The Essay Process: Topic Selection, Brain Storming, and Thesis Writing

Qualities of a Good Essay

Development of a single idea into a unified essay with good paragraph and sentence structure.

UnityIt is important to present one unified idea or

theme to the audienceEvery paragraph needs to fit into the whole

theme or ideaA good check: Can all of your ideas be written

as one sentence? If yes, then your essay is unified. If no, then you have too many different ideas.

Your idea can be complex, with many parts, but make sure all the parts connect back to the main theme.

Coherence

Coherence means understandable. Is your essay understandable? Does it follow your idea in a logical way? Is it orderly and well organized?

Organic relationshipsOrganic means ‘to grow naturally’. It

is something that is not forced, it is based on a logical coherence

Example: American Government

Paragraph 1: Introduction. The American Government has three parts that help to balance power and keep each part responsible.

Paragraph 2: One branch of the American government is the executive branch. It is headed by the President who helps to enforce the laws.

Paragraph 3: Another branch of the American government is the Legislative branch. It is made of the Senate and the House of Representatives who make the laws.

Paragraph 4: The last branch of the American government is the Judicial branch. It is made up of judges and courts with the Supreme Court as the most important. They decided if the laws are legal according to the Constitution.

Example: Learning English

Paragraph 1: In order to effectively learn English, a student needs to learn how to read, write and speak effectively.

Paragraph 2: Reading is the first skill to learn English. It will help the student learn vocabulary and sentence structure.

Paragraph 3: Writing is another skill important to learning English. It will help the student practice communicating in English and using the correct sentence structure.

Paragraph 4: Speaking is also important to learning English. It will help students communication with native English speakers and express their ideas verbally.

Coherence part 2

2. Devices to Make Relationship ClearSometimes a complex idea needs help to

show how it connects together.Some examples of how relationship maybe

emphasized by:The use of synonymous key words. The use of context to explain a processThe use of time sequence

Emphasis

There are three ways to emphasis your point:1. Emphasis by proportion

When writing a persuasive essay, the majority of your essay will be writing about your own arguments, but you may spend a little time writing about opposing arguments.

2. Emphasis by RepetitionRestating your position can be helpful (but don’t

over do it!)3. Emphasis by Position

By putting your argument at the end of the essay, it will be the climax and the most important.

Other Styles

1. Originality

2. Distinction in Style

Topic Selection

You can find ideas to write about from two places, inside yourself and outside yourself.

What am I interested in?

What do I like or dislike?

What makes me happy or sad or angry or excited?

What do I feel anxious about?

What do I like to do?

What would I like to do?

What are my dreams?

Other Questions

You can also ask the question Why and How to explore and find the answers to.

Develop your essays by answering all of these questions:

Who?

What?

When?

Where?

Why?

How?

Brainstorming

You can write a list of ideas of things that you are interested and things that are associated with it.

For example: Lets brainstorm about traveling.

What are some areas that you need to research and learn more about?

Looping

Sometimes continuous writing can help you write. Take five minutes and write without stopping. Do not look up words. Do not correct your mistakes. Just write whatever comes to mind.

Ready… GO.

When you are done, then summarize what you wrote in one statement and that could be a topic for an essay.

Cubing

Take an idea and look at it in six different ways.

Describe it.

Compare it.

Associate it.

Analyze it.

Apply it.

Argue for or against it.

Thesis Statements

Good thesis statements have a few important factors:Is is specific enough that you can

write a good essay about it?Does it talk about one idea?Does it have strong and persuasive

language?Is it easy to comprehend?

Examples

Bad: Zhengzhou is the most populated city in Henan and is very crowded. Do you think this is positive or negative?

Bad: Zhengzhou is the most populated city in Henan and is very crowded, but it is a good thing.

Why?

Good: It is good that Zhengzhou, the most populated city in Henan, is very crowded, because there are lot of potential customers if you want to open your own store.