wireframe · whiteboard · canvas
application
Formal request document
- collapsibleAble to compress compactly
- expandableAble to be enlarged
- indentationInward cut or setback
bullet · node · export · sync · sidebar · pane · markdown · nesting · drag-and-drop · zoom
overview
Broad general summary
- synopsisCondensed version of content
- abstractCondensed version of text
- condensationVapor turning to liquid
précis · briefing · rundown · recap · gist · distillation · encapsulation · digest · abridgment · synthesis
- rough outlineUnpolished preliminary plan
- chalk outlineDrawn perimeter marking remains
- plot outlineSummary of story events
- body outlinePerimeter of physical form
- book outlinePlanned structure of chapters
- bold outlinesThick boundary lines