How do I start off a compare and contrast essay between daughter and son?I'm not really getting the block arrangement or the point by point...

The best way to start off any essay is to brainstorm preliminary
ideas. Start by listing as many general points that you can think of that show the differences
and similarities of the two people you are comparing and contrasting. Aim for at least 10
distinct ideas. Then, go back and add as many specific examples to your list as possible. Attempt
to illustrate and explain your broad points with words.

If your
essay is based on a real life daughter and son, your examples will come from your experiences and
observations. It is helpful to be both detailed and factual so that your essay will have
credibility later. If this is an essay based on a story or novel, however, your examples need to
come from from the text, and should include quoted material wherever
possible.

Once you've created a significant list of ideas, you can
begin to organize your ideas into similar groups (sub-topics) by labeling ideas with what will
later become body paragraph topic sentences. Most often, I encourage students to aim for three
groups, as this will create three body paragraphs. If you have more, that is fine. If you do not
have at least three, try to brainstorm some more ideas.

Once you've
accomplished these preliminary pre-writing steps, creating an outline and
then writing your rough draft should be much easier. I also think it is easiest to write the
introduction and conclusion after you've written the body
paragraphs.