Sketch out a rough plan for organizing your writing. You can simply begin with your thesis; review your notes, research materials, and media; and list all the evidence you have to support the thesis. An informal way to organize your ideas is to figure out what belongs in your introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. You may also want—or be required—to make a formal outline, which can help you see exactly how the parts of your writing fit together.

Thesis statement

I. First main idea

A. First subordinate idea

1. First supporting detail or point

2. Second supporting detail

3. Third supporting detail

B. Second subordinate idea

1. First supporting detail

2. Second supporting detail

II. Second main idea

A. First subordinate idea

1. First supporting detail

2. Second supporting detail

B. Second subordinate idea

1. First supporting detail

2. Second supporting detail

a. First supporting detail

b. Second supporting detail

The technique of storyboarding—working out a narrative or argument in visual form—can also be a good way to come up with an organizational plan. You can create your own storyboard by using note cards or sticky notes, taking advantage of different colors to keep track of threads of argument, subtopics, and so on. Move the cards and notes around, trying out different arrangements, until you find an organization that works well for your writing situation.

No matter how good your planning, investigating, and organizing have been, chances are you will need to do more work as you draft. The first principle of successful drafting is to be flexible. If you see that your plan is not working, don’t hesitate to alter it. If some information now seems irrelevant, leave it out. You may learn that you need to do more research, that your whole thesis must be reshaped, or that your topic is still too broad and should be narrowed further. Very often you will continue planning, investigating, and organizing throughout the writing process.