Creating a Thesis Statement

Penning down an essay is an exercise in analytical thinking. An essay should be a clear stream of reason leading to the revelation of truth or a better understanding of reality. The reading of your essay is an intellectual journey that a reader will be embarking upon.

What is a Thesis Statement?

It is better to know what you are talking about and have it defined clearly at the start, before begging to explore it further. So what exactly is a thesis statement and what is the purpose of writing one. It is a summary of the subject matter presented in the essay, outlining its central idea. It is a short introduction to the reader about what to expect on the journey. If it's an argumentative essay, it talks about what is the central argument presented in the essay. If it's a narrative essay, it's a description of what is narrated. If it's a reflective essay, the statement captures the central seed of thought, around which the essay revolves.

Once you exactly know the point you are trying to drive across, through your essay, writing the thesis statement is simple enough. Unless you are sure about what exactly is going to be your line of thought throughout the essay, it's best you write the statement, after you are done with writing the essay. Contained within the next section, is a strategy to write the best thesis statement for your essay that will correctly describe the central thought.

How to Create a Thesis Statement

Having written my own share of argumentative and reflective essays and having labored through the task of coming up with an insightful thesis statement, I would like to share some tips on how to write a statement, which is a masterpiece of logical clarity, brevity and subject insight.

Research Thoroughly
The key to coming up with a good essay and a good thesis statement on any subject, is thorough research on its subject matter. Know the facts and analyze the subject matter, brainstorm on it and then come up with your own take on it. Thorough research will lead to conviction in presenting the subject through your essay.

Write it After the Essay is Finished
After your essay is finito, you will be in a position to think about the expanse of its thought, its prime argument and its most important conclusions. That is when you should start thinking about the thesis statement. If you attempt to write one before you write the essay, it may not clearly reflect the subject matter, as it has developed.

Be Specific & To the Point
Specificity is what you should aim for when writing your statement. Don't attempt to beat around the bush. Instead just say what your essay is all about and what is the prime line of thought you want to draw the reader's attention to. A to-the-point statement makes a good impression on the reader.

Brief But Insightful
Let the statement be limited to two to three lines. Make sure that you capture the essence in the fewest possible words. Be economical with words, but generous in the insight they provide.

Should Highlight Central Idea
Make sure that the statement exactly describes what you have written in the essay. If you can get the central idea directly to the reader, he will begin his own thought process about the idea, while reading, making it easier for him to comprehend.

When you have a clear idea about what you are saying or arguing in the essay or research paper, thesis statement creation is simply presenting the central idea. Let precision, clarity and brevity be the hallmarks of your thesis statement. Let it reveal enough to get people interested in reading your essay and let it be brief enough to be understood easily!