Write a thesis statement for the paper. A thesis statement will be the overall idea or theme of the paper, and should be debatable. Literary term papers provide an argument of the writer's point of view. The thesis statement should not be obvious or a direct summary of what took place in the story. The thesis statement can be more than one sentence and does not have to be placed in the first few sentences, unless specified by your instructor.
Outline the rest of the paper so that structure is created. Term papers contain an introduction, a body and a conclusion. The introduction will introduce the topic that you are writing about. The body will include the main points of the literary argument, and the conclusion will wrap up the article and provide clarification of any points that were not made clear in the body.
Cite sources that you used while researching your argument. Use quotations when you take information directly from another source. If you paraphrase or summarize instead of using quotations, list the reference in your bibliography and works cited page.
Format the paper according to the instructor's instructions, including length, section, title page and reference list or bibliography. Use the writing style guide that your professor recommends to properly format your paper, such as the Modern Language Association or American Psychological Association handbooks, commonly known as MLA or APA style. Every instructor does things a little differently and what works for one will not work for another. If you have questions about this make sure to ask for clarification.
Create a title page for your paper that includes your name, the class, the title of the paper and any other information that your professor wants included. Make sure to proofread your paper to check for grammatical and spelling errors before printing it and giving it in to the professor.