Final answer:
The first step in the essay writing process is to brainstorm ideas before consulting sources, keeping a running list of sources to credit them, and finding personalized writing processes that work best for you.
Explanation:
The first thing you should do in the essay writing process is brainstorm. Before consulting sources, spend time developing your ideas through various pre-writing techniques such as analyzing and annotating the subject. Draft as much of the paper as you can without looking at sources.
As you gather sources, keep a running list of bibliographic details to remember where ideas came from. Brainstorming is a popular way for writers to find ideas by journaling, listing thoughts, and connecting ideas.
While writing your essay can be considered a set of processes, it's important to find what works for you to move from brainstorming ideas to submitting the final draft.
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