Guide to Writing a Basic Essay
An
essay can have many purposes, but the basic structure is the same no matter what. If you follow a
few simple steps, you will find that the essay almost writes itself. You will be responsible
only for supplying ideas, which are the important part of the essay anyway.
These simple steps will guide you through the essay writing process:
Decide on your topic
Prepare an outline or
diagram of your ideas
Write your thesis statement
Write the body
Write
the main points
Write
the sub-points
Elaborate
on the sub-points
Write the introduction
Write the conclusion
Add the finishing touches
Choose a Topic for Your Essay
Topic Has Been Assigned
You
may have no choice as to your topic. If this is the case, you still may not be ready to jump
to the next step.
Think
about the type of paper you are expected to produce. Should it be a general overview, or a specific
analysis of the topic? If it should be an overview, then you are probably ready to move to the next
step. (Hint: If you are writing an essay for a history class, your assignment is more likely to be a
specific analysis of the topic.) If it should be a specific analysis, make sure your topic is fairly
specific. If it is too general, you must choose a narrower subtopic to discuss.
For
example, the topic "Louisiana History" is a general one. You must narrow it to something like
"Politics in North Louisiana" or "Indian Culture in Northwest Louisiana." The
narrower your topic,
the easier it will be to write a concise, detailed essay. (Hint: You can narrow a topic easily by
limiting the setting (time and space). For example, you can narrow
"Politics in North Louisiana"
to "Politics in Caddo Parish" or even narrower to
"Politics in Caddo Parish in the 1950s.")
Once
you have determined that your topic will be suitable, you can move on.
Topic Has Not Been Assigned
If
you have not been assigned a topic, then the whole world lies before you (or in your case the
whole state). Sometimes that seems to make the task of starting even more intimidating. Actually,
this means that you are free to choose a topic of interest to you, which will often make your
essay a stronger one.
Brainstorm Subjects of Interest
If
you have trouble thinking of subjects, start by looking around you. Is there anything in your
surroundings that interests you? Is there anything in your textbook that you would like to know more
about? Don’t try to evaluate the subjects yet; just write down anything that springs to mind.
Evaluate Each Potential Topic
If
you can think of at least a few topics that would be appropriate, you must simply consider each
one individually. The most important factor in choosing a topic is the number of ideas you have about
that topic, or in this case, the amount of information that is available to you about that topic.
Even
if none of the subjects you thought of seem particularly appealing, try just choosing one to
work with. It may turn out to be a better topic than you at first thought.
Before
you are ready to move on in the essay writing process, look one more time at the topic you have selected.
Think about the type of paper you are expected to produce. Should it be a general overview, or a
specific analysis of the topic? If it should be an overview, then you are probably ready to move
to the next step. If it should be a specific analysis, make sure your topic is fairly specific.
If it is too general, you must choose a narrower subtopic to discuss.
Organize Your Ideas
Once
you have researched your topic, you will need to organize the information you have accumulated. The
purpose of an outline or diagram is to put your ideas about the topic on paper, in a moderately
organized format. The structure you create here may still change before the essay is complete, so
don’t agonize over this.
Decide
whether you prefer the cut-and-dried structure of an outline or a more flowing structure. If you start
one or the other and decide it isn’t working for you, you can always switch later.
Diagram
Begin
your diagram with a circle or a horizontal line or whatever shape you prefer in the middle of the page.
1.
Inside the shape or on the line, write your topic.
2.
From your center shape or line, draw three or four lines out into the page. Be sure to
spread them out.
3.
At the end of each of these lines, draw another circle or horizontal line or whatever you
drew in the center
of
the page.
4.
In each shape or on each line, write the main ideas that you have about your topic, or
the main points
that
you want to make.
If
you are trying to persuade, you want to write your best arguments (Hint: most
history essays are
persuasive).
If
you are trying to inform, you want to write the major categories into which your
information can be
divided.
5.
From each of your main ideas, draw three or four lines out into the page.
6.
At the end of each of these lines, draw another circle or horizontal line or whatever you drew
in the center
of
the page.
7.
In each shape or on each line, write the facts or information that support that main idea.
When
you have finished, you have the basic structure for your essay and are ready to continue.
Outline
Begin
your outline by writing your topic at the top of the page.
1.
Next, write the Roman numerals I, II, and III, spread apart down the left side of the page.
2.
Next to each Roman numeral, write the main ideas that you have about your topic, or the main points
that
you want to make.
If you are trying to persuade,
you want to write your best arguments.
If you are trying to inform,
you want to write the major categories into which your information can be
divided.
3. Under each
Roman numeral, write A, B, and C down the left side of the page.
4.
Next to each letter, write the facts or information that support that main idea.
When
you have finished, you have the basic structure for your essay and are ready to continue.
