List and develop major points to give yourself a good foundation of ideas before you start writing the actual essay. Introduction Essay Overview Step 1: Mark Up the Prompt Step 2: Prewrite for Ideas Step 3: List & Develop Major Points Step 4: Write a Thesis Statement Step 5: Plan the Essay Step 6: Write the Introduction Step 7: Write the Conclusion Step 8: Revise and Proofread Step 9: Write the Final Draft Step 10: Reread the Final Draft

Step 3: List and Develop Major Points Now that you've selected the topic for your essay, it's time to think about how you're going to develop your major points. For example, I know that I want to write about dogs. Looking back at the prompt, I see that I have to give three reasons why a dog is the right pet for me. So I make a list of things that I like about dogs:   Next, I look over my list and decide on the three major points, or reasons, that I want to discuss in my essay. I decide that a dog would be the best pet for me because they're . . . 1. loyal 2. easy to train 3. fun to take places Each of these ideas will turn into a separate body paragraph for my essay. Now I go back to those three major points and brainstorm once again to develop more ideas. Why would being loyal, easy to train, and fun to take places make a dog the ideal pet? How can I convince my parents? At this point, you should have a pretty good idea of what you're going to write about in your essay. If you get stuck here and have problems coming up with ideas for your three major points, go back to your original prewrite and try to find another idea that will work better for you. Click below to find examples of how to develop your major points using other prewriting methods. Develop major points with clustering. Develop major points with image mapping. Develop major points with freewriting. Develop major points with brainstorming. Related Links Write the Body Paragraphs http://members.tripod.com/~lklivingston/essay/body.html Body Paragraphs http://www.lcc.gatech.edu/regents/body_paragraphs.html The Body of the Essay http://www.uab.edu/english/lit-web/pgraphs.htm Paragraphs http://www2.actden.com/writ_den/tips/paragrap/index.htm The Essay Body http://ec.hku.hk/writingmachine/bin3/randt.htm How Do I Write Body or Support Paragraphs? http://www2.pvc.maricopa.edu/tutor/eng/engessbody.htm Step 4: Write the Thesis Statement