Write and Publish an Essay
6 weeks · 3 milestones
Research, write, and publish a long-form essay with real readers.
Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Choose a specific claim — one defensible sentence — and gather the material that lets you develop, test, and complicate it. An essay requires a thesis, not a topic. The outline tests whether the argument is real before you spend three weeks writing prose to discover it wasn't. Write the thesis in five different ways and pick the version someone could most plausibly disagree with. Build an outline of 8+ beats where each section exists because it advances, complicates, or tests the central claim.
Proof required
Submit: (1) your thesis statement in one sentence — a claim someone could disagree with, not a topic or observation, and (2) a structured outline of 8+ beats with a one-sentence note on each showing how it serves the central argument. Include 3+ sources, quotations, or personal experiences assigned to specific sections.
What gets checked
- Thesis is falsifiable — not 'Loneliness is increasing' (fact claim) or 'Loneliness is bad' (universal agreement), but 'The wellness industry has made urban loneliness more invisible, not less' (a specific claim with real opposition)
- Outline shows a logical or narrative arc where each beat depends on what came before — not a list of topics or scenes — and includes at least one beat that engages the strongest counterargument directly
- At least 3 pieces of evidence (quotations, data, scenes, experiences) are assigned to specific outline positions — evidence identified but not yet placed means the argument is not yet tested against material
Resources
Enroll free to unlock learning resources →Mastery
Lithub — Essays and Criticism
Free craft and criticism articles from serious literary writers — go here when the outline is settled to study how professional essayists handle the specific structural problem you are facing
Unlocks after completing Foundation + Depth