Write the main point you want to make in your essay in one sentence at the top of a page. If you are unable to summarize it in one sentence, re-think and refine your topic until you are able to. The sentence should have a subject (what you're talking about) and a predicate (what you're saying about it.)
Write section headings stating the different aspects of your subject that you intend to describe. For example, if your overall topic sentence is "Jed Smith changed my life," your sections could include "How I Met Jed," "Jed's Personality" and "The Day My Life Changed." In standard outline format, each of these sections would be labeled with a capital Roman numeral -- I., II., III., IV., V. and so on.
Put at least two sub-sections under each section heading, describing the things you want to say about that part of your topic. This could include descriptive details or the effect something had on you. For example, the sub-sections under "Jed's Personality" could include "Slow Talker," "Deep Thinker" and "Sense of Humor." In standard outline format, these lines are labeled with capital letters -- A., B., C., D. etc.
Write a neat final copy of your entire outline onto a clean sheet of paper or type it in a word processor.