: Organize your body paragraphs to follow the tension from its origin, through its consequences, to a potential (or lack of) resolution. 3. Move Down the "Ladder of Abstraction"

: Every deep essay has two layers: the specific "personal" story and the "larger" universal connection or realization.

A strong foundation allows your deeper insights to remain coherent.

: Start with a personal inclination or a feeling you are trying to figure out, rather than just a statement of fact. 2. Build the "Skeleton" Structure