Establish a working outline. List all the points about your friend to be covered in the essay. Follow a standard expository essay structure, including introduction, thesis, body and a conclusion. Arrange related ideas under similar headings, numbering them as you go. Points in your essay should flow from most supportive of the thesis to the least.

Introduce the reader to your friend. Include in the introductory paragraph a gripping opening sentence to hook the reader, introduce the topic right away and have a thesis statement. Your thesis, in this case, is that your friend is a good friend.

Write the body paragraphs. Describe and explain why your friend is a good friend. Three or four body paragraphs is standard, and each will have the same general structure: a main idea, points to support the idea, elaboration for each point and a summary sentence. Here is where you discuss your friend's personal and professional accomplishments, personality traits that you admire, and the impact her friendship has had on you personally. If you are at a loss for words, ask her other friends what they love and admire about her.

End your essay with a powerful conclusion paragraph. Reiterate how much you appreciate your friend, summarize the principal points that support your feelings for her and conclude with an insightful reflection about your friend.

Check with your instructor ahead of time for specific essay structure and content guidelines.

Write several drafts. Ask someone else to read your essay and to give you feedback on how to refine and tweak it.

Read your essay aloud and listen for grammatical errors or sentences that are poorly structured.

Use frequent anecdotes. Have the reader to see your friend through your eyes by vividly describing a memory of your friend. In addition to saying she is charitable, write about a specific charitable deed she has done. If she has always had business savvy, give an example of how she displaye these traits when she was younger.