Writing an essay can feel like a really difficult and overwhelming task. But as difficult as it may feel, everyone has a capacity to write one.
While the idea of writing essays may seem scary for you, there are plenty of powerful writing techniques out there to help you write a good paper. And just like with everything else, it is way easier to write an essay if you know some good tips.
So, if you are wondering how to write an essay, then take a look at the essay writing tips that we have prepared for you below. Those techniques will definitely help you to improve your writing skills dramatically, and they will take your essay to the next level. So, let’s get started!
Before You Start Writing
1. Read Other People’s Essays
As weird as it may seem, reading essays written by others is one of the best ways to improve your writing skills. By reading a range of other essays, you will develop as a writer and build your own writing style. We recommend you to read essays on different subjects as different disciplines use different kinds of arguments and styles. Hence, you will pick up a lot of techniques and apply them in your own writing.
You can read essays from your classmates, group mates or colleagues, but don’t forget to be critical. Think about what do you like about their essays and what don’t you like about them. Are their essays balanced and do they support their arguments with evidence? Is their message clear? What can you learn from it?
Also, it is important to learn from those who have a bit higher level in writing than you. We recommend you to learn from the newspapers, magazines or books. Reading essays written by someone else and doing some critical thinking about them will help you to learn from the best writers and polish up your own writing skills.
2. Build Your Vocabulary
You need to be able to express yourself accurately and clearly, and that is why you have to extend your vocabulary. The best way to do it is no doubt to read more, especially if you are not a native English speaker. You can choose a topic that suits your interests, but it is better just to read more overall. So, read anything that you can get your hands on. However, you must read carefully and pay attention to the structure of the sentences. After going through a couple of books, you will notice that the correct sentence structure is starting to come out in your mind automatically.
All the famous writers have plenty of different books on their bookshelves because no great story is possible without reading. If you want to write good, then you need to understand your reader.
Reading can also help you to keep your brain in shape. When you come across a word you don’t know, don’t be afraid to look it up in a dictionary. You need to make it a habit if you want to improve your vocabulary. Ignoring and skipping up the words we don’t know is a common mistake that we usually make.
3. Use Professional Help
There is nothing wrong in asking for professional essay writing help if you still are not sure about your writing skills or if you have tons of tasks, but don’t have enough time to complete each of them. The academic essay writing services can guarantee that you will get a custom essay of the highest quality. You can find plenty of them online, but we recommend you only the best one. So, for EduBirdie writing service check here. Also, we all know that the best way to learn is to learn from experienced professionals. Hence, by ordering your paper online not only will you get a perfect essay, but also learn how to write well. Go for it!
4. Decide On A Topic
Actually, it is the most difficult part of the whole essay writing process, so take great care in choosing the right topic. If you have the trouble of coming up with the one, then start looking around you and write down everything that comes up in your mind. Keep on writing down your ideas until you find something interesting. Make sure to choose a topic that has not been all over the Internet yet, but also something that will be interesting for you to write about as it will make your essay stronger.
Another great place to start with is to talk to your teacher or professor as they can guide you to the right topic. Also, they can recommend you some literature for your research.
5. Prepare an Outline or Diagram of Your Ideas
Good essay writing technique means having a structured and planned essay. Thus, you need to organize your thoughts if you want to write a successful essay. You will not write a powerful essay with all that mess with your head. Remember, an outline is there to guide you.
Just start with writing your topic on the top of the page or in the middle and create a diagram of your thoughts and ideas. Write down the information and facts to support the main idea. By doing this, you will be able to see more clearly the connections and links between your ideas. Just order your thoughts logically and stick to the plan throughout your writing.
Without an outline, you are risking of realizing somewhere in the middle of your work that you have written yourself into the corner. Hence, a clear plan will help you to save a great amount of time. You will finish your essay faster and more efficiently. A good planning ahead will give your essay more structure and keep it focused on the main idea.
While You Are Writing
1. Write Your Thesis Statement
The first step is writing a thesis statement. It is a must. Without it, your information will be unfocused. A thesis statement should be one or two sentences in length, and it should tell your reader what you are going to present and prove in your work. It will direct your research and tell your readers whether your essay is something they want to read.
