This document provides instructions for writing a literary paper in 6 steps: 1) Analyze the text and develop a thesis by reading critically and choosing a topic to argue. 2) Outline the essay by organizing ideas and using the outline to focus research. 3) Draft the paper by introducing the topic, providing evidence to support the thesis from paragraphs, and concluding beyond the thesis. 4) Make use of multiple drafts by focusing on the argument in the first draft and organization in subsequent drafts.