Creating the logical progression of your thoughts

Before embarking on your essay you should have a clear thesis and an outline. An outline is an opportunity to create the logical progression of your thoughts and to hone your paper into a well structured and balanced document. One trick that I find particularly useful is to put an approximate page count next to each section.

This way I know how much space I should dedicate to each section so I can really focus on the parts that matter the most. An outline will help you identify the ideas that youll need to support sources. The outline can also be used to space out your research so it appears evenly throughout your writing. Heres an example: Thesis: The popularity of Dungeons and Dragons soared during the Covid-19 pandemic as people have sought an activity that they can share with their friends remotely.

1) Ethos: I’ve been playing D&D since about 1986 and it’s never been a better time to play. [<Quarter Page]

2) Context: [I usually list the questions I plan on answering or the statements I plan to make in each paragraph when I outline] [<One to One and a half Pages]

3) 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons was already gaining popularity [<One to One and a Half Page]

4) The Pandemic [<Half to three-Quarter Pages]

5) Conclusion [<Quarter to Half Page] Requirements: 5 pages What is D&D? How long has it been around? Who has traditionally played D&D? [Research Citation] Streamlined Rules increased accessibility Nerdy stuff is suddenly pretty “cool” Celebrity Players Podcasts and Improv Troupes broadened appeal (Particularly among young women) [Research Citation] My weekly night out came to a screeching halt. Social Distancing People need people [Research] Pathos? Zoom & Roll20 or DnD Beyond fill the gap [Research usage] WotC/ Hasbro (Publisher) has had its best quarter ever and is speeding up its release schedule [Research Citation] Never thought I’d see D&D for sale at Target ‘