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By this point, you should have a simple outline that includes:

1. A potential topic

2. 4-7 different examples for your topic

3. At least one value for each example

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, or just want to go back to the examples to refresh your memory, click here.

Assuming you have these things, the next question is: What do you need to write a great first draft of a montage essay? I believe you need three things:

1. A simple, clear opening

2. 4-7 paragraphs with specific examples and values

3. An ending

In a later lesson, I'll walk you through what a great final draft requires. But first things first.

Step 1: Write a simple, clear opening.

Your goal with your first draft isn't necessarily to blow our minds with the most clever opening ever. I say this because lots of students get stuck because they try to do just that. But actually, I think it's best to figure out if the middle of the essay (i.e., the 4-7 paragraphs of examples and values) can work first. And how can we do that if we're waiting for the perfect opening?

So my advice is to remove the mental barrier of writing "the perfect opening" by writing a simple, clear opening that will serve as a placeholder. (Keep in mind you can always come back and edit this later once you know the essay topic as a whole can work.)

Here are some examples of clear openings for "Essence Objects/Stuff in My Room" essays:

• "I like grouping my experiences in life on my wrists. In my culture, this can be seen as weird, but by wearing my bracelets I am establishing my own identity, even if I am pushing against cultural norms."

• "My laptop is like a passport. It is plastered with stickers all over the outside, inside, and bottom. Each sticker is a stamp, representing a place I've been, a passion I've pursued, or community I've belonged to. These stickers make for an untraditional first impression at a meeting or presentation, but it's one I'm proud of. Let me take you on a quick tour ..."

• "Bookshelves are a great equalizer; they are as universal as they are personal. Tucked away between each compartment is someone's life story, much like the pages of a novel that hold the secrets of a writer's mind. My story begins on the fourth shelf, with a dark-green collectibles version of The Hobbit, a tenth birthday gift ..."

Can you figure out the topics for the essays above? You guessed it: bracelets, stickers, and books. Now, don't get me wrong: I'm not saying you have to mention your topic in your first sentence---but it is a pretty good way of helping the reader understand what your theme is.

Alternatively, you could choose to start with a lead-in that does not mention your topic explicitly. If you do this, though, it's a pretty good idea to mention your topic relatively soon (say, in the first or second paragraph) so we know where you're taking us. Here are a couple examples of essays that do that:

Example 1:

Meditation over a flaxen sunset with a friend and parmesan-topped spaghetti for dinner— "14." Assignments piling up on my desk as a high fever keeps me sick at home— "3." Taking a photo excursion through downtown Seattle for a Spanish project— "15." For the past 700 days and counting, the Happiness Spreadsheet has been my digital collection for documenting numerical, descriptive, and graphical representations of my happiness*. Its instructions are simple: Open the Google Sheet, enter a number between 1 and 20 that best represents my level of happiness, and write a short comment describing the day. But the practical aspect of the spreadsheet is only a piece of what it has represented in my life.*

Example 2:

Six years ago, a scrawny twelve year old kid took his first steps into Home Depot: the epitome of manliness. As he marched through the wood section, his eyes scrolled past the options. Red Oak? No, too ubiquitous. Pine? No, too banal. Mahogany? Perfect, it would nicely complement his walls. As days went on, the final product was almost ready. 91 degree angles had been perfected to 90. Drawer slides had been lubricated ten times over. Finally, the masterpiece was finished, and the little boy couldn't help but smile. A scrawny 12-year-old kid had become a scrawny 12-year-old man. This desk I sit at has not only seen me through the last six years, but its story and the story of the objects I keep on it provide a foundation for my future pursuits*.*

If you decide to delay revealing your topic a bit, it's not a bad idea to include a sentence (like those bolded above) to help situate the reader. What's this essay about? This sentence lets us know.

So ask yourself now: For the sake of getting started on my first draft, what's a simple way I can lead the reader into my topic?

[action_item]

Action Item (2 min): Write a placeholder opening.

It could be as simple as, "Look on my bookshelf, and you'll see four things: sketch books, manga, and a bunch of snow globes from different countries." And boom, we're into the essay. Again, your goal isn't to wow us (we'll explore how to write a great opening in a future lesson)—right now, your goal is to remove the obstacle of the opening so we can get into writing the examples.

[And, if you're a perfectionist like me and want to remind yourself to come back and change the opening, you can put your placeholder opening in brackets, like this.]

Step 2: Bring your 4-7 examples to life.

