compose vs invent an essay

[degg]

Hello everyone,

I'm doing an English exercise and not so sure about the answer.

" Before you _________ an essay, you might make an outline. "

A. compose B. invent C. excel

Please help me! Thank you very much!

[teechar]

If you look up "excel" in the dictionary, you'll see that it's generally used intransitively.
So, which do you think fits better, "compose" or "invent"?