As we near the end of the semester, you may feel overwhelmed by all the essays you need to write for your classes. The worst part is figuring out where to begin, but I’m here to help! I’ve come up with four manageable steps that work for me every time. While everyone has a unique writing process, they just might help you through the long hours of writing and revising.
1: Take notes on your sources
Find the sources you want to use, making sure you meet the requirement for the amount and quality. Write out the citation for each source, and then take notes below that on the parts of the source that are relevant to your paper. Copy down quotes you want to use, and don’t forget to jot down the page numbers for each piece of evidence! You can also leave notes on what you want to elaborate on in your own words.
2: Split evidence based on organization
Now that you have all your evidence in one place, sort it based on the main ideas you want to cover in the essay. Personally, I like to color code each piece of evidence, with a different color representing each main paragraph! You now have the beginnings of an outline, with a list of evidence under each topic sentence. This can change, so don’t worry if you’re not satisfied with these groupings yet!
3: Write a thesis
Now that you have the framework for your paper, come up with a thesis that encompasses all of your topics. This should be easier than starting with a thesis because you truly know what your paper’s about now. If you need to, sort your paragraph outlines in a way that flows to fit the thesis.
4: Put it all together!
Now that all the hard work’s over, this is the satisfying part! Fill in the framework you’ve created by connecting the evidence with your own elaboration. Make sure to refer back to the thesis and topic sentence to make sure you don’t stray off topic. Add an intro and conclusion, and then all you have to do is edit!
If you break the process down into pieces, it can be a lot less overwhelming. Hopefully, you’ve found some of these tips useful and feel a little more confident about tackling that essay. Good luck!