Stuck Writing an Essay? Find Help Here

Stuck writing an essay? You’re not alone. Many are stuck for many reasons. Taking a good look at the overall process of essay writing may help to get you unstuck. Let’s take a close look at the writing process.

Your instructor may have asked you to write an essay but did not give you a prompt. In this case, you are to come up with one of your own. This might be a narrative essay. If you’re stuck here, you’re stuck at the gate. You can brainstorm a subject to write about. Recall your experiences, the ones that stand out in your mind. How about writing on a subject that fascinates you or one from your imagination. The main idea here is on creativity.

Did your instructor give you a prompt, but you do not understand what she’s asking you to write? You must first get clear. Is she asking you to write a narrative essay? If so, then you know how to do this.

If your instructor asks you to write a descriptive essay, she’s asking you to describe an object or a person. This can be a narrative essay if it's based on personal experience.

You may be stuck writing an essay if you do not realize that your prompt calls for you to write an expository essay. This type requires you to thoroughly investigate a topic and present it in a coherent, balanced manner.

The argumentative essay requires you to take a stance on your subject by presenting evidence. You must then convince the reader of your stance.

Review these points to see if you are stuck in any of these places. If you know the type of essay you’re writing and you’re not stuck here, check out the parts of the essay.

Still Stuck Writing an Essay? Let’s Examine the Introduction, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusion

If you’ve written your paper, study your introduction. Your thesis should be here. It’s the main point.

The thesis does more than just restate the question; it answers the question. Suppose no question is given? Even if it’s not given, it’s implied. Then you must answer the implied question. You may have to look hard for it, but it’s there.

The introduction also gives context to the thesis statement. It comes before the thesis statement. The context will give the reader the field you will talk about. The field indicates whether this essay is argumentative or expository, or so forth. And after the thesis statement, the introduction gives an overview, which presents significant points that you will speak on (Andrews 32-33).

Does everything look good so far, but you’re still stuck writing an Essay? Let’s move on to the body points. These address or argue the points you indicated you were going to cover in your overview. If you indicated that you would cover three points in your overview, have you covered them here? Are they coherent? Do they tie in with each other?

Here is an example:

Prompt: Should hair braiders be licensed by the state and be required to have a shop outside the home?

In the above introduction, the context lets us know that this is an argumentative essay. The thesis answers the question. The overview gives three points of argument, which will become the body paragraphs. Note that the points tie in together.

Next, let’s check out your conclusion if you’re still stuck writing an essay. The conclusion is a wrap-up. Did you restate your thesis in different words? Did you bring your essay to a logical conclusion by writing an ending statement?

Lastly, double-check to make sure you have the correct word count or number of pages required. The issue may be that you realize your paper is too short or too long.  If you need to add material, make sure it isn’t fluff; make it relevant. If your essay is too long, cut it. However, don’t cut out material that’s needed to make your essay coherent.

After reviewing the parts of your essay, you should have found the place where you’re stuck. If you haven’t started writing your paper and are stuck at the onset, reviewing these points should help you to become unstuck. Keep these points handy, and you’ll find that writing essays will become easier, even enjoyable, over time.