In "History: A Novel" ("La Storia") by Elsa Morante,
1-Articulate the interpretive problem, question, or puzzle that you will engage in your paper.
2- Indicate which literary text(s) you will be investigating and explain the implication of the text(s) in the problem, question, or puzzle.
3-Explain why this particular problem, question, or puzzle is worthy of exploration (in other words, why it matters, might matter, or should matter) In other words, answer the "so what" question.
4-Express a preliminary, argumentative thesis for the paper and explain why you think the preliminary thesis might hold. What's the evidence?
5- What further evidence do you hope to find to support your preliminary thesis?