- 1). Examine the requirements and intention of the essay and brainstorm topic ideas by bearing in mind various genres of interest. Choose a broad category from the genre and narrow it down to a specific topic. Consider the various ways to approach this topic. For example, from the arts and entertainment genre a writer may select films as the focus of the essay, further narrowing the topic to Pulp Fiction as the movie of choice. Within the scope film, the writer selects "Symbols seen in Pulp Fiction" as the final topic and title of the essay.
- 2). Research the topic using authoritative sources, such as encyclopedias, journals, magazines and sites marked by .edu, .org or .gov at the end of the web address. Blogs may be used if published by a reputable source, CNN for example.
- 3). Write a tentative thesis based on your research. The ideal thesis forms an identity for the essay, focusing not only the audience but the author as well.
- 4). Outline the essay according to the thesis and research. Create a list of main points and sub-points to discuss within the article. Mark the main points with roman numerals and the sub-points with letters and numbers.
- 5). Write the introduction with a captivating lead sentence. It's important to understand that the audience has a limited attention span that looses focus if not hooked by the first two sentences. Immediately state the subject of the article and explain why it's important.
- 6). Draft the body. Write actively and avoid passive phrasing. For example, "Vincent vehemently refused to act on his feelings for Mia" is better than "Even though Vincent was starting to become attached to Mia, he knew he could not act on those feelings." Use nouns and verbs as opposed to adverbs and adjectives that serve to detract from useful prose rather than add to it.
- 7). Revise the thesis to match any new thoughts that formed throughout the writing process. The act of writing is a form of discovery and changes to the thesis are bound to occur.
- 8). Revise the introduction and body paragraphs accordingly to fit into the structure of the revised thesis.
- 9). Write the conclusion based on your revised paper. The ideal conclusion gives the audience closure and leaves them thinking about the essay afterwards. End with a call to action or memorable quote.
- 10
Create a work's cited page according to the appropriate style for the type of essay. Essays written in the social and behavioral science category abide by the American Psychological Association Style, while the Modern Language Association Style cites essays in the humanities. Other styles include the Chicago Manual of Style and the Columbia Online Style.
previous post