Create an outline before you begin writing. Giving shape to your paper makes it easier to get the words flowing, and your paper will be more organized. Create a sketch including all the important topics you would like to cover, as well as listing which sources you want to cite in the essay.
Decide the approach you will take for your essay. You may want to approach your teacher or professor for guidance. Even after narrowing down the subject of the essay to one particular poet, there may still be an overwhelming number of options for tackling the essay. For example, you need to decide if you are going to focus on the poet's life, on the poet's body of work, or both. If you choose the poet's body of work, you will have to further narrow it down to a manageable selection of his poems.
Begin with a thesis if you are writing an analytical or argumentative essay. In these types of essays, you present an argument and support your argument with evidence generated from your own insight and from your sources. The beginning of the essay is where you introduce your thesis, which is a plain statement of the argument you are going to support and provide evidence for. A few ideas for an analytical or argumentative essay are a criticism of the poet's work, a comparison between many of his or her poems, or a contrast between the poet's earlier and later works.
Begin with some interesting facts about the poet's life if you are writing a descriptive or biographical essay. If you are writing an essay exploring the poet's life, the body of the essay will generally go in chronological order. However, in the beginning of the essay, you can lead with the most fascinating aspects of the poet's life that you discovered during your research.