The Process of Writing an
Essay
Regardless of the discipline you are
writing in:
Determine the expectations of the writing
assignment
Determine audience and purpose
Formulate thesis
Gather evidence and conduct research
Introduction Context & •Create Hook
Claim •Establish background context for
writing
•Give thesis
•Preview evidence/organization
•Springboard
Body Evidence •Transition from prior section
Paragraphs •Single, clear claim for section
•Strong details supporting claim
•Mini-conclusion on claim
Conclusion Synthesis •Restate central claim
•Review evidence
•Apply evidence and claim to context to
create broader significance
Introductions vs. Thesis Statements
Introductions: general, provide background
information, at least one paragraph in length,
help set up a writer’s argument
Thesis Statements: specific, precise, usually one
or two sentences in length, focus on paper’s
purpose, list writer’s position and reasons for it,
found in the introduction
Introductions
A concise, engaging, and well-written
introduction will start your readers off thinking
highly of you, your analytical skills, your writing,
and your paper. This impression is especially
important when the audience you are trying to
reach (your instructor) will be grading your work.
You must capture your reader’s interest.
Your introduction should contain a
thesis that will assert your main
argument. Your introduction should give
your reader a sense of the kinds of
information you will use to support your
argument along with the organization of
the body paragraphs.
Think of the introduction as a road map
for your reader to follow. Once the
introduction has been read, your reader
should not be surprised with any
information found in the body
paragraphs
Effective Introductions
Think about the question(s) you are trying to
answer; don’t ask questions, answer them
Write your introduction last; it may be easier to
write your body paragraphs and argument first so
you will know what to state in your introduction
Start with a hook (a quote, interesting fact,
anecdote, etc.)
Make sure your first sentence says something
useful!! Write with confidence, and avoid statements
like “In this paper, I will argue that Frederick
Douglass valued education.” It is more convincing
to say “Frederick Douglass valued education” than
to tell us you are going to say he did.
Ineffective Introductions:
Examples of what does NOT work.
1. The place holder introduction.
Essentially, this is weak and contains
several sentences that are vague and don't
really say much.
2. The restated question introduction.
Don’t simply restate what the essay prompt
asks you to do. You must answer the
question asked.
3. The Webster's Dictionary introduction. Do not
begin an essay with a definition from a dictionary;
anyone can look a word up and copy down what
Webster says. Develop your own definition of the term
in the specific context of the assignment, or if you use
a definition from one of the sources you've been
reading for class.
4. The "dawn of man" introduction. This kind of
introduction generally makes broad, sweeping
statements about the relevance of this topic since the
beginning of time. It is usually very general and fails to
connect to the thesis.
Example: Since the dawn of man, slavery has been a
problem in human history.
Thesis Statement
The Thesis statement present your argument to the
reader. Your thesis directly answers the question
asked in the prompt. It is an interpretation of a
question or subject, not the subject itself.
Depending on the length of the essay, the thesis
statement should be one or two sentences in
length. It is very specific, and it explains to your
reader what the body paragraphs will contain along
with the evidence you use to persuade your reader
the logic of your interpretation.
How is your thesis? Ask yourself…
Do I answer the question? Re-read the essay
prompt; it may help you focus.
Have I taken a position that others might
challenge or oppose? If somebody could
disagree with your thesis, then you have
started your argument. If not, rethink it.
Is my thesis statement specific enough? If
your thesis contains words like "good" or
"successful," see if you could be more
specific: why is something "good"; what
specifically makes something "successful"?
Does my thesis pass the "So what?" test? If a
reader's first response is, "So what?" then you need
to clarify or connect to a larger issue.
Does my essay support my thesis specifically and
without wandering? If the body of your essay
introduces new ideas not found in your thesis, you
need to rewrite. Always reassess and revise your
writing as necessary.
Does my thesis pass the "how and why?" test? If a
reader's first response is "how?" or "why?" your
thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for
the reader.
Body Paragraphs
1.Topic Sentence
Formulate a controlling idea that relates back to reasons
given in the thesis. This idea will direct the paragraph’s
development.
2. Explain the controlling idea
Explain how your reader should interpret the information.
Explain your thoughts about the topic/idea.
3. Provide multiple examples for support
Provide support or evidence for the idea/explanation. This
establishes a relationship between the main idea and the
explanation.
4. Explain and analyze the examples
You must explain why each example is relevant to the
controlling idea. It shows the reader why you chose the
examples for your support.
5. Complete the idea and transition into the next paragraph
Tie up any loose ends in your paragraph and make sure
your reader will understand the paragraph’s importance.
Transition the reader to your next development in the next
paragraph.
Transitions signal relationships between ideas; they
establish logical connections between paragraphs; they
function as signals for the reader so he/she knows what to
do with the given information
Conclusion
DO NOT: begin with in “conclusion” or “in closing”;
state the thesis for the first time; introduce a new idea;
end with a rephrased thesis statement; make appeals
that are out of sync/tone with the rest of the paper;
include evidence/support that should be in the body
DO: ask yourself ‘so what?’ to figure out the
importance of your topic; refer back to the
introduction; synthesize and show your reader how
your argument, examples, and ideas fit together;
include provocative insight
Editing and Revising
Once you have a completed draft, you must
edit and revise it. Begin revisions with :
thesis, organization, focus, body
paragraphs, support, etc.
Revise your essay for proper grammar,
punctuation, sentence structure and
mechanics, format requirements, citations,
etc.