A thesis statement must have two parts. The first part will be stating the topic and the second part will be stating the point of your essay. In the second part, you can also write the main ideas that you are going to discuss.
Be as clear and as specific as possible. Avoid such structures like, ‘The point of my essay is…’ Use your own words here and avoid quoting as you need to make a distinct impression on a reader. Thus, grab the reader with your own ideas and words.
2. Write The Body
And the next step is to write a body. The body of your essay must explain, describe and argue the topic that you have chosen. Now that you have an outline prepared it will be easy for you to understand what to write in this part. So, take a look at your outline. Each idea that you wrote down will be explained in one of the body paragraphs. Thus, if you have three main ideas, then you will have three body paragraphs. It is so easy, right?
Start with the introductory sentence and continue with writing the supporting ideas and providing some detailed examples. You can also include a summary sentence at the end of each paragraph. It is completely up to you.
We recommend you to avoid using clichés and the same words too frequently. Also, remember to stick to formal English.
3. Write The Introduction
And we are almost there! So now, all you have to write are only the introduction and the conclusion! Remember, the introduction is a map of your essay. You need to master the art of writing a perfect and effective opener. It has to contain your thesis statement. Thus it will attract readers and give them the idea of the focus of your essay.
In this part, you should give your reader a brief overview of what they can expect from your writing. It needs to accomplish such things as grab attention of your readers, introduce them to the topic and present your stance on the topic (your thesis statement). In order to grab your reader’s attention, you can put a quote on the beginning of the paragraph, or you can provide some interesting facts on the related issue. But do not start your essay with a dictionary definition – it is too boring. Just come up with something interesting! Make your story different from everyone else’s.
4. Write The Conclusion
So, you have written a perfect introduction and body, and now it is time for the last piece of your writing – the conclusion paragraph. Don’t forget that the goal of this part is not to present any new ideas, but to sum up everything that you have written. We recommend you to start with rephrasing your thesis statement, then highlighting the main points in the body and finally providing some final words.
The final words are very important, though. Think about if you want your readers to forget your essay or do you want them to share your ideas with their friends? The conclusion is your last chance to make your essay memorable. Hence, try to come up with the strong words.
After You Have Finished Writing
1. Proofread And Edit Your Work
Well yeah. It is not the end yet. Once you finished with your writing, you need to start editing it. Remember, you must always proofread your writings. That is the rule. But, take a break first. You have deserved one. Go for a run, watch your favorite TV show, treat yourself with delicious ice cream or call a friend, just don’t stare at your essay. When you return to it, you will find that you can see your work from the new perspective. Thus, the mistakes will be clearer to you, and the whole proofreading process will be way easier.
Read your essay out loud. It will help you to hear and see all the flows. Keep improving your essay until the words start to sound perfect. Check over every sentence for grammar and spelling mistakes.
You can find a proofreading buddy as we all know that it can be really difficult to proofread our own writings. For instance, you can ask one of your classmates to read your essay, and you can read their instead. However, if you decide to do so, then choose your proofreader carefully. They must have a good knowledge of English grammar. Also, you don’t want them to steal some of your ideas, so make sure their essay’s topic is different from the one that you have.
2. Formatting Process
The first thing we do when we open an essay – our eyes scan the pages in order to get an overall impression of the writing. Thus, essay format gives us the physical look of the essay, and that is why it is very important to pay close attention to the formatting. However, as we usually do the formatting after the whole writing and the research is done, many of us just don’t give it proper attention. So, we recommend you to dedicate the formatting process the whole day after your work is done.
There are different formatting styles such as APA, Harvard & Chicago, MLA and each of them has its own standards. So, be sure to ask your teacher or professor about essay format before sending or printing your writing.
Well, That Is Literally It. Congrats! You Have Just Written A Perfect Essay!
Writing is not an easy thing, and unfortunately, no one will do the hard work for you (unless you are ready to pay for it). But, with knowing the right writing tips and techniques, you can start writing more efficiently and effectively. Those tips above will help you improve your writing skills, and by using them, you will take your essay to the new professional level.
Becoming a good writer can take some time, but don’t forget that practice makes perfect. After all, good writing does not happen by accident. So, with the desire and willingness to learn you can achieve your goal in no time.
