These 5 Best Essay Writing Points Will Keep Your Essay From Wiping Out

1) Organize

Avoid staring at a blank computer screen. Type a simple general outline. At the top of your page, write the topic of your essay from the writing prompt your instructor gave. If you weren’t assigned one, you can choose your own. In order to do so, search your memory for events that have impacted you the most or areas in which you’ve had experiences. Also, is there a subject that you’ve always wanted to research? Do you want to write about your hobby? Brainstorm ideas. If you’re alive, you should have plenty of them.

Scroll down and type the kind of essay you’re writing about. There are four popular types, each having different requirements:

• Narrative
• Argumentative (persuasive)
• Expository
• Descriptive

Type the words Introduction, Body, and Conclusion, leaving spaces between them.

Under the introduction, type the word Thesis. Beneath the word Body, type Body paragraphs. Under the word Conclusion, type: Restate thesis. Beneath the words restate thesis, write: Ending statement. It should look like this…

Prompt

Introduction

     Thesis statement (hook)

Body

     Body paragraphs (supporting ideas)

Conclusion

     Retype thesis

     Ending statement

In the introduction, the reader is introduced to the thesis and the supporting ideas. The thesis is the main point or the hook. It gives the reader a preview of what’s about to come.

The body paragraphs will be the supporting ideas. Each paragraph will give a general statement after which it will move to a specific statement and will end with an example. The number of paragraphs will depend on the length of the essay. 

The conclusion will summarize your essay. Here, you’ll restate your thesis using different terminology and write a final ending statement.

If you’re writing a descriptive essay or a narrative essay, you won’t need this type of outline because these essays don’t focus on a thesis statement. The narrative essay especially comes from a personal experience or your imagination.

If you’re writing an argumentative essay, make sure your stance is clear and be prepared to defend your argument.

Expository essays rely on different structures to communicate their positions, like compare and contrast, process essays, and analyzing cause and effect (Kramer). 

The descriptive essay, like the narrative, will not focus on a thesis statement since it focuses on your ability to use descriptions of objects, events, or people. Let's continue with our 5 best essay writing points.

2) Write

Make sure you understand the prompt. Next, write your compelling thesis statement if you’re writing an argumentative or expository essay. Your statement can be a quote, a joke, a question, or a sentence. Now, you’re ready to start researching your topic so that you can argue your points effectively. Lastly, focus on your conclusion. It must summarize the points of your essay.

Include statistics or other authoritative sources. You’ll also need to cite sources you used to avoid plagiarism. Even if you paraphrase, you must still cite the source. 

3) Edit and proofread

Your essay at this point is a draft. Check for errors by carefully rereading it. Delete extraneous words and phrases. Vary your sentences. Are you avoiding clichés like the flu? Okay, I know “like the flu” is a cliché. Avoid using it and any of its cliché buddies.

Zero in on your grammar. Does spellchecker have any lines beneath your words or phrases? If so, you may need to correct them.

4) Recap

Read your essay again and again in light of these 5 best essay writing points. Check to see if you closely followed your prompt. Ask yourself if your introduction, body, and conclusion are clear. Is your thesis statement a hook, did your argument satisfy your thesis, and did your conclusion summarize your essay?

Make sure you’ve found better word choices than the standard-issue ones: good, nice, happy, glad, pretty. You get the point. Knowing that your sentences vary and spellchecker has given you the green light, now it’s time to . . .

5) Let it rest

Take your mind off your essay for a while. Ask a friend to read it and give you feedback. 

After days or weeks have passed, when you return to your essay, you know what you have to do, right? Yep, at this point, read it again. After making any final tweaks, you’re done.

Caution: Don’t be a victim of analysis paralysis. This is when you overanalyze your paper to the point that you’re tweaking it endlessly. Shake yourself loose from this obsession.