Every student needs to be proficient in writing essays. The key to becoming successful at writing is to write, whether it be a timed exam essay or a certain kind of academic essay (such as a persuasive, narrative, descriptive, or expository essay).
An essay is where you explain your thoughts on one topic in an organized way. When writing an essay, consider the main idea and how it connects to the main topic.
If you’re writing an essay, be sure your plan is in place before you begin. You may arrange everything logically with the help of this guide.
Stop worrying if you find yourself unable to write anything and wondering how to start an essay. With the help of this blog, you get to know how to write an essay like an expert writer.
What is an Essay?
A brief piece of writing that expresses the author’s point of view or story is known as an essay. The terms “story,” “paper,” and “article” are commonly used interchangeably with it.
In most cases, like in the case of descriptive and reflective essays, it is written to try to convince the reader of an idea or explain an incident. With the help of essay writing, you can improve your analytical, reading, and persuasion skills.
The main purpose of writing an essay is to:
- Inform the audience about the particular topic
- Provide information to the readers
- Share your personal views
Moreover, the length of an essay might range from 500 words to 5000 words or more. However, most essays are between 1000 and 3000 words; this word count gives the author ample room to fully construct an argument and try to persuade the reader of the author’s viewpoint on a particular issue.
Different Types of Essays
Essays are of different types, and each has its own purpose for writing. Depending on the topic and level of difficulty, you can decide the content and length of the essay.
The most common types of essays are:
1. Argumentative Essay
An argumentative essay is a type of writing in which you must investigate the topic, gather, produce supporting evidence, and establish your position concisely. The writer attempts to persuade the audience of their point of view through solid arguments and examples. Explain why your point of view is logical and why readers agree with you.
2. Narrative Essay
One of the most often assigned types of academic writing is the narrative essay. It is the type of essay in which the writer tells a story and gives them room to express their stories creatively.
The first-person point of view is typically used when writing this kind of essay. As a result, you must keep readers interested by placing them at the heart of the plot. To do this, you should use vivid details, descriptive techniques, personal experiences, etc.
3. Persuasive Essay
An essay that uses logic, justification, and reasoning to persuade the reader is referred to as a persuasive essay. You will need to back up your claims with convincing proof to succeed. The terms “persuasive essay” and “argumentative essay” are occasionally used interchangeably. However, these essays are not the same. The secret to writing a persuasive essay that convinces readers is thoroughly examining both sides of an issue. A persuasive essay aims to persuade the reader using your knowledge and writing abilities.
4. Expository Essay
An expository essay is a type of academic writing that explains or investigates a specific topic using factual data. It does not attempt to persuade the reader of a certain point of view. An expository essay’s main goal is to inform the reader about a subject, so it relies more on facts than on subjective ideas.
5. Descriptive Essay
It is another common type of essay that describes a detailed description of an object, person, process, or event. The writer intends to produce a vivid reading experience or to demonstrate rather than explain (metaphorically). Your objective when writing a descriptive essay is to use all five senses to engage the reader and create a detailed picture in their mind.
6. Cause and Effect Essay
A cause-and-effect essay is a kind of essay writing that investigates the causes of a specific problem and its effects.
Like any other academic assignment, a cause and effect essay should follow the formal standards of format, style, and tone. It would be best if you devote adequate time and effort to your research because facts and compelling argumentation should support it.
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Essay Writing Format
The five-paragraph essay format is used in almost all types of essays. The essay comprises an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Let’s discuss them in detail.
Introduction
Introduce your topic and then give some background information at the beginning of your essay introduction. Remember to conclude with a compelling thesis statement that summarizes the essay’s major purpose.
Body Paragraphs
Start each body paragraph with a topic sentence and outline the primary points that will be used to support the thesis statement.
Conclusion
Restate the thesis statement and give a summary of the entire essay in the final paragraph. Give the readers a suggestion for action or something to ponder in the essay conclusion.
Steps For Writing an Essay
To write a great and well-structured essay, you must follow the right steps and make your writing process easy. For your help, we gathered some steps that will help you and make your writing process easy.
1. Start Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a creative strategy when trying to come up with a topic for an essay you wish to write. Whether your thoughts are well-formed or not, brainstorming for essays entails putting them down so you can answer questions or write essays effectively.
2. Select an Essay Type
Choosing the type of essay you need to write is the first stage in the essay-writing process. The first step to writing a great essay is selecting the appropriate essay type.
3. Choose a Topic
After selecting the essay type, you can now choose a topic. If you don’t have a specific topic assigned, it is necessary that you brainstorm ideas and choose what you want to write about.
Always choose a topic that is easy to write and engaging for the readers. Avoid picking boring, dull, or tough topics.
4. Start Research
Decide on a topic, then do some preliminary research. You can use a variety of sources, including books, journals, and reputable websites, for this purpose. By doing this, you may ensure that nothing crucial that could support your argument is missed.
5. Write Thesis Statement
Create a compelling thesis statement. It is crucial for a well-written essay because it is the crux of your argument. The thesis statement gives readers an idea of what the essay is all about.
6. Create an Essay Outline
Based on your topic and the research you’ve done, create an essay outline. The writing process will become a lot simpler and quicker with the help of an outline. It not only helps in data organization but also helps to make a logical connection between the data.
7. Start Writing
As you write your essay, stick to the outline you’ve created. Follow it and put the correct information into an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
8. Proofreading
Correct any minor spelling, grammar, and typographical errors in your text in this final phase. You should never omit the crucial process of proofreading before submitting the final draft of your work for review or publication.
You can also ask your friends and family members to proofread your work and get feedback from them.
Essay Writing Topics
Below are some great essay topics you can use for your next essay writing assignment:
- How to stay healthy and active during the quarantine?
- Describe yourself and your personality to a stranger.
- Is technology turning people into zombies?
- My summer vacation
- Do young men have body image problems?
- Describe a time in your life when you’ve been scared.
- Is global warming a cause of skin cancer?
- How do grandparents play a major role in a child’s growth?
- An unforgettable journey
- The perfect day on the beach
Tips for Writing an Essay
As a novice, there is a risk that you will make errors in your essay. However, if you practice and follow some tips, you can prevent them.
Here are some tips that you should follow and write a great essay without any problems in no time.
- Always choose an interesting essay topic.
- Keep the audience’s interest in mind.
- Do in-depth research and collect data from reliable sources.
- Never forget to create an essay outline.
- Follow the proper essay format.
- Try to cover the topic in detail and exclude irrelevant information.
- Start the introduction with an interesting hook statement.
- Conclude the essay properly and not adding new information.
- Proofread it several times and make it error-free.
Final Thoughts
Now, you get a complete guide on essay writing, from writing steps to outstanding topics. With the help of this guide, you can easily write a great essay.
So, what are you waiting for? Follow this guide and create a well-written essay in no time.
