In planning an argument, the first step is to define your thesis or central argument. While you could present almost any topic with almost any kind of thesis statement, some topics lend themselves better to one kind of statement than another. Think about the sources you've been reading. What kind of arguments do they offer: evaluation, recommendation, or explanation? You probably want to make a similar kind of argument, though you'll present your own opinion, not someone else's.

Once you know what kind of statement you want to make, you need to figure out where you stand. One of the best ways to do this is freewriting. Just sit down and start writing about your topic. Don't worry about grammar or even writing complete sentences. If you start running out of steam, refocus by asking yourself "What do I think about this issue?" This kind of writing, the kind in which you focus on the ideas rather than on how you're phrasing things, can help you sort out your own opinions from all the things you've been reading.

Now that you know where you stand, spend some time working on your thesis statement. Try different ways of phrasing it. Test it out on some friends to see if it's clear. You might try using it as the starting point for some more freewriting. If the thesis statement you've developed works well to get you started writing about your topic, that's good. If you find yourself going off in another direction, though, you might want to rephrase your thesis.

But an argument requires more than a good thesis. You also need to provide supporting ideas and evidence. Keep your audience in mind as you develop your supporting arguments. What do they know about your topic? What do they think about it? What kinds of ideas and evidence will they find most persuasive and interesting? What questions would they ask, and would they challenge any part of what you have to say? From there, you can create a rough outline, listing your main supporting ideas, the evidence you want to use to explain those ideas, and any questions or challenges you need to answer in order to persuade your readers.

It's important to start with your ideas and audience, not with your sources. If you start with sources, it's easy to fall into the trap of writing a paper that mostly summarizes what other people think. To avoid this, start planning your essay by listing your supporting ideas. Under each idea, list the information you need to provide in order to explain the idea. Some of this information will be evidence from your outside sources, but some of it could be stories of your own experience or explanations of why you think something is important.

You should also consider including a section in which you discuss the opposing position and explain why you disagree with it. This can be tricky, because you don't want to sound like you're being disrespectful or snide. You do want to show your reader why your position is better, and you may need to show the pitfalls of the other side in order to do this.

Creating a rough outline can help you in a couple of ways. First, it can help you figure out what kind of research you still need to do. You may notice sections of your argument that need more support, and you'll see that some parts of your argument already have plenty of evidence. Second, the rough outline can be your guide as you start writing. Sometimes, writers feel stuck when they face an empty page or blank computer screen, but an outline can help you remember what you meant to write. It can also help you keep your writing organized, since it will help you remember what ideas and evidence goes where.

E-mail your comments and suggestions to the YSU Grant Team (cardcat@bgnet.bgsu.edu).