A clearer way through the writing process.
534 examples and lessons to explore. Find an approach, follow the thinking, and try it in your own writing.
Choose an Essay Structure for a Purpose
Choose an essay pattern by identifying the relationship you need to explain. This guide compares chronological, cause-and-effect, compare-and-contrast, and problem-and-solution structures, then demonstrates how to revise a draft when its structure does not fit its purpose.
Plan a Cause-and-Effect Essay
Learn to separate a causal claim from the mechanism that could explain it and from alternative explanations that might also account for the outcome. A fictional school scenario demonstrates how to revise a broad claim into a more careful argument.
Write an Introduction with a Clear Purpose
Learn to open an essay by giving readers the context they need and showing where the writing is going, without beginning with a vague generalization.
Move from Research Notes to an Argument
Learn to group research notes by the work they do for a claim, then use those groups to build a clear, supported argument.
Choose Evidence for the Exact Claim
Learn to check whether evidence supports a claim at the same level of scope and whether it justifies the inference the claim asks readers to make.
Introduce Context Before a Quotation
Learn to give readers the speaker and situation they need before presenting a quotation. A practical method, fictional worked revision, checking questions, and a short exercise show how context makes quoted words understandable without overwhelming the sentence.
Plan an Analysis of a Supplied Passage
Learn to turn an interpretation of a passage into a focused analysis by choosing exact textual details, explaining how they work, and revising claims that go beyond the evidence.
Plan an Explanatory Essay
A practical method for arranging definitions, examples, and relationships so a beginner can follow an explanatory essay.
Find the Right Amount of Background
Learn to include just enough background for a reader to understand your next claim, then move on to the evidence or reasoning that supports it.
Develop an Essay Beyond a List of Points
Learn to connect reasons across essay sections so each paragraph develops the argument rather than adding another disconnected point.
Distinguish a Thesis from a Topic Sentence
Learn how a thesis sets a whole-essay direction and how each topic sentence makes a smaller claim that advances it. A fictional school essay shows how to revise a paragraph so its purpose is clear.
Move from a Topic to a Useful Question
Learn to turn a broad topic into a focused, answerable question that can guide a manageable inquiry.