Johnny Tremain Question
Suggestions for Writing an Essay

When dealing with a complex question, read it over several times. Try to break down long and complex questions into their individual parts. You can make your work much easier by creating a list of 3-4 short questions that you need to tackle instead of dealing with one huge paragraph of questions.

Brainstorm on this list of questions and think over how you would respond to each one. Think about which course readings deal with these questions and consider what evidence you could draw upon in these texts to respond to the questions, making use of your reading notes. Jot down your thoughts as you brainstorm.

Organize your thoughts in the form of an outline. Be sure that you are focused on answering the questions on your short list from step 1. Each division of your outline should concern itself with one facet of your argument. Weed through the evidence from your brainstorming to choose passages from the texts that will best answer your questions.

To begin the writing process, format the page per the instructions on the assignment sheet.

Write an introduction that ends with a thesis statement. Although many people mistakenly think of an introduction as fluff or “B.S.,” a solid introduction is critical to framing your argument. It also should lead smoothly to the thesis of the paper, which generally is set as the last sentence of the introduction. The thesis is the single most important sentence in your paper. It should state the main argument of your paper—which should be a direct response to the questions in the prompt—and it should provide the structure of the paper (summarizing each paragraph’s topic sentence) for your readers. The introduction should not be any longer than 3/4s of a page in a 3-4-page essay assignment.

After the introduction, you will need to write body paragraphs, where you present each of your main points as well as the evidence that backs up those points. Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that directly states the one argument of the paragraph, which should be one facet of the argument made in the thesis. Also, in your topic sentences after the first body paragraph, you might work to provide transitions (i.e. – “While the first author believes __________, the second author contends that….” Or, “In addition to Point A, the document demonstrates Point B.”). These are optional, but they relate the new paragraph to the previous paragraph and help to guide the reader along in his or her reading. Then you need to provide evidence and your analysis of the evidence, which should lend support to the main argument of the paragraph, as expressed in the topic sentence. If necessary, wrap up your thoughts at the end of each paragraph to remind the reader of the main point of that paragraph. Each paragraph should be between ½ and ¾ of a page in length.

A good, basic approach to writing a paragraph is known as the “1-2-3-2-3-(4)” method. In this system, each number represents 1 sentence in the paragraph, assigning it a particular function:

1 – Topic Sentence – This is always the first sentence in the paragraph, and it should clearly state the one single argument that you will prove in the paragraph.

2 – Evidence – Provide a piece of evidence that supports the claim you make in the topic sentence. This could be a quote, a statistic, a summary of an author’s argument, a video’s content, etc. You should provide a citation for this evidence.

3 – Analysis – This sentence explains how the evidence that you provided (#2) proves the argument that you made in the topic sentence (#1).

2 – Evidence B – This is a second piece of evidence that supports the argument made in your topic sentence.

3 – Analysis B – This sentence explains how the second piece of evidence you provided proves the argument that you made in the topic sentence (#1).

4 – Optional summary – You don’t need to include a summary of the paragraph, but if you are concerned that the reader may need a reminder about your main argument in the paragraph, feel free to add one to the end of the paragraph. Do NOT use this sentence to transition to the next paragraph. If you want to use a transition, always do so in the topic sentence of the next paragraph.

There are all kinds of variations on this model. For instance, you could have 1-2-2-3-2-3, or 1-2- 3-3- 3, or 1-2-3-2-2-3-4. The main thing is that you always lead with the paragraph’s single argument in the topic sentence, and you support it with evidence and analysis, which explains how the evidence proves the argument in the topic sentence. Never leave evidence “hanging,” without analysis. After all, you can interpret most quotes or stats in any number of ways, and it is important that you explain how that evidence proves the particular argument in your topic sentence. Remember: every single sentence of each body paragraph needs to be directed toward proving the argument in your thesis statement.

Citing evidence—telling the reader where you found your information—is one of the most important components of writing a paper. You must cite everything taken from a source, whether you are quoting, summarizing, paraphrasing, or even just taking a fact from that source. Failure to cite a source represents plagiarism, and I immediately submit any suspected cases of plagiarism to the Office of Academic Affairs. If the Office of Academic Affairs confirms that the paper is plagiarized, the penalty is an F for the course.

To cite evidence from non-textbook readings in this course, use footnotes references. Don’t be scared of footnotes. They are just like parenthetical references, just at the bottom of the page. Here is a handy guide explain how to format them. If you have any questions, ask me.

There should be a substantial amount of cited evidence in your paper, but direct quotations should take up no more than 15% of your paper. Limit them by quoting only when you cannot rephrase the author’s original words (citing where you found this information) without losing any of the original meaning.

