Creating my outline for this research paper was a lot more challenging than I expected, especially because I had to switch some of my sources halfway through. That forced me to rethink large parts of my structure and reorganize my ideas, which is a big reason why my outline ended up being submitted later than planned, and now this post as well. Even though that part was stressful, it ultimately helped me understand my topic better and what I really want to argue.
When I was choosing the format for my outline, I decided to go with a structured and numbered format that so I can easily see where my core argument is. I started with the broader issue of stigma and silence around menstruation, then moved into scientific understanding, and finally focused on literature (poems) as lived experience. After that I worked toward combining those ideas and connecting them to a larger feminist lens. Organizing it the way I did helped me see how each section supports my main argument instead of just listing ideas randomly.
While outlining, I realized that my topic is really about the balance between knowledge and lived experience. At first, I was mostly focused on the scienctific aspect of menstration and womens bodies, but putting everything into an outline made it clear that my strongest argument comes from combining both. Science explains what is happening in the body, but literature shows what it actually feels like to live through those experiences. That realization helped me shape my thesis in a much clearer and more meaningful and personal way.
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