1st step: Prewriting - Brainstorm! Find your topics, and make a list or Venn diagram of the similarities and differences.
2nd step: Drafting - Look over your brainstorming list and determine which structuring method will get your points across best. Point-by-Point or Block? Write your first draft.
3rd step: Revise - Read over your paper and have someone else read over it. Did the structure you chose work for for your paper?
4th step: Edit - Make any corrections needed to grammar and spelling.
5th step: Share - Turn in your paper.
Writing in a point-by-point structure means that each similarity (or difference) for one object is followed immediately by the similarity (or difference) for the other.
Example Layout:
Introduction of paper
Point 1
Object 1 > Object 2
Point 2
Object 1 > Object 2
Point 3
Object 1 > Object 3
Conclusion
Writing in a block structure means that all of the information about one of the objects being compared/contrasted is given first, and all of the information about the other object is listed afterward.
Example Layout:
Introduction of paper
Object 1 Point 1
Object 1 Point 2
Object 1 Point 3
Transition Sentence or paragraph
Object 2 Point 1
Object 2 Point 2
Object 2 Point 3
Conclusion
Combination Method
Finally, when you combine the two, you’re writing a compare and contrast essay that follows the combination method. You may spend a couple of body paragraphs using the alternating method and then decide to switch to the block method for a deeper analysis of each of the subjects.