It’s difficult to imagine school or college life without essay writing. Topics can differ: from eternal and fundamental themes like friendship or love to analysis of a literary character. Students write essays not only on literature, but also on history, social studies, and foreign languages.
Essays are written on high school exams and during the application process. A motivation letter can take the form of an essay, too. When it comes to starting a new life phase, the ability to share one’s thoughts in a creative yet logical way becomes essential. Every important mission requires preparation. This article highlights 4 steps you should pay attention to before writing an essay.
Come Up with a Topic
Essays usually express the author’s attitude towards a significant issue. That is why it is better to choose a topic that is familiar to the writer so that it would be easier to list the arguments or share a relatable experience. A student can focus on something that he or she is passionate about.
If an essay is aimed at providing facts on a particular field, it is recommended to choose a theme the author is well acquainted with. This will bring a chance to use one’s knowledge in a confident way. It also saves time since research won’t be that extensive.
The topic is closely related to the main idea that will become the essay’s core. If the topic is formulated incorrectly, it is much more difficult to express the main idea clearly. When students struggle with summarizing their thoughts, they turn to writepaper.com to get professional assistance. This way, they stop worrying about the lack of inspiration and focus on tasks they are really good at.
Research
Once the topic is formulated, another task is to collect the information on it, structure one’s thoughts and experiences. It is recommended to make a list of every idea that relates to the theme. Students can start with reading articles, blogs, reviews, or stories – everything that is linked to the theme.
If the essay deals with literature, one can learn more about the author of the book, their biography and path. The critics’ comments are valuable, too. They give insights into important details. List the keywords that are associated with the topic. Sometimes, the first ideas that come to mind are the best ones. Ask yourself rhetorical questions and begin a discussion with your inner thinker.
Explore Your Potential
Before writing an essay, you can try their hand in writing something less serious and more fun. Try writing a letter to a friend, including the latest news and impressions. Psychologists and professional writers recommend starting a personal journal. Keeping a memoir helps to put thoughts in order, hear your inner voice and pull out unique ideas from the subconscious.
Write a review for a book, tv show, or a movie. Create your own fictional story. Start a blog, describe everything that grabs attention and seems interesting. Students can write about their typical days, people around and impressions of them. These notes are also a kind of essay, they help to analyze information and build sentences correctly.
Reading books, especially classics is also great:
- it expands the vocabulary;
- teaches to build sentences beautifully;
- develops the imagination;
- makes readers think and notice the necessary details.
The book will have more effect if you also write a review after reading it. This is not only an additional practice but also an opportunity to properly digest the information received.
Moreover, there are clubs and societies for those who want to discover their talents. Such groups often hold creative competitions for their members. Unusual tasks and prizes make a writing experience unforgettable.
Think the Structure Through
Before writing an essay, it’s necessary to determine the size and purpose of each paragraph. Start with the main idea or a bright phrase. The task is to immediately capture the attention of the reader. Some students start with an unexpected fact or event that is associated with the main topic.
An essay reflects a thought and develops it. The thoughts on the problem are presented in the form of short theses. The idea must be supported by evidence – so the thesis is followed by arguments. Arguments are facts, events, life situations and experiences, scientific evidence, references, etc. It is better to give two arguments in favor of each thesis.
The essay has an internal unity, consistency of key themes and statements. It’s all about the harmony of arguments and associations, consistency of the author’s judgments.
Final Thoughts
Writing an essay can be tough. However, this process teaches students to think. To write a text, they have to analyze lots of things, search for information in books and the Internet, summarize their own or someone else’s life experience. The essay is a unique mix of logical thinking and creativity.
On the one hand, texts have a structure: introduction, main part, conclusion. All these parts should be linked by the main idea. Tracking the logic of a story is an important skill for everyone. At the same time, writing awakens creativity. To write something really interesting, students need to awaken their imagination. Those who love writing at school or college often become writers in the future.