Elaborate Essay Writing Tutorial for Dummies

If you’re looking for a great essay writing tutorial, look no further. Our quick and easy essay writing guide doesn’t make assumptions—we start at the beginning and walk you through each stage of the process.

Make your thesis statement.

Before you do anything else—even before you create your outline for your essay, you’ll need to craft your thesis statement. Take your essay topic and write a one sentence “main idea” about it. Then, write a second sentence which lists 3-5 of the supporting ideas you’ll use to support your main idea. If these sentences are brief, you can combine them into one. If they’re a bit lengthy, it’s fine to leave your thesis statement as two sentences.

Create an Outline

Now it’s time to make your outline. Your introduction and conclusion need to be only rough sketches, because you will refine this after writing the rest of the paper. Then, create a heading for each subsequent body paragraph. Each one should be dedicated to one of your supporting ideas (those listed in your thesis). Beneath this heading elaborate briefly on the idea, and list several sources or supporting concepts you will use to flesh it out.

Write your body paragraphs

It may seem unusual to write your body paragraphs first, but it will save you editing time in the future. That’s because having your essay flow properly requires that your body paragraphs parallel the introduction and conclusion. However, you’re likely to make adjustments while writing the body paragraphs, which would require more extensive editing of the introduction and conclusion. Start each body paragraph by stating the main supporting point the paragraph will cover. Follow this by expanding and using your sources, or by listing the minor points related to the main idea. Then, write one or two sentences to segue to the next supporting idea.

Write your introduction and conclusion

Now that you’ve got the body of your paragraph done, write your introduction and conclusion paragraphs. Your introduction should contain your thesis statement and elaborate on the supporting points your essay should contain. In your conclusion, reword your thesis statement and summarize the contents of your essay thus far.

Edit and proofread

Now, go back and edit your essay. Look for awkward sentence structure or problems with flow. Once you’ve fixed those, it’s time to proofread. It’s a good idea to have a friend go over it with you looking for spelling and grammar mistakes.