1. The short essay is an analytic paper, not a report. This means: it is not enough to summarize the reading, not enough to repeat an argument you heard in lecture, not enough to recapitulate textbook information, not enough to summarize the plot of a book we've read. Your goal is to reveal something that is not obvious about the topic at hand.
2. Remember that writing is a process. Sitting down to write your paper is only one step in this process. It may be unpleasant and will likely be unsuccessful if you attempt it too early. Assuming that you have already read your sources and taken notes on them once, the steps of the writing process are as follows: 1) Develop your topic and sketch out a few ideas, 2) Reread your sources with your topic and your ideas in mind, 3) Formulate your thesis, 4) Outline your paper, 5) Draft and 6) Revise.
3. Define your thesis carefully. Be sure you have one. A good thesis is precise, interesting, novel, not obvious. It is the point of your paper. Generally, it stands in opposition to some other view; that is, it should be arguable. The reader should know what your thesis is by the end of the first paragraph. Your thesis does not have to say everything about your topic; it only needs to set out your point of view and launch your paper.
4. Make the first paragraph count. Get to the point quickly. Don't fool around with long paragraphs of background or vague introductions. Remember the funnel introduction? Forget about it. Avoid introductory blather. If you are at a loss for how to start your paper, you might try one of the following strategies: outline the argument that your thesis refutes, describe a problem of interpretation that you are going to shed some light upon, present a vivid example that leads to your topic.
5. Organize your paper. Give your paper a suitable design, so that each part follows logically from the previous one and leads logically to the next. Include signposts in the text to make your design clear. Guide your reader through your argument with clear transition sentences.
6. Organize your paragraphs. A paragraph should be unified, coherent, and developed. It should center upon one particular question, idea, or example. The sentences should follow in some clear sequence. The central idea of the paragraph should be well supported.
7. Argue from evidence. Keep your unsubstantiated opinions in the background. Instead, show your reader that the words of your sources support your thesis. For the assignments in this class, your evidence will generally consist of quotations from primary sources. Explain to the reader what the evidence you cite means and how it proves your thesis.
8. Make your conclusion count. Don't just summarize the argument of a three or four-page paper. Instead, tell your readers what difference your argument makes. Tell them how they should think about the topic after your argument. The conclusion can be thought of as a mini-essay that takes your paper as its starting point.
9. Write for an educated audience. Avoid long passages of summary or background discussion. Imagine that you are writing your paper for your fellow-students in this class. You don't need to tell them what the industrial revolution is; you need to show them what you have to say about it.
10. Write as clearly and as forcefully as you can. Choose your words carefully. Be sure you know precisely what they mean, especially when they have a prominent place in your paper. Avoid the passive voice. Avoid cliches, faddish expressions, and meaningless, outworn words and phrases. Avoid filler phrases that obscure your main point.
11. Give your essay a title that tries to capture the principal idea you want to convey to your reader. A bad title: "The Industrial Revolution." A better one: "Is this Progress?: One Worker's Experience of the Industrial Revolution."
12. Proofread.
(Adapted, in part, from writing handouts by Tom Tentler and H.D. Cameron).