Before you continue any further, you must first recognize what an illustration essay is. An illustration essay is proving a point through the use of examples.
You must now decide what topic you are going to write about. You can write about virtually anything, as long as it's an opinion that you can describe with a variety of examples.
After picking a good topic, you will now have to find your main point. Your main point is proving something either you or society has strong opinions on that can be backed up my actual examples. This main point should be surprising to ensure your audience will continue to read your essay.
You must now choose the examples you will show to prove your main point. They must be valid examples that can be supported with evidence! It is advised to have a minimum of at least three points. This way your essay has substance and persuades your readers to make a reasonable agreement with your point upon reading your essay.
Next, your illustration should include supporting points to help support the examples. These supporting points should answer questions such as who, what, when, where, why, and how. You don't want your readers to assume the answers, they should already be provided for your them because that's your job as the author.
Your illustration will most likely be organized by order of importance. This means your essay will go from the least importance to the most importance. Each example should persuade the reader more and more and if each example gets stronger, you will accomplish this.
Now that your illustration is planned out, it's time to write your thesis sentence. This will be a very easy step since you already have your essay planned out. Simply do your Topic + Main Point to get a very strong and effective essay. It is best to place your thesis in the beginning of your essay and reiterate it at the end of the your essay.
Upon completion of you thesis sentence, it is now time to write the rough draft of your essay! Simply follow this basic outline for best results: Introduction: State the general information you will be covering → First Example (Strong): Include Supporting Points → Second Example (Stronger): Include Supporting Points → Third Example (Strongest): Include Supporting Points → Conclusion: State the main point from the beginning of the essay and make a valid conclusion based upon it.
Do not forget to use transitions such as also, another, finally, for example, for instance, etc. This will help with the fluency of your essay, which is a key factor in a successful essay!
Now take a break from your essay and go do something fun and return in a few hours. From here you can revise and edit your essay to perfection! Be critical on spelling and grammar by using the spell checker and re-read it to ensure your essay is flawless!