Writing the body of an essay is the most demanding stage that requires both time and efforts. In fact, the body of an essay is the part where you guide the reader through your ideas to elaborate the arguments and evidence for your thesis. It is often more than one paragraph.
Drafting the body is another complex task that necessitates some steps. First, you need to outline your ideas or rather identify what you want to say and in what order. Second, write your main ideas down on paper, and this will be your first draft. Finally, re-draft your ideas to clarify your arguments and make sure everything fits together.
Outline the Main Ideas
Before drafting, it is very helpful to sketch out the main points you want to address. This rough outline won’t only list your ideas, but also identify the order you’ll make them in. Undoubtedly, this will help you see how each section relates to the remaining parts of the essay.
Yet, mind that the outline is not set in stone, and thus, you may change the organization if necessary. You need to remember that working on the essay structure starts before the act of writing, and it continues as you write. It goes on even after you’ve finished writing the first draft.
Start Drafting
Mapping out some ideas is just an initial stage, but it is vital as it helps turn these rough ideas into workable arguments. This is the first draft where you can add detail to those arguments and get a sense of what the final product will look like.
Order is not necessary
Drafting means that everything is liable to change, and that gives a sense of flexibility to start wherever you want. The introduction is the final section to write for many writers. Other body paragraphs can be developed separately. It is advisable to start writing your essay where it seems most natural for you.
For many students, starting with the easiest section can save them time. Many others prefer to get the most difficult section out of their way first. Again, locate what material you need to clarify effortlessly and consider beginning there.
One idea per each paragraph
Each paragraph should only address one idea, which has to be liable to be developed. Supporting the central idea means giving evidence, explanation, and arguments that need to be consistent to that idea. At the start of each paragraph, try to express the point clearly and simply. Then try to expand on the topic sentence in the rest of the paragraph.
Be ready or flexible for changes
It happens to go through ideas or words thirst. As you write, you may not like the organization your ideas are ordered. You may also become less confident about your ideas. Yet, there is no room for giving up on them. Be ready to adopt changes, abandon sections if you realize they don’t make sense. It is possible to come up with new thoughts which you could not think of when preparing or outlining your ideas.
Note these ideas down and incorporate them into the essay if there’s a logical place for them. The main thing is to keep going. Move on to another part of the essay if you are stuck on one section.
Don’t Cross out content
Again, you may not like a section of your essay if not the whole essay, don’t think to scrap it in fit of rage! If you see that some ideas don’t fit in, you can paste them into a separate document. The point here is that you have to keep what you have produced so far, even if you don’t plan on using it. As you write, you may discover that it fits in another place or it inspires new ideas that you can use later.
Never try to be perfect
Writing your first draft means that nothing is final. Thus, you have to slow down to get things done perfectly. Now, your work is to get ideas down and amend them later. If you’re unsatisfied with a word, sentence, or argument, flag it in the draft and revisit it later.
It is important to know that your draft is liable to change. You know now which sections and paragraphs work and which might need to be revised. It doesn’t make sense to spend time changing something you might later cross out.