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How to Write an Essay: Focus on a topic

The second step has two parts:

1. Choose a topic that interests you and can be covered in a paper of the assigned length

2. Draft a working thesis statement or research question to focus your prewriting/research

The Working Thesis Statement

  1. If the paper is to be based on personal experience or materials included in your coursework, draft a thesis statement:
  • Write the point you want to make about your topic, making it as focused, clear, and concise as possible
  • If you are having trouble coming up with a thesis, generate some ideas by using one or more prewriting exercises (see below) 
  • The thesis statement usually should NOT
    • Include wording like “I think” or “in my opinion”
    • Simply state a fact or tell the readers something they already know (e.g., Many states have reintroduced wolves)
    • Announce the topic (e.g., This paper will discuss the difficulty of charging an EV in Wyoming)
  • Be prepared to revise your thesis statement after you have generated information for the paper (e.g., you may make it more specific, take a different stand, or shift the focus)

The Research Question

  1. If the paper is to use research, begin by writing a question that your research will answer
  • If you don’t know much about the subject at this point, do some preliminary research (e.g., Google your topic, look in an encyclopedia, watch a short YouTube video, etc.) to find out what is interesting and significant about it
  • Ask a question that can be answered (e.g., not something like “What is the purpose of life?”)
  • Ask a specific enough question to lead you to sources containing detailed information, but not so specific that it can be answered in just a few words or sentences 
  •  Ask a complex enough question to require some analysis on your part; if you can't think of a complex question, consider beginning with a word like “How” or “Why” 

 

Prewriting Exercises

  • Freewriting
    • Set a timer for ten minutes. Write about your general subject without stopping and without worrying about spelling, grammar, etc., until the timer sounds
    • Copy the last sentence at the top of a new page. Set the timer for another ten minutes and freewrite
    • Repeat and read through all three pages to see if an interesting topic has emerged
  • Mind mapping/clustering
    • Write the general subject in the middle of a sheet of paper
    • Jot at least four related ideas in bubbles connected to the subject iin the middle
    • Add concepts related to these ideas in another level of bubbles; if no interesting ideas have emerged, add another level
  • Cubing
    • Picture a die with a different task written on each side:
      • Describe 
      • Compare 
      • Associate 
      • Analyze
      • Apply 
      • Argue for or against 
    • Apply each task to your subject 
  • Answering the reporter's questions about your subject (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How)
  • Listing: Jot down a list of everything you can think of that pertains to your general subject