Brainstorm to develop your theme. Your topic may be U.S. history and the theme of the essay may be "civil rights." These two things considered together give you a very broad topic to discuss. Brainstorming will allow you to narrow down the theme of your paper. Write down as many one or two-word phrases you can think of regarding the topic. If there are specific questions you must answer, make sure that each brainstorming item relates to these questions.
Organize your thoughts and create an outline. If your brainstorming session resulted in a list of 20 items, group the items together based on common themes you discern from viewing them side by side on the page. For instance, if your civil rights list produced the names Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Frederick Douglass, bunch those three together under the category of "civil rights leaders." Do the same for events, legislation and any other grouping you see based on your brainstorm.
Develop your introduction. This will be your last opportunity to narrow down your topic. Tell the reader what the rest of the essay is about, but do not give away all of the content in your introduction. Offer a thesis statement that ties the various parts of your essay together based on a common theme that unites them.
Demonstrate your understanding of the main theme in the body of the essay, offering the supporting ideas that back up your thesis. For instance, if your thesis is that the success of the civil rights movement was due to strong leadership or courageous actions by figures like King and Parks, your essay body should demonstrate this with descriptions of their leadership and actions.
Conclude your essay by reiterating and summarizing the main ideas of your thesis statement and essay body. The conclusion is your opportunity to make your closing statement. Keep your conclusion brief, but drive home the main point reemphasizing your most powerful arguments.