Every student has been challenged by an essay during their studies. Much of what makes writing these assignments challenging is simply figuring out how to proceed.
Instead of wasting time wondering what you should do, consider following a system to guide your efforts. If you don’t have a system with which you are already familiar, here are some tips to get you started.
1. Define Your Topics
It is almost impossible to write a quality essay until you choose your topic. While you may have been given one as part of the assignment, other times you are given some flexibility. Consider any limitations given in the assignment, and try to find a central focus for the work. Even though you may cover certain generalizations during your paper, you want to focus on a key point throughout.
2. Choose Your Main Ideas
Each paragraph of your essay will review one specific idea that supports your main topic. Use these points to begin the framework of an outline for your paper.
Your main points should flow logically from one to the next, and each main point will be supported by a few statements. This outline serves as an organizational mechanism. It will help keep your thoughts together, and gives you a way to manage ideas as they come to you.
3. Create an Introduction
Your introduction needs to touch on each of the main points of your paper, as well as indicate how they support the paper’s focus point. This serves as a summary of the paper. It lets the reader know what they can expect as they read through your essay, and provides them with an indication of your intention from the start.
The introduction also needs to be exciting. It must draw readers into the essay, and leave them curious about what they will discover while reading it. Consider including a relevant quote, or include a shocking fact, if appropriate, through a simple summary is acceptable on its own.
4. Develop the Body
The bulk of your essay is contained in the body of the paper. This is where you take each main point and use it to develop a paragraph or two. Start each paragraph by reintroducing the main point from the introduction that is going to be covered, and write additional supporting sentences that sustain the point being addressed. In order to be considered a substantial paragraph, you want to make sure that there is a minimum of three sentences in each. However, you aren’t limited to only three. If five or six supporting sentences fit well together, feel free to include them.
In order to be considered a substantial paragraph, you want to make sure that there is a minimum of three sentences in each. However, you aren’t limited to only three. If five or six supporting sentences fit well together, feel free to include them.
5. Bring Closure with Your Conclusion
A conclusion makes sure that all of your points have been tied together, and restates your primary focus.
A brief conclusion can be effective, so it does not need to extend far beyond three sentences to be considered sufficient. Keep the information clear and concise, and aim to reinforce your thoughts with the final statement.
6. Clean It Up
Once your first draft is complete, it is time to review and refine. Pay attention to all of the details, and review your work for spelling, punctuation, or grammatical issues. Even the most polished ideas will fail to shine if they are poorly expressed.
If reviewing your own work is a difficult task, consider enlisting some essay help from classmates, teachers, siblings, or parents. They may be better equipped to spot errors that you will tend to glance over. Consider their feedback, and see what can be used to make your writing better.
Once your editing is complete, you should review the entire paper once more. This helps make sure that any changes that were made did not interrupt the flow of ideas. Now that your review is complete, you should be ready to turn in your work and enjoy the feeling of a job well done.
