A good story begins with something out of balance, some tension to be resolved or explained. Get to the point quickly. A good essay sets the scene quickly, reveals a tension to be resolved, and sets out in the direction of a solution. Build step by step on evidence. You must give readers reasons to believe your story.
Historians love evidence.
They love old things. They immerse themselves in evidence, see its patterns and write about them. Historical essays are written dispassionately. Often we judge people in the past, deciding whether they were villains or heroes or a little of both. The best way to convey those judgments is to tell what these people did or said.