Step 1: Decide what you want to say

No matter if you are writing a personal essay, a research paper, or a literary essay, you will need to have an opinion or point of view on your topic. So decide on the ideas that matter enough to you to develop and then you can get started!  

This idea is your thesis (the concept you want to argue about in your essay)

Example: Pizza is the best of all fast food.

Step 2: Now prove you're right

Great, you have something to say! You have come up with an interesting idea about what you are reading/studying. Now you need to strengthen your idea with arguments. Find 3 or 4 arguments (reasons why what you are saying is true). The amount of arguments you will need in your essay depends on your professor and his or her expectations. Three or four is a good starting point.

Example: Pizza is the best fast food because: it's cheap, it offers a variety of choices, and it's good.

Step 3: Provide evidence

Now that you have your three arguments, find writing essay company that helps you support those arguments. It's like a trial. You can suggest that someone is guilty because they were at the scene of the crime, but if you can't prove it, your argument can't stand up.  

Example: The argument that pizza is cheap is supported by the fact that: (1) it is an inexpensive meal because the ingredients are cheap; (2) it is cheap to buy (about $20) compared to other fast foods such as Chinese food (closer to $40); (3) a pizza can feed a lot of people for very little cost (the $20 pizza can feed four people, so you don't need to order so many).

Step 4: Summarize your evidence

You now have three arguments that all have evidence to support them. Now you need to conclude your paragraph by explaining how your evidence and this argument support your thesis.

This is called your explanation.

Example: As you can see, pizza is convenient and affordable for people who can't cook, making it a great fast food option.  

Step 5: Introductions are like funnels!

Now that you've found your arguments, you need an introduction. The reason we don't start with the introduction is because you can't write it without knowing what you're introducing. Introductions can be difficult, but it can help if you design your introduction as a funnel. You want to start with a broader, general topic at the beginning and then narrow it down to something