How to write an essay?

May be a bit of research. Pouring down your thoughts on paper. Stretching some points when you don’t have enough arguments. Using a bit of jargon. And reaching an ideal word count.

But you know what?

That’s the way to droopy and spiritless essay- writing.

An essay that truly impresses a reader or examiner requires a lot more than all this.

And I am sure that you want your essay to be outstanding. Who likes a meaninglessly stretched piece of content?

What else I am sure about is that with some guidance, regular practice, dedication, and tips to write an essay, you will do great.

So are you ready to start your journey towards excellent essay writing? Great, here, I have listed some easy to understand and simple to implement essay writing tips.

Irrespective of the type of essay writing you are interested in, these tips will help you write that perfectly impressive essay.

So, check out these simple and actionable tips on how to write an essay.

1. Read A Lot

Want your essay to come out fantastic? Make reading a habit.

Because reading is where good writing begins.

For essay writing, the most appropriate sort of reading is the editorial section of any reputed newspaper. I highly recommend The Hindu. Read one opinionated content piece each day. More than one is overwhelming.

Analyse each article thoroughly.

The usage of words. The language. The introduction. The conclusion.

The way the writer has used facts and figures. The way he has connected these facts and figures to his perspective. The way he has maintained a flow throughout the content.

Analyse each detail of his writing.

Figure out the common points in each writer’s style. And also note down the points of uniqueness.

You do not have to copy anybody’s style. But you can pick at least one unique point from each writer’s style. And build your style around the points that impressed you the most.

2. Have A Plan – Each Time

You need an essay plan even when practicing.

Don’t rush into writing without thinking it through. Draw a mental sketch of what do you want to say. How are you going to present it. What could be the most perfect sequence of ideas. And how long should your each paragraph be.

This point is especially important when you don’t have enough time to review and edit.

Like when writing for an exam, you won’t get much time to edit. Editing requires staying calm. But during an exam, you are all anxious and short of time.

In such case, if you have already thought it through, your writing will come out more organized and clean.

Even when you are not writing for a paper- planning is important. It is better to edit an organized piece of writing than messed up and jumbled paragraphs and information.

3. An Enlarged Vocabulary Makes A Lot of Difference

Want to make your essay a crackerjack? Start improving your vocabulary right away.

Not to show off. But to sound compelling and effective.

A magnificent vocabulary adds expressions to your writing. When you speak, you are sometimes allowed to take liberty with the choice of words. Because your expressions help you convey exactly what you mean.

However, while writing, using general and inappropriate words leads to ambiguity.

An enlarged vocabulary makes your writing sound more cogent, even when you are using fewer words.

It reinforces your arguments. It adds intensity and depth to your essay.

4. Write An Impressive Introduction

Your introduction is like a movie teaser.

It must be all- relevant, short, precise, and most importantly: intriguing.

It must specify the points you will be discussing in the following paragraphs. Not in detail though. Too much details make a reader lose interest.

Introduction should be such as to arouse a reader’s interest in reading further. 

Here’s how you can write a perfect introduction to your essay:

5. Stick To The Topic

Once you have crafted the essay in your head, you start writing. But writing in a flow often lures you to fly of on a tangent. You need to resist this temptation.

Think once before writing every fourth or fifth statement. Does it seem unrelated to the topic? If yes, just chuck it.

Any unrelated statement or information is only going to bother and confuse the reader.

Also, irrelevant information induces the reader to stop reading further. It breaks the flow. And it breaks the concentration.

The worst part: if you have written some amazing stuff after the unrelated information, chances are that the reader will never read it.

Why would you want that?

6. Maintain A Flow

While writing continuously, the hardest thing to maintain is a flow.
And the best way to deal with it is having a plan, which we have already discussed.

But there is more that you can do to maintain this flow. Before starting a new paragraph, re-read the paragraph that you have just written. Also, brainstorm what you are gonna write in the next paragraph.

The first line of your next paragraph must be somewhat connected to the last line of the previous paragraph. It should be a transition. A transition from previous paragraph to the following paragraph. A transition that is flowy and doesn’t leave the reader puzzled.

Though each paragraph must present a new idea, the idea should be related to the previous one.

7. Avoid Spelling And Grammar Mistakes

There is a thin line between confidence and overconfidence.

While using specific and apt words makes your writing confident and lucid. Unnecessary jargon and misspelt words make you sound overconfident and icky.

On the other hand, silly grammatical mistakes make your sentences ambiguous. These mistakes hamper the smoothness and flow of the content.

So, always try to use appropriate words.

You are confused about the spelling of a word? Use any other word. Not sure about the meaning of a word? Replace it.

Also, keep brushing up your grammar knowledge, regularly.

8. Write A Satisfying Conclusion

A satisfactory closure is as important as a terrific beginning.

The ending of your essay shouldn’t feel ambiguous and incomplete.

The key purpose of the conclusion should be:

• To Put An Opinion In Your Reader’s Head

For this, you need to sum up the essay while recalling the main points that you have mentioned. Also, you must sound confident while writing a conclusion. A reader is going to buy your opinion, only if you believe it.

Here are 5 quick tips to write a perfect conclusion for your essay:

Don’t know where to start?

I understand. Many a times you know it all, but you just don’t know what should be that first step.

But hey, I have a simple solution to your problem.

Start with reading editorials.

It will serve almost all of your purposes. Enlarging vocabulary. Improving grammar. Getting an idea on how to write introductions and conclusions and how to maintain a flow.

The one thing that’ll be left is practice.

So, basically you are narrowed down to just two things- reading and writing (practice).

Simple, isn’t it?

I hope you enjoyed these essay writing tips.

Happy Essaying!