WRITE AN ESSAY

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WRITE AN ESSAY

Essays are common in middle school, high school and college. There may even be a need to write essays in the business world which are usually called “reports”. An essay is defined as a short piece of writing that expresses information as well as the writer’s opinion.

The Topic:

You may have a topic assigned to you, or you may be given free hand to write on a topic/subject of your choice. If you are given the topic, you should think about the type of paper that you want to produce. Should it be a general overview of the subject or a specific analysis? Narrow your focus if necessary.

If you are given free hand to write on a topic/subject of your choice, you have a little more work to do. This opportunity also gives you the advantage to choose a subject that is interesting to you. First, define your purpose. Is your essay to inform or persuade?

Once you have determined the purpose, you will need to do some research on topics that you find interesting. Think about what is it that interests you? Jot these subjects down.

Finally, evaluate your options. If your goal is to educate, choose a subject that you have already studied. If your goal is to persuade, choose a subject that you are passionate about. Whatever the mission of the essay, make sure that you are interested in your topic.

Prepare an outline of your ideas:

In order to write a good essay, you must organize your thoughts. By taking what’s already in your head and putting it to writing and organize them. This way you are able to see connections and links between ideas more clearly. This structure will serve as a foundation for your paper.

To create an outline, write your topic at the top of the page. From there, begin to list your main ideas, leaving some space under each listed idea. In this space, make sure to list other smaller/sub ideas that relate to each main idea. Doing this will allow you to see connections and will help you to write a more organized essay.

Write the thesis statement:

After choosing a topic and sorted your ideas into related categories, you must create a thesis statement. The thesis statement tells the reader the point of your essay. Look at your outline. What are the main ideas?

Your thesis statement will have two parts. The first part states the topic, and the second part states the point of the essay. For example, if you were writing about Mr. Narendra Modi and his impact on India, a fitting thesis statement would be, “Narendra Modi has impacted the future of our country through his two consecutive terms as the Prime Minister of India.”

Another example of a thesis statement is this one for the “Winning Characteristics” Scholarship essay: “During my high school career, I have exhibited several of the “Winning Characteristics,” including Communication Skills, Leadership Skills and Organization Skills, through my involvement in Student Government, College Placement Society, and a part-time job at a Clothing Retail Store.”

The body of the Essay:

The body of your essay argues, explains or describes your topic. Each main idea that you wrote in your outline will become a separate section within the body of your essay.

Each body paragraph will have the same basic structure. Start by writing one of your main ideas as the introductory sentence. Next, write each of your supporting ideas in sentence format, but leave three or four lines in between each point to come back and give detailed examples to back up your idea. Fill in these spaces with related information that will help link smaller ideas together.

The introduction:

Now that you have developed your thesis and the overall body of your essay, you must write an introduction. The introduction should attract the reader’s attention and show the focus of your essay.

Begin with something that attracts the attention. You can use shocking information, dialogue, a story, a quote, or a simple summary of your topic. Whichever angle you choose, make sure that it ties in with your thesis statement, which will be included as the last sentence of your introduction.

The conclusion:

The conclusion brings closure of the topic and sums up the overall ideas while giving a final outlook on the topic. Your conclusion should consist of three to five strong sentences. Simply review your main points and provide reinforcement of your thesis.

Add the finishing touches:

After writing your conclusion, you might think that you have completed your essay. But no, before you consider this as a finished work, you must pay attention to all the small details.

Check the order of your paragraphs. Your strongest points should be the first and last paragraphs within the body, with the others falling in the middle. Also, make sure that your paragraphs fall in the correct order.

Finally, review what you have written. Reread your paper and check to see if it makes sense. Make sure that sentence flow is smooth and add phrases to help connect thoughts or ideas. Check your essay for grammar and spelling mistakes.