There are many aspects of the writing process to consider when drafting your essay. Rather than an opportunity for producing polished writing, early drafts are primarily a space for you to experiment with and develop your organization and ideas. As you begin drafting, your ideas become more detailed and more developed, leading sometimes to changes in your original plans. When you draft your essay, you may want to consider the following online resources:

Once you have generated material through your brainstorming and research process, you are ready to begin your rough draft. For advice on drafting techniques, see the University of Texas guide to How to Write and Revise a Rough Draft.

The Path to Good Paragraph Development, from the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, helps you not only in developing coherent paragraphs but also in developing and supporting the ideas therein.

Strunk's classic The Elements of Style(available on Bartleby.com) also includes a really nice paragraph breakdown that is extremely graphic, clear and useful for describing academic writing.