This common dilemma is expressed over and over again by many people
everywhere. The good news is that anybody can write an essay!
There are three main reasons for essays:
1. To help you to cohesively construct an argument and defend it on paper.
2. To help you develop good written and oral communication skills.
3. To help you to figure out how to find information.
Not
knowing how to write properly can make your academic life disorganized,
stressful and chaotic. By improving your writing skills, you can
confidently and quickly finish assignments and write properly throughout
your professional career.
Writing an essay can be very simple
when you follow these basic steps: choose a topic, define the scope of
your essay, create the outline, write the essay and -- proofread,
proofread, proofread!
The Essay Topic
The first step in
writing an essay is to select a topic (if one has not been assigned). In
order to define a topic, you should think about the goal of the essay.
Is the purpose of the essay to persuade, educate, or describe a topic --
or for something else entirely? It is generally helpful to brainstorm
ideas by jotting down favorite subjects or thinking of a topic that may
be interesting to you.
Define the Scope of the Essay
The
next step is to define the scope of your essay. Is the subject matter
very broad, or will the essay cover a specific topic with
detail-oriented examples? Thinking about the overall topic and scope
will help you to begin the writing process.
Create an Outline
The
next step is to create the outline. You may think that an outline is an
unnecessary, time-consuming task -- but this step will actually help
save time! An outline will help keep you focused while writing your
essay, and help keep you from wandering aimlessly in conducting your
research. It should be composed of the main idea of the essay or thesis
statement, and the arguments that support it. The outline is often numbered and organized by paragraph, but more abstract outlines will also help to organize and focus your
ideas.
statement, and the arguments that support it. The outline is often numbered and organized by paragraph, but more abstract outlines will also help to organize and focus your
ideas.
Writing the Essay
The subsequent step is writing
the essay. The introduction paragraph should begin with an attention
grabber. This is a statement the lures the reader into wanting to read
the rest of the essay. The next few sentences should be very broad in
topic, and should lead to the narrow focus of the thesis statement,
which is usually the very last sentence of the introduction paragraph.
There are typically three body paragraphs, and each one starts by
tackling one of the main ideas presented in the thesis statement. The
following sentences should describe and elaborate on the main point.
Details of specific examples should be included to strengthen your main
ideas. The conclusion paragraph summarizes the essay and provides a
final perspective on the main topic. It often begins with a paraphrase
of the original thesis statement, and sometimes includes a future
prediction based upon the viewpoint presented in the essay.
Proofreading Your Essay
The
final step in writing a thesis is proofreading. Proofreading is
actually the most important part of writing the essay and is often
skipped. A few items to consider when proofreading your essay are the
order of the paragraphs, the flow of the sentences, grammar, spelling
and the instructions for the assignment. Questions to ask yourself
include:
o Does your essay make sense?
o Does each sentence flow to the next sentence well?
o Are there any points that can be made stronger or clearer?
o Are there words that are used frequently?
o Are there any run-on sentences or fragments?
The
proofreading process sometimes takes longer than the actual writing
process, but this is what makes the difference between a concise and
well thought out essay, and a bad essay.
When the process of
writing an essay is broken into pieces, the process seems more
manageable and easier to complete for the beginner. The process consists
of thinking about a topic, creating an outline, writing the essay and
proofreading the essay. This makes essay writing an interesting learning
experience, and helps the writer express his or her thoughts more
clearly, concisely and with more validation.