Organizing your writing may sound simple, but in reality it involves a great deal of careful planning. Planning can take many forms and it need not involve a traditional outline.

• Paradigm Online provides a thorough look at the process of planning and organization. Visit "Organizing Your Writing" at Paradigm. Use the left margin to navigate down this page and look at the options that are presented to you.
• For a straightforward sample of a traditional outline, see Purdue's Online Writing Lab's Sample Outline.

When planning your essay, focus on introductions and conclusions as crucial elements. To help you plan and write these elements of your essay, visit two helpful webpages at Ohio State University's Writing Center: one on Introductions, and one on Quick Ideas for Introductions and Conclusions.

George Mason Univerity's Writing Center site on Introductions and Conclusions includes examples of poor introductions and endings, as well as strategies for writing good useful and compelling introductions and conclusions that will capture your reader's attention.