Once you have looked through the opinion essay ideas of others, you have to formulate your own opinion on the issue. For example, if you write an opinion essay about death penalty or abortion, you have to decide whether you are for or against the issue. Making this decision is hard, but the sources you scan will provide you with statistics, argumentation, and claims of opponents and proponents of the issue. After studying them critically, you will be able to form your own opinion, which will become the basis for your essay.