You have been given a writing assignment, and you don't see how you are going to be able to write a longer assignment on the topic you've been given. You want to get good grades on your work, but you just don't have the confidence when it comes to writing. Do not worry! You are like the majority of kids your age. This section will take you through some basic strategies for essay writing. While this does not cover all types of writing you will be asked to do, the writing process is similar regardless of whether you are doing a narrative essay, expository essay, persuasive essay, or other writing types not covered in this manual. 

This page will be divided sequentially by steps. Note, however, that very rarely will you complete the essay from beginning to end in one sitting. People who do this are typically very talented writers and are not the norm. Often even the most talented writers hit a point in their education when they can no longer do this. Instead, try this approach:

Pre-Writing:

Step 1: Begin with this knowledge: Good writing successfully relays information or a point.

Step 2: Read the assignment over thoroughly. What does the prompt ask you to discuss in your essay? Are there two or three parts to the question?

Step 3: Write your thesis statement. Once you've determined the point you will make in your essay, write it out. If the word "thesis" throws you off. Just remember, the point of your essay is your thesis statement. (Click for a more in-depth explanation: thesis statement)

Examples of Steps 1, 2, and 3

Step 4: Plan and Organize. Once You know what the point of your essay is, keep it in front of you. It will probably end up being the last line of your introductory paragraph. For now, it is your guiding light as you put your ideas and content together. The student in this sample might choose headings or a list. Others prefer outlining or webbing. However you choose to plan and organize, make sure you know where you're going before you begin composing.

Step 5: Add Specific Details. Make sure they "show" rather than "tell."

Examples of Steps 4 and 5

Step 6: Compose! Write! It's time! 

By this point, the hardest part is done--kind of. For many writers, planning is the most tedious. Once they successfully plan, writing comes easily. For others it is just the opposite. Writing a good attention-getter to get the introduction going, for example, may not be necessary to get your point across, but it increases your chances that your audience will read on. 

During the composition process, some writers choose to skip this step, opting to come back to it. They instead write their thesis, write the body paragraphs according to their plan, and worry about their introduction and conclusions last.

Step 7: Revise. Ask yourself the following questions:

     1. Do I have a point?

     2. Did I back it up?

     3. Are my details general (vague) or specific? Do they "show" or do they "tell" the reader my point (showing is what you want)

     4. Do I stay on topic? Do I end with the same main idea I began with?

     5. Is there anything missing? What?

     6. Does this make sense to other readers? More than 1? 

     7. Does this sound like me? 

Step 8: Edit.

     1. Did I spell check?

     2. Did I proofread for grammar and wording problems?

     3. Did I read the paper aloud? (The ear can hear clunky writing better than the eye can see it)

     4. Did I format it using MLA Formatting? MLA Formatting.pdf

     5. Did someone else proofread it?

Regarding both steps 7 and 8:

Always revise before you edit. Revising means you're making changes to the content in your essay. You might be adding, cutting, or re-arranging. This can create new grammatical errors or misspellings. Because of this, completing the editing of your paper after your revisions is more efficient because you will not have to repeat steps.

Example: Here is an essay in its completed form. Credit and thank you to Alina Chanthamontry.

Essay Sample #1.pdf