Identify elements that will help you stay focused, such as cleaning up, moving to a quieter environment or eating. Doing these before settling in to write will reduce distractions. Use time effectively by scheduling writing blocks to complete various steps. Seeing results and rewarding yourself with a break or snack can motivate writers to keep going.
Rotate prewriting strategies to keep a fresh perspective while generating ideas. If you normally list, use clustering or mapping to discover patterns. Use an outline to make the paper's organization clear. According to "Writing Matters" by Rebecca Howard, "A sentence outline ... aids drafting --- each sentence in the outline becomes the topic sentence of a paragraph."
Visualize an essay as having five or six blocks of information, all that will fit into a three- to five-page essay. Limiting a paper to an introduction, three or four body paragraphs and a conclusion keeps writing on focus.
Keep the intended audience in mind to help determine which evidence to include and which persuasive tactics --- emotional, logical or ethical ---will work best. Develop paragraphs by using a combination of rhetorical strategies, including narrative, detailed descriptions and concrete examples that are subsequently analyzed or explained. Analysis may include cause and effect, process or identifying a problem and offering a solution.
Set the tone for the essay by providing general background information needed for readers to understand why the topic matters. Place the thesis' argument in context by including relevant anecdotes, startling statistics or facts, a question the essay will answer or historical background.
Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that announces the single, specific topic that the paragraph discusses, making sure to integrate the thesis' controlling idea. Build paragraphs by alternating between examples, explanations and analysis. Select only two or three of the most significant examples.
Avoid skimping on the conclusion. Steer clear of phrases such as "in conclusion" or "to conclude." Instead, make it clear readers have reached the conclusion by restating the thesis and offering a brief summary of the essay's topic points. Remind readers why the argument is important, what action they may take or what the future may hold for the topic.
Rework the paper at the global level, meaning pay attention to whether or not the paper's thesis is arguable, whether the topic sentences clearly state the paragraph topics and whether the paper is organized effectively into five or six basic blocks. Look for accuracy of word choice and usage. Review spelling, mechanics, grammar and formatting issues while editing.