Essay writing is an integral part of your stay in college. Managing all your college essays can be challenging, especially when you are not interested in writing. If this problem sounds familiar, you can employ professional essay writers to help you out, or you can improve your writing skills. If you opted for the latter, keep reading this article.
Some elements must be present in an essay before it can be considered excellent. Below are some writing tips to help you craft an essay that is above par.
Study The Essay Prompt
It is possible to write an essay filled with a lot of information and still get a low grade. This situation will happen when your essay doesn’t align with the given instructions. One of the essential steps to writing an excellent essay is fully comprehending the prompt. For the best results, divide the prompt into two parts:
1. What is the prompt asking you to do directly?
Here, you determine what the topic is. You also consider what kind of research you need to conduct before you can fully understand this topic. Finally, determine how long the essay is supposed to be.
2. What is the prompt asking you to do indirectly?
Determine if the essay requires your opinion or the opinion of authorities from credible sources. Know how you can relate this essay to what you covered in your class. When you have gotten answers to all these questions, you can begin to write the article.
Create a Thesis Statement
A thesis statement is the conclusion of the introductory paragraph of an essay. It is a brief but conclusive summary of the paper. When writing the essay, you should reiterate the thesis statement and ensure that you don’t stray from the main point. The thesis statement is like a guide that is supposed to keep you on track as you write an essay.
Write An Essay Outline
An essay outline is a plan of how you will write an essay. After the thesis statement, plot out how you want the essay to flow and the information you will include in it. Doing this will make writing easier as the sequence to follow is already mapped out. The outline should help you focus and stay on track.
Start Writing Your Essay From The Body And Not The Introduction
When you start your essay from the body, you will be able to get a full scope of the topic, which will make it easier for you to introduce it. It is not advisable to jump straight to the introduction when constructing an essay, as you may not have fully formed your thoughts by then. Your essay body may eventually differ from your introduction.
When you start with the introduction, you force yourself to write in line with what you have mentioned in your introduction. When new ideas eventually come, it may be hard to incorporate them into the essay. So it’s best to finish the body of the paper before writing the introduction.
Begin Each Paragraph With a Topic Sentence
Beginning each paragraph with a topic sentence introduces your reader to what the section is about before they read the paragraph. It gives them an idea of what to expect as they read. Every paragraph should contain quotes or information that support your topic sentence and thesis statement.
Use Reliable Sources
When researching for your essay, use only good references to avoid gathering unnecessary information that may not be accurate. It would help if you had quotes and contextual information to support your argument. Some of the credible sources you can reference are academic journals, textbooks, accredited authors’ books, NPR articles, and peer-reviewed articles. Avoid quoting encyclopedias, open forum submissions, and unverified online resources.
Abide By The Rules of English Grammar
When writing an essay, you have to use the right punctuation, spellings, and word arrangement. The rules guiding English are essential to abide by as they make your writing more comfortable to read and understand. Readers will be more likely to spend more time on your article if you articulate it well.
Apart from making your paper more comfortable to read, following the grammar rules will make your work more credible. Scholars will feel more confident to quote you as a source to back up their stances in an argument. Some rules to follow are to connect your ideas with a conjunction and to ensure sentences aren’t too long.
Be Real
Your readers are probably not daft and will know when you are faffing in your paper. The professor or teacher that gave you the essay to write will know precisely when your ideas stopped flowing as they read through the essay. If you run out of ideas when you have not hit the word count, you can go back and expand some of the existing ideas. It will help you write an essay without using redundant words and fluff.
Proofread
Proofreading is vital after writing an essay. You need to do spell checks and read each sentence to see if they make sense to you. As an essay writer, you should use free digital writing assistant tools each time you write an essay. Some software will help you detect mistakes as you type, while some will detect plagiarism and give you suggestions on how to rearrange your sentences. Editing and proofreading is a crucial aspect of your writing that you should not miss.
Conclusion
Writing an essay can trigger anxiety in some people. It isn’t for the faint-hearted. This anxiety can further trigger writers’ block, which will hinder you from getting a free flow of ideas no matter how much research you’ve done. Sometimes, it is advisable to get a professional essay writer free to write your essay for you. But if you can’t, follow the tips above, and you will get closer to achieving the grade you have always wanted.