# Essay outline — template

> An outline that survives contact with a draft. Fill in the thesis first; if the thesis cannot be
> said in one sentence, the essay is not ready to be outlined.

## Working title

---

## The question

**Topic:** _What is this essay about, in a phrase?_

**Question it answers:** _The question a reader would type into a search box._

**Why it matters now:** _One sentence. If there is no answer, the essay may be a note, not an essay._

---

## Thesis

**One-sentence claim:**

**What it is arguing against:** _The obvious objection or the common assumption._

**What would have to be true for it to be wrong:** _Name it, then answer it in the essay._

---

## Opening

**Hook:** _A scene, a number, a contradiction, or a question. Not a definition._

**Setup:** _What the reader needs to know to follow the argument, and nothing more._

**Roadmap:** _Where the essay is going, in one sentence, near the start._

---

## Body

### Point 1

**Claim:**

**Evidence:** _(quote, statistic, example, scene)_

**Analysis:** _What the evidence shows that is not obvious._

**Link to the next point:**

### Point 2

**Claim:**

**Evidence:**

**Analysis:**

**Link to the next point:**

### Point 3

**Claim:**

**Evidence:**

**Analysis:**

**Link to the next point:**

---

## Counterargument

**Strongest objection:**

**Where it is right:**

**Where it stops being right:**

---

## Conclusion

**Restate the claim, differently:**

**What changes for the reader:** _The thing they can do, notice or argue with afterwards._

**Last line:** _Land it. Do not summarise the essay again._

---

## Sources and verification

| Claim | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |
|  |  |  |

---

## Length

**Target words:** _If a publication gave a limit, put it here and keep it in view._

**Reading time at 225 wpm:**