Say what you are writing or speaking about and put in every point you have, in any order. Hemmingway sorts them into an outline: headings in the order your reader or listener needs them, the points that belong under each, and a note on what the opening and the close should do.
The points stay yours. It groups and orders them and adds none, and anything that does not belong is set aside under "Left over" for you to cut or keep.
What makes an outline useful
- Empty your head first. Half-thoughts and single words are fine. Sorting them is the tool's job.
- Say how long the finished piece is. Five minutes of talking holds three or four points. An outline with nine is telling you to cut.
- Order by what the audience needs. What they must know first goes first, even if you thought of it last.
- Keep each heading to one line. If a heading needs a paragraph to explain it, it is two headings.
An example
Asked for the outline of a five-minute talk welcoming new volunteers at a community garden, from the points where the tools are kept, Wednesday and Sunday sessions, sign the book when you arrive, never use the strimmer alone, who to message if you cannot come, and tea at eleven, an outline along these lines is what to expect:
Opening: welcome them and say what the five minutes will cover.
1. How the week works: Wednesday and Sunday sessions; tea at eleven.
2. When you arrive: sign the book; where the tools are kept.
3. The one safety rule: never use the strimmer alone.
4. If you cannot come: who to message.
Closing: repeat the safety rule and ask for questions.
Essay, article or talk
- An essay starts from a thesis and gives one line to each paragraph. The thesis statement generator helps with the first part and the essay generator with a draft. If it is for school, check the rules on AI there and do the writing yourself.
- An article starts from what the reader came for. The blog post generator can draft from your notes.
- A talk needs fewer points than you expect and says the main one twice. For the words, there is the speech generator and a guide on how to write a speech.
Common questions
Is the outline generator free?
Yes. Hemmingway has a free trial with no card needed, and this tool opens it with your answers filled in. You sign up once, and the outline is written in the chat.
Can it make an outline for an essay?
Yes. Put the essay question as the subject, your argument and evidence as the points, and "essay" as the kind. Your points come back grouped into paragraphs in the order the argument needs.
Will it sound like AI?
It is built not to. Hemmingway-1, the model behind it, came first on sounding like a person in our own blind test, Human-Likeness. It still helps to read it aloud and change any word you would not use.
Can it write the full piece from the outline?
Yes, in the same chat. Ask for one section at a time and give it your notes for that section, which keeps each part close to what you mean.