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Student Services - Organizing The Essay |
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The Informal Outline
Once a writer has a main idea and a working thesis statement, he or she can begin to organize the essay. There are a number of ways to do this, but probably the easiest method, and the one we will look at here, is the informal outline. It allows the writer to group ideas together, and to create a paragraph-by-paragraph map of the essay that can be followed in composing a draft.
Let’s consider the following thesis statement:
There are advantages to going to college in a large city like New York, such as the cultural opportunities, the availability of entertainment, and the diversity of the population.
The plan is for this to be a five paragraph essay -- an introductory paragraph that contains the thesis, three supporting paragraphs (one focused on cultural opportunities, another on the availability of entertainment, and another that discusses the diversity of the population), and a concluding paragraph. An informal outline for this essay might look something like this:
1: Introduction with thesis
Lead up to thesis statement with anecdote about my having
lived in New York and how exciting and educational it was¶
2: Supporting Topic: Cultural opportunities
- Museums (MOMA, The Met, etc.)
- Art Galleries (Soho area)
- Architecture
- Dance (State Theater, New York City Ballet)
3: Supporting Topic: Availability of entertainment
- Thousands of restaurants (much ethnic food)
- Theater (Broadway, Off-Broadway, Shakespeare in the Park)
- First run movies and small independent films (film festivals?)
- Sports (Madison Square Garden, NY teams, etc.)
4: Supporting Topic: Diversity of the population
- Many different ethnic groups
- Different neighborhoods
- Street festivals
The writer now has a basic plan for writing this essay. But just as a thesis statement can be revised as the writing of the draft proceeds, so can this informal outline -- again, writing is a process that can evolve and change depending on the individual writing project. |
Return to Writing An Essay: A Brief Guide |
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