I gathered some ideas yesterday for my essay on:

Question

Being an only child has more advantages than being one of several children in a family,
1. an only child has all the attention of his/her parents
2. he/she is provided with better things
3. since he/she is the future of the family, he/she is given the best of education
4. an only child does not have to start early, this way he/she can go for higher studies
5. an only child doesn't have to wear outgrown clothing form older siblings
6. he/she doesn't have to share toys, books, computers, etc., with others
7. he/she usually has his/her own room

Now i want to make an outline, which will guide me in how to organize and arrange my essay. (these steps are not compulsory, i'm just doing it because i think it will be helpful for me)

So, i think this is what it should be like:
I. Introduction
thesis
II. First argument
example
III. Second argument
example
IV. Third argument
example
V. Conclusion

but this seems like it won't grab the reader's attention, it's really boring. just moving from different reasons and giving examples

can anybody please show me a different way to organize my paper? thanks!

Answer 1

Your opening sentence should be dramatic and capture the readers' attention. It could be something simple like "An only child has it made!"

Your outline looks good. In number 4, do you mean the only child doesn't have to start saving money early?

Answer 2

yes that's what i mean in #4.

Ok. so i'll start my intro with a catchy sentence like that.

which 3 reasons from the list of 7 above do you think i should use? i should probably use the ones that i can write the most about, and that are interesting.

How about #1, 3 , and 6
?

Answer 3

Yes, 1, 3 and 6 are good points. You can also include some of the others and combine them -- like 5, 6, and 7.

Answer 4

alright...now all i need to do before writing is think of a good thesis statement

do you think i can just use the topic of the essay as the thesis? because that is the main argument. or something else?

Answer 5

How about?

An only child has advantages not available to a child with siblings.

Answer 6

Yes.
thank you so much for helping me Ms. Sue.
i will start working on the intro, then show you

thanks again!

Answer 7

You're welcome. I look forward to seeing your final paper.