Planning is probably the most important part in drafting an essay. By drafting an outline or a web to organize your paper, you can set the tone for every line in your paper. Too many students make the mistake of writing or including things in their paper that don't reiterate their theses. Every line in your paper should be a instrumental part in getting your argument across. Let's go through the proper steps of essay organization.

Step 1: Create a thesis.

The thesis is the central part of any paper. It is the main idea or main argument that you want to get across in your paper. It should go at the end of your introductory paragraph and at the beginning of your concluding paragraph. This should be the first step in the creation process.

Step 2: Outline your paper, piece by piece.

Start sketching out the various pieces of your paper. Start with the major sections. The major parts are the intro, the body paragraphs, and the conclusions. Then fill out the minor subcategories of those parts, e.g. what are the examples or supporting pieces you are going to use to support or to substantiate your body paragraphs, etc.

Step 3: Think of transitions.

Papers need to flow and be coherent. Learn to think of easy, simple transitions that connect your paragraphs and your ideas. This way, your paper will be an easy read.

All of these steps will help you to fill in the small, simple blanks that are left once you've outlined your paper. This means you spend the rest of your time coloring up your paper with good details and great literary tools.

Here's a basic formatting outline:

I. Introduction

II. Body Paragraph 1

III. Body Paragraph 2

IV. Body Paragraph 3 (Add more body paragraphs if necessary)

V. Conclusion

Follow this format and you should be good.

The better your thesis, the better your paper

Try: http://www.classbrain.com/artaskcb/publish/article_78.shtml

I got a 10 out of 12 on my ACT essay and all I did was write a lot. So try that.