Narrative Essay

Persuasive Essay

Expository Essay

Descriptive Essay

Argumentative Essay

Compare and Contrast Essay

Problem Solution Essay

Write down everything that comes to mind as you can always narrow those topics down later

Use clustering or mind mapping to brainstorm and come up with an essay idea. This involves writing your topic or idea in the center of the paper and creating bubbles (clouds or clusters) of related ideas around it

Brainstorming can be a great way to develop a topic more deeply and to recognize connections between various facets of your topic

Don't jumble too many ideas in each paragraph or the reader may become confused

Ensure you have transitions between paragraphs so the reader understands how the paper flows from one idea to the next

Fill in supporting facts from your research under each paragraph. Make sure each paragraph ties back to your thesis and creates a cohesive, understandable essay

Revise for clarity, consistency, and structure

Support your thesis adequately with the information in your paragraphs. Each paragraph should have its own topic sentence. This is the most important sentence in the paragraph that tells readers what the rest of the paragraph will be about

Make sure everything flows together. As you move through the essay, transition words will be paramount. Transition words are the glue that connects every paragraph together and prevents the essay from sounding disjointed

Reread your introduction and conclusion. Will the reader walk away knowing exactly what your paper was about?

Revise for technical errors

Check for grammar, punctuation and spelling errors. You cannot always count on spell check to recognize every spelling error. Sometimes, you can spell a word incorrectly but your misspelling will also be a word, such as spelling "from" as "form"

Another common area of concern is quotation marks. It's important to cite your sources with accuracy and clarity. Follow these guidelines on how to use quotes in essays and speeches

You might also want to consider the difference between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. Quoting is reserved for lines of text that are identical to an original piece of writing. Paraphrasing is reserved for large sections of someone else's writing that you want to convey in your own words. Summarizing puts the main points from someone else's text into your own words. Here's more on When to Quote, Paraphrase, or Summarize