Compose a Thesis Statement
Now
that you have decided, at least tentatively, what information you plan to present in your essay,
you are ready to write your thesis statement.
The
thesis statement tells the reader what the essay will be about, and what point you, the author,
will be making. What do the main ideas and supporting ideas that you listed say about your topic?
Your
thesis statement will have two parts
The first part states
the topic:
North
Louisiana politics
Red River
Oil
The second part states the
point of the essay:
have
a rich and varied history
was
both a blessing and a curse to north Louisiana
brought
dramatic changes to Louisiana
Once
you have formulated a thesis statement that fits this pattern and with which you are comfortable,
you are ready to continue.
Write the Body Paragraphs
In
the body of the essay, all the preparation up to this point comes to fruition. The topic you have
chosen must now be explained, described, or argued. Each main idea that you wrote down in your
diagram or outline will become one of the body paragraphs. If you had three or four main ideas,
you will have three or four body paragraphs.
Each
body paragraph will have the same basic structure.
1.
Start by writing down one of your main ideas in sentence form.
If
your main idea is "reduced freeway congestion," you might say this: Public transportation
reduced
freeway
congestion.
2.
Next, write down each of your supporting points for that main idea, but leave four or five lines
in between
each
point.
3.
In the space under each point, write down some elaboration for that point. Elaboration
would be facts,
explanation,
or discussion.
Supporting Point
Commuters
appreciated the cost savings of taking public transportation rather than driving.
Elaboration
Less
driving time meant less maintenance expense, such as oil changes. Of course, less driving
time
meant savings on gasoline as well. In many cases, these savings amounted to more than
the
cost of riding public transportation.
4.
If you wish, include a summary sentence for each paragraph.
This
is not generally needed, however, and such sentences have a tendency to sound stilted,
so
be cautious about using them.
Once
you have fleshed out each of your body paragraphs, one for each main point, you are ready to continue.
Write the Introduction and Conclusion
Your
essay lacks only two paragraphs now: the introduction and the conclusion. These paragraphs will give
the reader a point of entry to and a point of exit from your essay.
Introduction
The
introduction should be designed to attract the reader’s attention and give him/her an idea
of the essay’s focus.
1.
Begin with the attention grabber.
The
attention grabber you use is up to you, but here are some ideas:
Startling information
This
information must be true and verifiable, and it doesn’t need to be totally new to your readers.
It
could simply be a pertinent fact that explicitly illustrates the point you wish to make.
If you use
a
piece of startling information, follow it with a sentence or two of elaboration.
Anecdote
An
anecdote is a story that illustrates a point.
Be
sure your anecdote is short, to the point, and relevant to your topic. This can be a very
effective
opener
for your essay, but use it carefully and avoid clichés.
Summary Information
A
few sentences explaining your topic in general terms can lead the reader gently to your thesis.
Each
sentence should become gradually more specific, until you reach your thesis.
2.
If the attention grabber was only a sentence or two, add one or two more sentences that
will lead the
reader
from your opening to your thesis statement.
3.
Finish the paragraph with your thesis statement.
Conclusion
The
conclusion brings closure to the reader, summing up your points or providing a final perspective
on your topic. All the conclusion needs is three or four strong sentences which do not need to
follow any set formula. Simply review the main points (being careful not to restate them exactly)
or briefly describe your conclusions about the topic.
Add the Finishing Touches
You
have now completed all of the paragraphs of your essay. Before you can consider this a finished
product, however, you must give some thought to the formatting of your paper.
Check the order of your paragraphs
Look
at your paragraphs. Which one is the strongest? You might want to start
with the strongest paragraph, end with the second strongest, and put the weakest in the middle.
Whatever order you decide on, be sure it makes sense.
Check the instructions for the assignment
When
you prepare a final draft, you must be sure to follow all
of the instructions you have been given.
Are your margins correct?
Have you titled it as directed?
What other information
(name, date, page numbers etc.) must you include?
Did you double-space
your lines?
Check your writing
Nothing
can substitute for revision of your work. By reviewing what you have done,
you can improve weak points that otherwise would be missed. Read and reread your paper.
Does it make logical
sense? Leave it for a few hours and then read it again. Does it still make logical
sense?
Do the sentences flow
smoothly from one another? If not, try to add some words and phrases to help
connect them.
Transition words, such as “therefore” or “however” sometimes help if they are used
appropriately
(cause/effect or condition) and not overworked. Also, you might refer in one sentence to
a
thought in the previous sentence. This is especially useful when you move from one paragraph
to
another.
Have you run a spell
checker or grammar checker? These aids cannot catch every error, but they might
catch
something you’ve missed.
Is your documentation thorough,
accurate, and properly formatted?
Once
you’ve checked your work and perfected your formatting,
you essay is finished. Good job!
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