Writing essays can be hard to do, especially when you’re on a tight deadline and don’t really know how to go about doing it. When you don’t understand the purpose of your essay or what your professor wants, it’s even more difficult to write one that satisfies them. However, with these simple steps, you can write essays easily and get better grades in the process!
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Start by reading your assignment carefully and identifying exactly what is being asked of you. When in doubt, ask a professor or TA. Sometimes, statements like Your essay should… or You need to write an essay that answers… are tips that you’ll be expected to provide evidence in support of a given claim. However, they might also ask you to describe something, explain how something works, give your opinion on a topic, or even take a stand on an issue. Understanding exactly what it is you’re being asked to do will ensure that your essay meets their expectations. You can also save yourself from having to rework a whole paper because you misread one word by carefully reading all directions at once rather than line by line.
Once you have an idea of what you want to write about, it’s time to plan out your essay. Write a thesis statement that sums up your argument or points that you’ll make. An effective thesis statement should be specific and clearly state exactly what you plan to discuss in your essay. A good rule of thumb is that if you can’t prove it, don’t say it. Next, outline each paragraph and determine where each point falls under: introduction, supporting arguments, refutation of opposing arguments, etc. Remember to include a transition word or phrase at each transition (for example: on top of that…). Do not go off on tangents—stick with your original goal and outline!
A good place to start is with a simple outline. Use a plain text editor, such as Notepad or TextEdit. (These are both free.) Write out your thesis statement, and put it at the top of your page or document. Next, use bullet points or subheadings to break down how you’re going to support your thesis. Remember: In an essay, every paragraph should develop one central idea . If you have three main ideas and five paragraphs of writing…well, then you’ve got some work to do.
Revising your work is just as important as writing it in the first place. Take a break, read it out loud and ask yourself if your essay makes sense to someone who isn’t you. If you can tell your readers no to that question, rewrite and revise some more. Continue doing so until you are sure all of your sentences are perfectly written, easy to understand and flow together. You may need to repeat these steps a few times for each sentence because revising is an important part of writing successfully too! Once you have revised your work completely and you have checked for all mistakes twice over, then do so one more time! This will make sure that there aren’t any mistakes in your work anymore at all!
When you do so, pay attention to places where you stumble or trip over your words. Those are areas that need some additional work. You might be asking yourself, Why should I read my essay out loud? But just imagine a professor reading your essay aloud in front of a class. That’s what you’re doing when you read it aloud yourself. If your professor struggles with certain parts, other readers will too – and in worse ways than she ever could! So, when reading your essay out loud, not only will you identify problem areas where more effort is needed, but also make sure that it flows well enough for others to understand as well.
Whether you’re writing an essay for class or a personal statement for a graduate school application, it never hurts to have someone else look over your work. Not only can it be incredibly helpful (some professors don’t like to give advice on how to fix essays, but they might be willing to read yours and offer suggestions), but you’ll get another set of eyes on your paper. Even more importantly, getting a critique of your essay is often good motivation. When someone tells you there are errors in your writing and things that could be improved upon, it forces you to take another look at what you’ve written. Ask your friends or family if they’d be willing to help out; at least I do that when I write my essay.
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