Getting Started

Staring at blinking cursor? a blank white page?

Consider starting with a brainstorm or prewriting strategy. This document gives you some ideas about the different prewriting strategies you can use.

MLA Style Template.mp4

Formating your document MLA style

Unfortunately, Google Docs doesn't start out in MLA style.

You need to change the font to Times New Roman, the font size to 12, and make sure the documents line spacing is doubled. If your document is going to end up multiple pages, you'll need to add a header. And then there's also the heading, which includes your name, your instructor's name, the name of the course, and the date. Phew, that's a lot. But don't worry, I made a video that shows you how to get it done.

Sometimes it helps to turn on off the computer screen and get out a piece of paper. Using a literal blank slate, allows you to map different ideas, make connections without worrying about formatting, and see how different topics fit together.

Using an Outline

An outline can help you map out the main ideas of your writing project before you actually start writing. For many writers, it can help organize thoughts and set up a plan for what's next.

The document above is a sample outline for a 5-paragraph essay.

When you click on it, it will force you to make a copy (so feel free to type away on it).

Using an Outline

The video above discusses a few tips and tricks for creating and formatting an outline. You'll be able to see different tools that Google docs allows you to use that makes outline creation much easier.

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