Planning is the first stage in writing. Your plan is the foundation that your essay is built on. Planning your writing involves understanding the assignment, brainstorming ideas, organizing your thoughts, and creating an argument (i.e., thesis statement).
✓ Make sure you understand the directions you are given. Be sure that you can distinguish between the command words that are used. For example, "discussing" an article is different from "critiquing" it.
✓ Give yourself sufficient time. You will need time to do your thinking, researching, writing, and revising.
✓ Identify a point. Figure out a claim that you can make (or an idea you can explore) with your ideas.
✓ Turn off the critical mind. Let your ideas flow and record them. You can revise them later.
✓ Group ideas together. Review your ideas and find major categories, trends, or connections.
✓ Ask and answer ‘why?’ Your reader may be asking "why" when you are writing, so make sure you are also thinking of “why” you are making this point or giving this piece of information.
✓ Organize your ideas. Create a diagram or outline that captures your ideas in a form that works for you.
If you struggle to get started writing your paper, Writing Support Specialist Claire Pienaar (2020) offers some tips to get going in the video presentation below.
Use this tip sheet to think about how you will structure the text of your essay.
Key Terms in Essay Assignments
Use this tip sheet as a reference to help you understand the key terms in your essay assignments.
Use this tip sheet to improve your brainstorming.
Assignment Planner (Seneca College)
Use this assignment planner to break down your assignment or project into manageable steps. Deadlines for each step are provided to help you stay on track.
Use this tip sheet for help deciding which graphic organizer best suits your needs.
Checklist for Creating an Effective Thesis Statement
Use this checklist to ensure that you are writing a clear and effective thesis statement.
Use this tip sheet for help writing thesis statements.
Unless otherwise stated, the material in this guide is from the Learning Portal created by College Libraries Ontario. Content has been adapted for the NWP Learning Commons in June 2021. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons BY NC SA 4.0 International License.
All icons on these pages are from The Noun Project. See individual icons for creator attribution.
