In the case of many students, we learn to write a five-paragraph essay with a rigid outline. You may be learning to write formal writing, already have taken an interest, or have written essays for longer than you can remember. This article is a tool to, hopefully, help you enjoy writing your essay. So, settle into any cozy environment of your choice, and let’s get cracking. Here is the skeleton of my writing process, including some tips and tricks I have learned as an 11th grade writer.
Firstly, a typical five-paragraph essay contains an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. Your outline may look like this:
- Introduction
- Introductory sentence:
- Thesis statement:
- Paths:
- First path
- Second path
- Third path
- Conclusion statement (rephrase thesis):
- Body paragraph 1
- Introductory sentence (transition):
- Path thesis 1
- Evidence
- Supporting detail
- Supporting detail
- Closing statement (rephrase path thesis):
- Body paragraph 2
- Introductory sentence (transition):
- Path thesis 2
- Evidence
- Supporting detail
- Supporting detail
- Closing statement (rephrase path thesis):
- Body paragraph 3
- Introductory sentence (transition):
- Path thesis 3
- Evidence
- Supporting detail
- Supporting detail
- Closing statement (rephrase path thesis):
- Conclusion
- Transition sentence
- Restate thesis
- Restate paths
- First path
- Second path
- Third path
- Conclusion statement (The clincher):
Next, it is important to recognize that in spite of a rigid outline, there are ways to make your writing more interesting to you and your readers. Try writing your thesis statement, then your paths, and work outward. In the outline, you do not need to write each path in a full sentence. In fact, most writers put their three paths into one sentence. When writing your thesis statement, you want to include an opinion of your own that can be supported by evidence in your text or your sources.
Introductory Paragraph
The job of the introductory paragraph is to grab the reader’s attention and let them know what to expect in the following body. To captivate the reader, you can creatively introduce your topic in the introductory sentence.
Tip: Try embedding a surprising fact, quotation, or descriptive language in the topic sentence.
Body Paragraph
Often, the introductory sentences for your body paragraphs will provide a transition to the specific topic this paragraph discusses. Some call this sentence the topic sentence. An introductory sentence could look like this:
Introductory sentence 1 (transition): Lois Lane is an award-winning journalist for the the Daily Planet and Metropolis newspaper, as well as the love interest of Superman and his alter ego, Clark Kent.
Ideally, your paper would have already mentioned Superman, or be about Superman, in order for this particular sentence to work. But, you get the idea. Change the topic, frame your paragraph, and set the tone. This intro sentence is a fact which describes the topic of this body paragraph.
Extending this topic, here is an example of a path thesis:
Path thesis 1: Lois Lane is an essential character in Superman’s character arc.
Conclusion Paragraph
Now, the conclusion. You’re so close! My language arts teacher used to call the end of a paper the clincher. The clincher is a persuasive and firm statement which is the final push you make as a writer to convince the reader of your thesis. The concluding sentence, which is a restatement of the thesis, is not the same as the clincher. Thus, the conclusion statement (the last statement of the paper) can be two sentences long if you want to include a clincher. With a clincher that is clearly written and intriguing, your paper will be stronger.
Looking Ahead
Congratulations! You have successfully completed your five-paragraph essay. As you continue writing for enjoyment or for school, consider some of the tips and tricks in this article. This writing process can be applied in higher-level writing as well, with more in-depth body paragraphs, and more variation in the structure of the piece.
Many well-known authors use outlines to begin their writing.
There are many other outline structures to utilize in your writing, which can make the process interesting if it ever seems dull. Get curious, and follow your process.
Tip: Once you are comfortable writing five-paragraph essays, vary up your provocative statements. Incorporate more evidence into your piece, have one body paragraph more in-depth than the others, or explore the ways in which you might switch around parts of the “outline” above. If you so wish, you can step completely out of the outline format into a more personalized essay structure.
https://writingcenter.gmu.edu/guides/outlining
Food for Thought
“Easy reading is damn hard writing. But if it’s right, it’s easy. It’s the other way round, too. If it’s slovenly written, then it’s hard to read. It doesn’t give the reader what the careful writer can give the reader.”
Maya Angelou (Clear, James, The Daily Routines of 12 Famous Writers, https://jamesclear.com/daily-routines-writers)