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Writing a thesis often seems daunting. How do you summarize your whole paper into one sentence? Fortunately, this task is doable and often much easier than it seems.
Try to wait until your paper is mostly written to feel that your thesis needs to be solid and defined. Before then, you will usually just have a “working thesis.” A working thesis states what you are going to be discussing/arguing/explaining plus how you are going to discuss/argue/explain it.
This format provides a nice starting point for your thesis. An example could be
Shakespeare was a great playwright because of his use of language
what you are going to discuss + how you are going to discuss it
But this thesis needs more work. After you have spent more time researching and writing, you will be more prepared to add to your statement. Your thesis needs to be a roadmap of your paper, and include how you will analyze the main ideas.
When you feel that your thesis is almost done, ask yourself “so what?” If your thesis leaves room for someone to say “so what?” or ask how or why—keep working on it. We know that Shakespeare was a great playwright because of his use of language, but so what? Your thesis should answer questions that your reader might have and explain the purpose of your paper: Shakespeare's use of language has led him to be known as one of the greatest playwrights the world has seen, and Hamlet and Midsummer Night's Dream exemplify this idea through the narrative and prose of each play.
Remember, your thesis is presenting your paper to your professor, so it is important to take the time to improve it. This is another area that the Writing Center can help you with. We can be a sounding board for your ideas and help you work through the process of creating your thesis.
