Question

Write Your Own Outline

Now you are ready to write your own outline. We recommend that you choose the 5-sentence paragraph form, though you may want to include only 4 sentences, or maybe 6! In other words, use the 5-sentence structure as a guideline, not as a straitjacket.
First, write your hook. This will be the first sentence of your first paragraph, and its purpose is to grab the reader's attention. Use an interesting fact, a famous quote, or a general idea relating to your topic. You will want to add two or three other general observations about your topic to connect your hook to your main point. Remember, the first paragraph is where you introduce your topic and tell the reader about what you will be discussing in the remaining paragraphs.
Next, write your three paragraphs in outline form, using the examples above for guidance.
If you are writing about characters, each of these three paragraphs can be about a different character. OR, you might decide to write about just one character and how he or she changes throughout the beginning, middle, and end of the story - and so create your three paragraphs that way.
If you are writing about plot, you might talk about the beginning, middle, and end in three separate paragraphs, or about conflict, climax, and resolution.
If you are writing about setting, you might show how the setting changes to support the action and mood in the three paragraphs, or you might analyze three specific places from the story.
If you are writing about the theme, you might use your three paragraphs to explore how each character helps to develop the theme, or explore how different chapters introduce variations on the theme, or how the plot and the theme work together.
Finally, write your outline thoughts for a concluding paragraph. The conclusion doesn't just repeat what you have said in the body of the paper, but makes a new and interesting observation about it. Your conclusion can also include your personal thoughts and feelings about your topic.

Answer 1

The principle purpose of the introduction is to present your position (this is also known as the "thesis" or "argument") on the issue at hand but effective introductory paragraphs are so much more than that. Before you even get to this thesis statement, for example, the essay should begin with a "hook" that grabs the reader’s attention and makes them want to read on. Examples of effective hooks include relevant quotations ("no man is an island") or surprising statistics ("three out of four doctors report that…").

Only then, with the reader’s attention "hooked," should you move on to the thesis. The thesis should be a clear, one-sentence explanation of your position that leaves no doubt in the reader’s mind about which side you are on from the beginning of your essay.

Following the thesis, you should provide a mini-outline which previews the examples you will use to support your thesis in the rest of the essay. Not only does this tell the reader what to expect in the paragraphs to come but it also gives them a clearer understanding of what the essay is about.

Finally, designing the last sentence in this way has the added benefit of seamlessly moving the reader to the first paragraph of the body of the paper. In this way we can see that the basic introduction does not need to be much more than three or four sentences in length. If yours is much longer you might want to consider editing it down a bit!