The diversity of the term essay almost makes it sound like writing one is as easy as initiating conversations with total strangers. Of course there is no universal technique that instantly turns beginners to award-winning writers, but there are certain plausible techniques that can serve as guidelines for aspiring and starting writers.
The first point to consider in writing an essay is to determine the topic to be written. Is it about a person, a place, a particular cuisine, and so on? This gives the writer liberty to choose topics of personal interest that can pose as an advantage to his or her part. There are certain cases wherein the topic to be discussed and written is assigned, it is then important to determine whether such topic is a simple overview or a detailed analysis of a particular subject matter. If the topic is broad, the writer may choose to focus on a sub-topic or several sub-topics in order to produce a clear and concise essay.
Brainstorming is an integral part of efficient essay writing as it may help the writer in evaluating the subjects to be discussed in the essay. Regardless of the purpose of the essay, the writer may consider numerous topics. In case the writer finds difficulty in selecting a suitable topic, he or she may consider recalling a personal experience, thinking about a favourite past-time, or looking for interesting objects within the vicinity.
After the topic has been determined, the writer should then move to defining the purpose of the essay. The essay writer may consider several questions such as should the essay be informative, analytical, or persuasive? Should the essay be directed to convincing people to adhere to the writers beliefs? Should the essay educate readers about an individual or subject, or demonstrate how to perform certain procedures?
If it is informative, the writer must give all the necessary information, and it is plausible to start with the basic information about the topic. If it is analytical, it is important to give both an overview as well as the positive and negative sides of the subject being analyzed. Also, the analysis should as much as possible be objective.
In writing an effective essay, it is practical to create an outline in order to give the writer a primary sense of direction for the essay. An outline may consist of the general idea to be discussed, followed by the points that support the main idea. Depending on the purpose of the essay, the content of the outline may vary. The outline for a persuasive essay for instance may contain the writer’s strongest arguments, while informative essay outlines may contain the categories and sub-categories of the topic.
As soon as the topic has been determined and evaluated, the writer should now think about writing the essay itself. An essay begins with the introductory part that contains the thesis statement. The thesis statement enables the writer to set an identity for the essay in such a way that the reader or readers will have a general idea of what the essay would be about (Teitelbaum, 2003, 23).
Choice of words are important in writing the introduction, this is because the introduction captures the reader’s attraction while giving notions of what the essay’s focus ought to be. Sentences with striking thought or sagely quotations and traditional sayings are effective weapons in grabbing the reader’s attention. The writer also must include true and verifiable information in order to rouse interest to readers. In any event, the introduction must contain ideas that does not bore or alienate readers so as the essay would not cause be distasteful or disinteresting to them.
Writing the body of the essay is crucial because all the preparations made will bear fruit in it. The Body usually begins with the discussion of the topic’s main idea followed by its supporting points or sentences. An effective way to write the body is to consult the essay outline so that the main points and sub-points can be written coherently. A detailed explanation of the sub-points strengthens the thesis statement and the essay’s main arguments. Furthermore, well detailed explanations of sub-topics clarify any vague arguments, should there be any.
Conclusion, as the term suggests, gives closure to the essay. Conclusions basically contain the summary of the main points and sub-points discussed in the body. In certain types of essays such as analytical or persuasive essays, the conclusion is suitable ground for the writer to give out the final perspective of the main topic. Simply put, the conclusion restates the main points or concisely describes the writer’s perspectives regarding the topic. In addition, it is also important to mind that the conclusion should not mention ideas not covered in the introduction and the body.
Prevention is better than cure, so as the saying goes, it is therefore harmless for the writer to check for any spelling errors or grammatical lapses within the essay. The writer should also be mindful of the essay’s overall structure and determine whether the finished product is sensible or not. In checking the final piece, it is also important to evaluate whether the transitions of paragraphs go without errors. Lastly the writer should also check if the instructions or the outline are followed obediently.
Essay writing may have numerous points to consider before having it effectively done. Although it is dependent of how the writer spills out the ideas, essay writing can still be done formally given proper sensible guidelines. At any rate, the only effort the writer may exert is writing down the ideas for the essay.
References
Teitelbaum, H. (2003). How to Write a Thesis. New Jersey: Peterson’s.
