Now that you have collected your thoughts along with those of the critics, the next step is to organize the materials in preparation for writing. Before determining which pattern of organization you use, you must give careful thought to the essay's specific purpose. In other words, before you can select and arrange the specific details, you must know what main idea you are trying to get across to your reader. A a check to see if your understanding of the essay's purpose is clear, try stating the main thoughts in a single sentence.
