As an Essay Writer you need to plan what to write and then write it to your best. Did you know the word ‘Essay’ is derived from the Latin word ‘Exagium’ to mean presenting one’s case?
Loosely defined, an essay is a piece of writing that gives
the author’s own argument or presents their own case.
For some people, writing an essay is as easy as sitting in front of a computer and beginning to type. Yet, several people struggle with essay writing.
“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not
flow until the faucet is turned on.”
— Louis L’Amour
The biggest reason why writing an essay is so hard is
because we focus on those external rewards like getting a good grade or getting
external approval.
However, when you focus on external approval it makes the essay writing significantly boring and harder
Why?
Because when you focus on external approval, you shut down
your source of creativity; better known as your subconscious. What this means
practically is that when you’re trying to write that perfect sentence, you’re
turning off most of your best resources.
You need to kill that behavior. Just stop. Stop trying to write the perfect essay and have fun. That way, everything will flow naturally and the end result will surprise you. And even if it is not perfect you can edit it to perfection. This article will shed some light on the steps to take to be a good or better essay writer.
The Topic
As an essay writer you will probably be working on an
assigned topic or you just might be asked to choose a topic for yourself.
The structure, content and writing styles lies in the topic
of the essay. Because of this you will need to thoroughly read and understand
the topic, get a grasp on it. Be one with the topic because for the next few
hours or days everything you will write will revolve around it.
From the topic you will figure out what type of essay you
will be writing on. An essay writer should have a firm grasp on all the types
of essays and how to approach them.
Now this is something a lot of people have no idea about;
Types of essays. There are 7 popular types of essays:
- Argumentative
essays- As an essay writer you will pick one side in a controversial
situation and write it in your favor. You cannot write both sides of an
argument
- Narrative
essays- Is more like writing a story. Ensure you narrate it in a
straightforward and orderly manner.
- Expository
essays- as an essay writer you will need to explain to the reader the
steps to do a certain task e.g. how to fix a car engine
- Persuasive
essays- Write an essay as best as you can to persuade a reader to see your
point of view. A good essay writer is able to write a convincing essay
that the reader will not be able to question your opinion
- Descriptive
essays- An essay writer will focus on what is going on and be able to
present it in full details
The last two are; Compare and contrast essays and problems
solution essays
This should make it easy to proceed.
Brainstorming and research
The next step of being a good essay writer is brainstorming
and research. Or like how I call it “big-brain time”.
A crucial step in succeeding as an essay writer is being
able to plan your time well enough so you are able to write an essay, edit it
and submit it before the deadline. You will need to plan your time well to
avoid the last minute rush.
You will also need to carry out research to write a
good essay. Conduct a broad search for relevant literature. Use every resource
at your disposal. In this digital age you have all the answers online, it
is just a matter of knowing where to search.
Go to the library or use the internet. You should
start by searching through databases- I highly recommend Google scholar-
and use the keywords related to your essay topic. You might also need to
interview people who have high expertise in what you will be writing about.
An essay writer will need to learn how to sift through large
amounts of data. Once you find articles that seems promising and relevant to
your essay, read through the abstract to ensure it is relevant.
I recommend you jump straight to the conclusion as it
contains a summary of the whole article. You do not want to waste your valuable
time reading through an endless amount of articles only to find it irrelevant
to your essay topic.
Keep your research organized so it will be easy to refer to when you start writing the essay
The outline
As an essay writer, it is very important that you outline
your work. This is the last step of preparation before you finally start
writing.
Outlining your work makes it easy for you to know what
you want to say and where you will place a point.
The basic outline of an essay contains the following
elements: the introduction which explains your topic and gives a basic idea of
what you will be writing about; the body should include various paragraphs each
with their own points. Do not mix many different points in one paragraph. That
is an obvious sign of disorganization; finally comes the conclusion, the most
important part of an essay that ties everything together.
Being an essay writer means you need to get a solid
understanding of basic grammar, style and punctuation.
These are incredibly important if you want your essay to be
understood and taken seriously. Before writing an essay, ensure you have a
solid grasp on basic grammar including verbs, nouns and subject agreement,
proper article and well-structured sentences. Ensure you know the proper use
and placement of the most common forms of punctuation. Be mindful of your comma
usage and know when a period is needed.
Finally, for an essay writer, voice is important. Try to use an active rather than passive voice. This will make the tone of your essay stronger. Ensure your language is concise. Avoid unnecessary wordiness that detract from your argument
Proofreading and editing
Now you are done with the essay, but not quite. Reread your
content; look out for spelling mistakes and typos
As an essay writer you cannot always rely on yourself to
edit your work. You may be tired, having been up all night typing your work.
You will need software’s, applications and websites. Sites like ‘grammarly’
and ‘Hemmingsway’ are perfect for this work. All you need to do is
simply copy and paste your work on there and it will do the rest. They check
for sentence structures and understandability, punctuation, spelling, grammar
et al.
Being an essay writer means you have to use the right
vocabulary. Know the words you are using and what they mean. How you use your
language is very important.
You must remember, as an essay writer, you are trying to educate people on certain topics. Using big words just to sound smart often results in the opposite effect- it clearly shows that you are over compensating for your lack of writing skills. Using obscure words can also take away the clarity of your essay.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is one thing that will tear apart your
essay. Properly citing the source from which you draw ensures that you
will not be accused of plagiarism.
Also make sure to use a plagiarism checker before you submit your work. It helps and saves a lot of trouble.
Rest!
Sometimes, as an essay writer, you get mentally tired. It is normal and understandable. I usually get a writer’s block. My mind cannot seem to think anymore or come up with good content creative wise. Get some rest, you deserve it. And when you wake up you will hit the ground running. Rest is important especially if you have been working or staring at your screen for long hours. There is no compromise on rest. You need it.
Now that we have that covered, it is important to know some
of the common mistakes you can make as an essay writer.
- Talking
about nothing
This occurs especially if you have not planned and
researched your work. You end up missing the point and going of topic
- Lack
of concentration
As I said, rest up and this will not be an issue. But also
lack of interest leads to lack of concentration. Take short breaks, engage in
activities to juggle your brain then get back in front of that keyboard and
shine
- Informal
language
- Lexical
tautologies
I hope you were able to take one or two things to the bank
from this article. Now go forth and conquer that essay.