This is what my friend Mignon Fogarty (a.k.a. Grammar Girl) calls The Meaty Middle. It's really the make-or-break part of your essay. If this part doesn't work, consider brainstorming another topic.

Take a look at your examples—you're about to expand on them a little so you can turn them into paragraphs for your essay. And let's use the "Laptop Stickers" essay as a model, since you've read that one. The examples (of different laptop stickers) and values the author wanted to demonstrate were:

• We <3 Design → art, design, experimentation

• Common Threads → authenticity, open-mindedness

• Poop emoji → family, goofy side

• Lol ur not Harry Styles → equality, activism, confidence

• Catapult → entrepreneurship, social justice, awareness, meaningful work

• Thank God it's Monday → enjoyable work

• The Team → collaboration

• Kode with Klossy → community, social justice

For each of your examples, write down 2-3 details that might help illustrate the value or quality you want to show. Here's how that author did it:

• We <3 Design → art, design, experimentation

  • Ex: "I've spent entire weekends designing websites and social media graphics for my companies."

• Common Threads → authenticity, open-mindedness, diversity

  • Ex: "For years I've been interested in the street artists and musicians in downtown Austin who are so unapologetically themselves. As a result, I've become more open-minded and appreciative of unconventional lifestyles."

• Poop emoji → family, goofy side

  • Ex: "My 13-year-old brother often sends his messages with the poop emoji 'echo effect,' so whenever I open a new message from him, hundreds of poops elegantly cascade across my screen. He brings out my goofy side, but also helps me think rationally when I am overwhelmed."

• Lol ur not Harry Styles → equality, activism, confidence

  • Ex: "... for me [Harry] Styles embodies an artist-activist who uses his privilege for the betterment of society. As a $42K donor to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, a hair donor to the Little Princess Trust, and promoter of LGBTQ+ equality, he has motivated me to be a more public activist instead of internalizing my beliefs."

• Catapult → entrepreneurship, social justice, awareness, meaningful work

  • Ex: "[Through my] first company ... I learned that business can provide others access to fundamental human needs, such as economic empowerment of minorities and education."

• Thank God it's Monday → enjoyable work

  • Ex: "Although I attempt to love all my stickers equally (haha), this is one of my favorites. I always want my association with work to be positive."

• The Team → collaboration

  • Ex: "a sticker from the Model G20 Economics Summit where I collaborated with youth from around the globe"

• Kode with Klossy → community, social justice

  • Ex: " a community of girls working to promote women's involvement in underrepresented fields"

See how that works?

[action_item]

Action Item (10-15 min): Brainstorm 2-3 details for each example.

This may take more than 10-15 minutes. If so, that's okay.

Here are two tips as you brainstorm your content:

1. Use specific, visual examples to show your values.

Example: "I love design" is vague. But note how the author of the "Laptop Stickers" essay writes, "I've spent entire weekends designing websites and social media graphics for my companies." These details help demonstrate the depth of her design experience, plus we can imagine her at work. Show us what that value looks like in your life.

Another example: "I care about my family" is vague. But note how the author of the "My Desk" essay writes, "When I look at the bracelet, I also see my little brother tugging on me, asking me countless questions as I repair my cube-stacking robot. 'What's that weird looking spinny thing?' It's obviously a 0.81 lb, 5mm shaft diameter, 5700 rpm, 35 oz-in stall torque, 22 amp stall current, brushless DC motor. Duh." He offers a specific image of him teaching his brother, which shows us he cares about him, plus he shows his technical knowledge and his sense of humor.

2. Can you provide a few examples instead of just one?

Example: "Harry Styles is an activist" is okay, but without an example (or three) of his activism, we won't quite understand how, or what causes were important to him. The author follows up her claim with three quick examples: "... for me [Harry] Styles embodies an artist-activist who uses his privilege for the betterment of society. As a $42K donor to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, a hair donor to the Little Princess Trust, and promoter of LGBTQ+ equality, he has motivated me to be a more public activist instead of internalizing my beliefs." She also offers a little "so what" in the next sentence to demonstrate the impact on her, which offers insight. I'll share more insight tips in the "Upleveling Your Paragraphs" lesson coming up.

Step 3: Write an ending.

Remember: It doesn't even have to be a good ending right now; it just has to be an ending. Again, your goal on this first draft is not to write the most mind-blowing conclusion ever; you simply want to land the plane. Your ending could be as simple as, ["Each of these experiences has shaped me into the person I am today."] That's super cheesy, so you'd for sure want to put that in brackets and edit it later, but it would get the job done and get you to the next step.