How To Write An Essay

5 Easy Steps to Guide You When Writing an Essay

Every student should possess basic skills to write an essay, as it is an essential part of their studies. Often, the instructor may pick a topic and ask students to write about it to challenge their creativity and analytical abilities. While it may seem an uphill task, writing becomes easier with proper planning and organization of ideas. Here are five simple steps that you can follow to hack that outstanding essay.

Brainstorm Ideas

Before you begin the actual writing of the essay, it is essential to note down any ideas that come to your mind. If a topic is already provided, try to write down as much information you know about it. However, if the topic is not provided, try to be as creative as possible to make your essay outstanding.

For example, if you have been asked to free-write an article on Covid-19, try as much as possible to brainstorm ideas from different angles, such as how it has affected a particular group of people. The essence of brainstorming is to develop a unique angle that others are not likely to undertake. After all, the instructor is looking for a captivating write-up that is persuasive, unique, and reasonable!

Research Your Topic

Essays take many forms; from argumentative, narrative, informative, compare and contrast essays to problem-solution essays. When writing your essay, it is crucial to consider what kind of essay you are required to write, as it will guide your thought process. Research helps to back up the ideas you brainstormed in the first step by expanding them. Also, you get to discover different dimensions that other authors have given to the subject. Thus, it offers answers and fills the knowledge gaps that occurred during your brainstorming session.

Create an Outline

An outline is a guide that helps you to organize the flow of ideas when you finally come to the actual writing. It shows you how you will organize your ideas according to each section, thus helping you stay focused. It also highlights all the main points you have assembled, which makes it a kind of pre-writing. The final essay will therefore follow the structure of the outline in the exact sequence.

Write Your Essay

Now that you have gathered enough information, it is time to put them down clearly and coherently. Here, you exhibit all the research skills you acquired in the previous steps by writing logically and in an organized way.

Ensure that your essay has an introduction with a strong thesis statement, a body with clear topic sentences for each paragraph, and a conclusion that summarizes all your main points in the paper. For instance, you can start your essay with an eye-catching sentence, also known as a hook. Notably, a thesis statement shows that you understood the essay question, and you strived to answer it in the best way possible. Topic sentences enable you to discuss every key point independently to create a better understanding.

Make your ideas exciting and captivating enough to compel the reader to read from the beginning to the end. A good essay combines elements of research and your brainstorming techniques to make it creative and innovative. By writing your essay, you challenge your creative ability by demonstrating how you can produce your original work using the information you garnered during the overall research process. When writing the essay, let your ideas flow logically, such that each sentence is connected to the next. That way, your concepts automatically become clear and better, and thus, you will find the writing process less complicated.

Proofread, Edit, and Revise Your Work

Before submitting your essay, it is important to proofread your work, to eliminate any grammatical and structural errors that might have occurred during writing. You can edit structural errors by replacing them with better wording or rearrange the key phrases. Additionally, you can rewrite complex sentences to eliminate confusion. To err is human and thus, missing a point or two shouldn’t be a big deal. However, proofreading will help you to note those errors and perhaps make your paper better.

Proofreading your work gives your paper the authority of language, as to how you say something is much more important than what you say. Even if your paper has a strong thesis but sounds incoherent, it becomes hard to attract the reader’s attention. Thankfully, there are various grammar and spell-checking tools nowadays, which can help you maneuver through this step quickly. While some people may ignore this step, doing so might destroy the flow of a well-researched essay that would have earned you excellent grades.

Conclusion

A good essay requires effort because nothing good comes easy. If you set your mind to becoming a good essayist, you may achieve it by constant practice. Also, there is a vast resource of information online that you can always consult if you might be stuck. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a good essay. With enough practice, you will soon be among the best essay writers, which is advantageous for your studies.