Decide upon a central theme. Most literary essays are organized around a theme, discussing how this theme or concept is present in the text. If you know in advance that you are going to complete a literary essay on the book in question, jot down some theme ideas as you read. If not, flip back through the book and reflect upon prevalent themes before deciding which one to tackle in your essay.
Brainstorm about your theme. Create a web, placing your theme in the center of the page and putting evidence of the theme around it, drawing lines between related ideas to show connections.
Write an outline. Compose a thesis statement that expresses both the topic of your essay and the argument you're making for your interpretation of it. For example, if you're writing about "Romeo and Juliet," your thesis statement might be, "The gang violence present in 'Romeo and Juliet' is similar to the gang violence in contemporary society." Place this thesis statement at the top of your outline, then place supports from your idea web below, marking them with Roman numerals. Use this outline to guide you as you structure your essay.
Compose your introductory paragraph, including some information on the text and the author in this section. Conclude the introduction with the thesis you planned in your outline.
Compose body paragraphs that prove your thesis point. Write one paragraph per support, elaborating on each support and providing evidence from the text in the form of quotations or paraphrases. To make your supports as strong as possible, include as much detail as you can.
Conclude with a restatement of the thesis. In your conclusion paragraph, sum up the most important points you made in your essay. Reword your thesis and place it in this paragraph as well, reminding readers what you were arguing in your essay.
Select a telling title. Choose an attention-getting title that makes the theme of your paper clear. For example, a title such as "Shakespearean Gang Warfare" would be fitting for an essay about gangs in "Romeo and Juliet" as it would capture readers' attention and make the theme immediately obvious.