One way to make the task of writing an essay easier is to make sure that you are organized.  In the past, you might have had a three-ring binder to hold all your research.  You probably would have had one tab that said "Van Gogh", and another one that said "Gauguin."  You would have done your research in the library, made photocopies of all the articles that you were planning to use, highlighted the important parts, and then would have re-written various pieces of information on note cards.  You would have punched holes in the copies, wrapped a rubber band around the cards and stored everything in the binder.  

Luckily, we now have computers, so your task is much easier!  However, you still need to be organized.  By following these instructions, you'll be able to easily locate, copy, store and retrieve data that you'll use to write your essay.