The step-by-step guide to writing a thesis statement:
As you gather your information from your sources (novels, plays, poems, etc.) you need to decide what it is that you want to focus your arguments on. Your thesis statement should be a statement of fact or opinion, something that can be supported and proven to be true by using examples from your sources. It should not be phrased as a question.
After you have composed your thesis statement you should ask yourself the following questions to help you refine your topic:
1. Does your thesis statement do more than restate the topic or question? It should present the results of your investigation, not tell us that you are going to investigate.
2. Does your thesis statement reflect the restrictions which your essay will impose on the subject? You can't possibly discuss every detail of your topic so you must limit your discussion to specific aspects of your topic. What are they?
3. Is your thesis statement written clearly so that it states the central idea of your essay precisely?
4. Does your thesis statement convey the priorities of your argument? You should let your reader know the order in which you are going to discuss your points.
5. Is your thesis statement brief, written preferably in one and no more than two sentences?
6. Does your thesis statement present a proposition which can be proven?
7. So what? If you ask this about your thesis statement and nothing comes to mind, your thesis statement reveals nothing of significance, or its truth is too rapidly apparent.