After free writing, read what you've written. To brainstorm a topic, compile a list as fast as you can of as many things about that topic that pop into your head. Don't worry about making sense, and don't be concerned if your list includes ideas that seem insignificant. Any of the prewriting strategies described above can help you locate your thesis, the sentence in which you express the main argument you will make in your essay. Your perspective and ideas might well change during the writing process.
Some writers have a working thesis when they begin a first draft.
Others have only a focusing question in mind-one which their instructor assigned them or one which their journal, their free writing or their brainstorming has helped them find. We have discussed Pericles at some length, and now I want you to focus upon Creon's speech in which he appeals to his people to join together. For this essay, imagine that your audience is a class member who has asked you to explain this portion of the text. Click here for a first draft that addresses this assignment. It is a misconception to think that only weak writers need feedback.