This part is so important, it should be in a paragraph by itself. Start with an anecdote that is relevant to the idea you are going to communicate in this essay. Your audience needs to be involved on an emotional level in order to consider your point of view. So tell them a story. Really, a story--an event that actually happened. Jump right into real life with your FIRST sentence. Get them interested in you and show them that you are trying to relate to them on a personal level. Show them that you understand where they stand, that you are capable of looking at a situation from their point of view. Avoid saying anything general or opinionated at this point in the paper because your audience will not know what you mean. They do not even know what you are about yet. You must speak to them--but remember, you may not use any form of the word "YOU" in your paper.

This part and the next two should make up the second paragraph of your paper. Imagine your reader asking, “Who are you? Why should I care? How is this topic important to me and others I care about?” Give background information that your audience needs to know up front. State your purpose, explain your qualifications related to cultural background, work experience, or personal experience, and always make the audience feel that you are leading them to an important choice, a choice that matters to them. You cannot persuade unless you care about your audience and how they might perceive you. This part of the paper should naturally follow the story you tell for "reaching out."

Main points should not be stated IN your thesis, like a list of different ideas, but should mentioned BEFORE your thesis, like stages in a logical argument. They are provable claims to persuade the reader that your thesis statement is true or believable. There should be a logical transition between your main points; they should work TOGETHER to prove ONE argument: your thesis. Stating your main points here is a way to set up your paper for the audience so that your thesis statement does not sound as if it comes out of nowhere.

Make a statement that you think is both true and persuasive. It should direct the audience toward a choice or a way of thinking that they do not already agree with. So your thesis cannot be a statement of fact or a self-evident truth. A great thesis will be a single idea--it brings the topic to focus and tells the reader your position. To get a thesis that works with your main points, you will have to do some trial and error.

The topic sentence starts the paragraph and represents one of your main points. For a transitional hook into the next paragraph, ask yourself, “what is the relationship of THIS main point to the NEXT?” The answer is the transition at the START of the FOLLOWING paragraph.

Illustrate using concrete examples from real life, statistics, interview results, quotations from texts and experts, personal stories, logical deduction, etc.

No writer should simply give evidence. Every paragraph should have a closing sentence or two to show that the main point has actually been proven. No main point is self-evident, so proof must be demonstrated AFTER evidence is given.

Sometimes, one of your middle paragraphs can acknowledge a different point of view that questions your thesis. First, you state the other point of view and explain how it might be true. Then disagree, offering NEW evidence in response to this opposing point. But NEVER mention a counter-point in the beginning of your essay.

Clarify the point of your essay but do not simply rewrite your thesis; instead, comment on why your thesis is important. Discuss the significance of your essay. Now that you have proven your thesis, why is it relevant? Why does it matter? The WORTH of your thesis is not self-evident.

Save some recent developments or information to add body to your conclusion. Keep the attention of your reader. Do not use a bunch of general conclusion cliches to finish your essay.

Discuss the benefits of taking your position; give a warning or call for action; suggest a solution or another problem. Or you can ask questions that make the reader think more.