Begin with a question you can actually answer
A topic is not yet a research question. “Memory in a novel” is a topic; a question asks how, why, or to what effect the text uses memory in a defined set of scenes, voices, or structural choices.
Narrow questions make it easier to decide which evidence belongs in the paper and which interesting material should be left out.
Keep the primary text at the center
Secondary criticism can help you understand a debate, but a literature paper still needs close engagement with the primary work. Record the exact edition you are citing so page, chapter, or section references can be checked.
Organize evidence by claim
Do not build paragraphs around quotations simply because you found them. Write the claim first, then select the smallest amount of textual evidence needed to support it. Explain how the evidence supports your interpretation.
Separate sources from your own argument
When you summarize or paraphrase another scholar, cite that source as carefully as you would a direct quotation. Keep notes that distinguish copied words, paraphrases, and your own ideas so attribution does not become ambiguous during drafting.
Revise the argument before polishing sentences
First check whether every section advances the research question and whether the evidence is sufficient. Only then spend time smoothing transitions, formatting citations, and proofreading. Structural revision usually improves a paper more than line editing an argument that is still unclear.