After you finish your body paragraphs, wrap up your argument in the conclusion. Reflect on what you have written, and, restating your thesis, explain how you effectively proved your points. Build on your argument, exploring its importance and perhaps mentioning additional questions that are raised by your work. The conclusion should be about 1/2 page in a 3-4-page essay assignment.

Once you finish the essay, put it down for one day. Don’t look it over, don’t touch it, and don’t even think about it. If you’re a super-procrastinator, at least put it down for an hour or two. Then, read the paragraphs out of order, ending with the introduction. Momentarily forget about your outline and your original plan and look over what you have actually written in the body. Once you have read over the body and conclusion of your paper, go back and carefully read the introduction and thesis statement. Ask yourself if what you have written in the body and conclusion matches up with what you argue in the thesis statement. This may seem like a strange tactic, but authors often drift away from the points they set out to make in the thesis when they get into the trenches to write the body and conclusion. In fact, one problem I have seen in undergraduate essays is that they frequently end with an argument that is different from what they stated in the thesis statement! By editing in this way, you can make sure that you have a consistent argument from top to bottom, with a thesis statement that is 100% supported by the body and conclusion. If you find inconsistencies, you will either need to change your thesis or your body and conclusion. Your decisions about such alterations should come after you consider point 10…

After you look for consistency in your writing, read back over your original question. Does your essay effectively answer the question? Does it effectively address the shorter questions you identified in step 1? If so, and you have a thesis statement that answers the questions and is directly supported by the body and conclusion, then you are in business.

I highly recommend having a person from outside of the course read over your work after you go through steps 1-10. What seems to the author to be a totally clear paper with a killer thesis, a sharp body, and a neat conclusion will sometimes be viewed by other people as muddled, convoluted, or sloppy. I highly suggest making an appointment at the MTSU Writing Center to go over your work. If this is not possible for you, take advantage of a friend from outside the course who is willing to help out.

Check over your structure, spelling, and grammar one last time. You don’t want to hand in papers with these kinds of errors, as they will reflect poorly on your work. Make sure that each body paragraphs is organized logically, with a topic sentence that directly states the one argument of the paragraph and evidence/analysis that supports this argument. Remember that email submissions are not acceptable. Be sure to submit the paper to D2L on time!

Editing Tips

Be sure to avoid clichés, such as “Throughout history,” “Since the dawn of time,” “Mankind has always ____,” or “The dictionary defines _______ as _______.” If it sounds like something the voiceover of a movie trailer might say, it likely will make the reader roll his or her eyes, which is not the reaction you are looking for in a professional essay.

Avoid the use of the first person (“I,” “me,” “my,” “we,” “us,” “our,” etc.) and the second person (“you,” “your,” etc.) in academic prose. These constructions read as too informal, and often times, they aren’t accurate. For example, referring to Americans from the 19th century as “us” is always incorrect, since you weren’t actually there.

Keep in mind that the term “novel” only refers to fiction. Since none of our readings are fiction, you cannot refer to them as “novels.” Just call them “books” or “articles.”

Remember that all book titles should be set in italics or underlined in your writing. Article titles should be set in quotation marks. Check how it is written in the syllabus if you are not sure how to format a title.

When discussing historical events, always use the past tense.

In academic prose, you want to set a formal tone. This means that you should avoid contractions, and you should not start a sentence with a conjunction (“and,” “or,” “but,” “so,” etc.). You also should avoid the use of “very” and unnecessary “ly” adverbs (“clearly,” “obviously,” etc.), and you should never end a sentence or a clause with “to be” or a preposition. Avoid passive voice at all costs (i.e., instead of “The sandwich was eaten,” you should write, “I ate the sandwich”).

Avoid word repetition, which comes off as awkward and unpolished. For example, students often use the word “also” in their papers, but you should aim for no more than one “also” per page.

Avoid the use of rhetorical questions in your writing. Rather than posing the question, simply provide the reader with your response—the argument—and the necessary evidence to support this argument.

The first time that you introduce a person, give his/her full name. After that, only use his/her last name, unless there is room for confusion (i.e., you’re writing a paper comparing Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt).

Never start a paragraph with a quote. You always should introduce your quotes, identifying for the reader who said these words. Review the assignment instructions for guidelines on how to cite quotations properly.

In general, you should only use a semicolon to separate two independent clauses (just as you would use a conjunction) or to separate multiple complex items in a list. If you don’t know how to use semicolons, ask me or use other acceptable alternatives, such as periods or conjunctions.