Planning the essay
PLANNING THE ESSAY
The first step to writing an essay and possibly the most overwhelming to some writers is planning the essay. Writers usually have some idea of what they want to write about. The problem is that now they need to organize their idea and focus on what the essay will specifically be about.
Brainstorm about the general topic that was chosen to show an even more specific topic. Write down any key words or phrases that can be associated with the topic. One of the key words or phrases could lead to a more specific idea for an essay.
Once a topic has been chosen, the six basic questions can be asked to help supply information that will be given in the essay and could possibly even help discover an even more detailed topic for the essay.
The basic questions are: WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? HOW?
Now that the basic questions have been asked, they will need to be answered. Reading about the chosen topic and finding answers to the questions is the next step. Write down notes or summarize the information. If direct quotes or paraphrases are used, the source will have to be cited in the essay.
Answering the basic questions should have supplied ideas for the thesis sentence. The thesis sentence is the main idea of the essay. It is the first sentence that expresses what the essay is about and from what position the essay is written. The thesis sentence should not merely be about a general topic. It should clearly show the direction of the essay.
Drafting the essay
Proofreading and Editing the essay
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