Since a thesis statement is a specific claim, begin by brainstorming about the general topic you are interested in writing about to choose a subject and come up with a single statement about it. One idea is to freewrite about your topic. If you’re going to write a paper about food, for example, jot down some general thoughts and ideas, such as the foods you like to eat, why you think good nutrition is important, or the things you’ve heard about the negative effects of junk food.
Look over the general notes you write down in the brainstorming stage and choose one of your ideas to focus on. Remember that a thesis statement is a specific, single claim. If you are interested in the effects of junk food, for example, consider the different claims you can make about that subject. Do a little reading on the subject to help you create a thesis statement that you can back up and prove. Maybe you’ll come across a news article that talks about a recent study showing the link between junk food and obesity, or perhaps your local library has a book about how sugar crashes affect a student's concentration and focus. After you’ve done some research, decide on a simple, single claim that you can prove in your paper -- for example, “Junk food is unhealthy to eat every day.”
Now that you have a thesis statement, you need to think about how to prove your claim. This is where your outline comes into play. If your thesis claim is that “junk food is unhealthy to eat every day,” you need to think about how and why this statement is true. Each idea you think of is a main point to include in your outline.
To write the outline, begin with your thesis statement at the top of your page. Below the thesis statement, number and write your first main point, which might be something like “Junk food makes children feel slow and sluggish.” Number and write two, three or four more points that will help you prove your thesis statement, depending on the length of your essay. A good rule of thumb is to create an outline with as many points as there will be body paragraphs in your essay. A five-paragraph essay, for example, has one introduction paragraph, three body paragraphs and one conclusion paragraph, so if you’re writing a five-paragraph essay, your outline should include your thesis statement and three main points. Include any additional details to write about beneath each main point in your outline, such as a particular experience or a specific fact or statistic you have read that lead you to make each point in your outline.