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Even though essays have many purposes, the basic structure remains the same. You may be writing your paper to explain the steps needed to complete a task or you may be arguing for a particular paint. No matter which kind of essay you choose to write, the format will remain essentially the same.

By only following a few simple steps, you will see that your essay will almost write itself. The only thing you will be responsible for is for supplying the ideas which is the main meat of the essay. Do not let the thought of putting your pen to the paper overwhelm you. You must simply choose to get started. Below are some steps that will serve as your guide as you write your essay:

1. Decide A Topic: You may not have a choice as to what your topic is to be. That is all up to the teacher who assigns the essay. Think about what kind of paper you will be expected to produce. Should you prepare a general overview or should it be narrowed down to a specific analysis of the topic?

2. Prepare an Outline of Ideas: The main purpose of a diagram or an outline is to jot down your ideas about the topic on paper in a loosely organized format. You may still have to change this before your essay is complete, so don't lose sleep over this point.

3. Write A Thesis Statement: This statement tells the reader exactly what the essay will be about and the point that you the author, will be making. You already know what your essay will be about since you had chosen that topic to write about.

Now you must take a look at you outline and decide what point you will make. Take a look at your outline again. What do the main ideas as well as the supporting ideas say about your topic?

4. Write the Body of Your Essay: Now that you have chosen your topic, it has to be described, explained or argued. Each main idea that you jotted down in your outline will become one of the main body paragraphs. In the body of your essay you are going to write about the main points, the subpoints and even elaborate on each of the subpoints.

5. Write the Introduction: Before you essay is finished, you must write the introduction as well as the conclusion. With the introduction, you want to attract the reader's attention and give him or her an idea of the focus of the essay. You may even think about beginning your essay with an attention grabber.

6. Write Conclusion: This brings a sense of closure to the reader. You are able to sum up your points or provide a final perspective on your subject. You only have to have three or four strong sentences in your conclusion. If you can end your essay in a useful way with an anecdote, then by all means use it.

7. Finishing Touches: Before you can consider that your essay is finished, you must think about how you are going to format your paper. Make sure the order of your paragraphs makes sense. Make sure to check your writing. Does your computer have a grammar checker or a spell checker? Make sure that your sentences flow smoothly.

All of these points will make sure that you will have a very good essay to turn in if you follow them. If you are given two weeks to complete your essay, don't try to save it for the last minute and expect to get a good grade. Not many of us can pull that off. Allow yourself plenty of time and pace yourself for a good grade.