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

1. A simple, clear opening

2. 4-7 paragraphs with 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 "Identity" essays:

• "I've always been small."

• "Apparently, I have a natural 'mom vibe.' "

• "There is nothing worse than waking up and realizing you were meant to be a Pirate."

Note that the topics above are all named at the end of the first sentence (I've highlighted them in bold). 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.

You can also do this if you're writing an essay exploring multiple ways you identify, like this:

My Twitter bio reads: angry brown girl, feminist, singer, meme-lover. You will notice live-tweets of my feminist Pride and Prejudice thoughts, analyses of Hamilton's power for musical representation, and political memes. Just as my posts bring together seemingly disparate topics, I believe there is a vibrancy that exists at the multidimensional place where my interests intersect.

Alternatively, you could choose to start with a lead-in that does not mention your identity explicitly, but that shows you doing something that demonstrates that identity. Like this:

Tik tok. The noise of the clock gets louder every time I glance at it. The sizzle of the Tabasco sauce as I drizzle it over the golden chicken is like a bursting of a thousand firecrackers. Carefully, I colour the top with a light fragrant sauce, like a thin paintbrush on a canvas. I sprinkle the dish with freshly cut chives to enhance the flavour and create a colourful balance.

This is, however, just one part of what it takes to be a chef.

Note that, if you do go this route, it's not a bad idea to name the identity so we know where the essay is headed.

Ask yourself now: What's a simple way I can lead the reader into my topic for the purpose of this first draft?

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

It could be as simple as, "I am an artist," 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 part is what my friend Mignon Fogarty (aka 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 "This Is Me" essay as a model, since you've read that one. The identities the author chose to demonstrate were:

• Mexican

• Chinese

• American

• Catholic

• Gay

For each of your examples, you'll write down 2-3 details that might help illustrate the value or quality you want to show. This essay offers a master class in how to do this, as each paragraph has 4-7 details per paragraph:

• Mexican → "My mother calling me 'mi vida' and my relatives kissing my cheek. Running but never hiding from the dreaded chancla and always responding with, 'Muy bien, y tu?'"

• Chinese → "My father's musical Cantonese conversations with my grandparents, and their constant inquiry asking, "How is school?" Being named after 龙, the dragon, for strength and living for three years in Shanghai."

• American → "Shopping sprees at Target and a constant diet of fast foods. Full acceptance of the consumer society and a rather unhealthy addiction to social media and technology."

• Catholic → "The private Catholic middle and high schools each with masses for special occasions. Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation. Praying before each meal and saying, "Go away in the name of Jesus" to nighttime horrors."

• Gay → "An unusual obsession with fashion and clothing. Watching Game of Thrones not for Daenerys or Cersei, but for Jon Snow and Jamie. Seeing Love Simon for the first time, and crying at least five times."

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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 like bringing people together" might be somewhat vague. You'll strengthen your essay if you can offer a specific example or two—and bonus points if you can connect it to your thematic thread, as the author of the "Pirates" essay did: "Captain Henry Avery searched for the perfect congregation of Pirates to create a republic of misfits; I did the same as I helmed the mental health club to help those at Gunn High School in need."

2. Can you provide a few examples instead of just one? Example: "I am Catholic" is vague. But details can help us know what an identity has meant to you. The author of the "This Is Me" essay, for example, writes: "Theology classes and realizing there is so much more to religion than faith. Having something to believe in. Questioning what you believe in. Turning to God when I see the horrors in the world and getting no response."

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, for example, ["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.