We're talking essay writing, so cue the horrible piano music. The misery of it all is nearly too much to take, and that includes how-tos, types, and structure.
It's not, however, because we're here to walk you through the entire process of writing an essay from start to finish. With all of the guidelines and pointers we're about to provide, you'll never be afraid of writing an essay again.
Take a deep breath and relax. In 3...2...1... everything will be revealed.
In order to write an essay, what are some of the steps involved?
That dreaded essay-writing conundrum has been solved!
We can tell you that it's a lot more complicated than simply wishing and hoping and typing until the wee hours of the morning.
There are only three steps involved in writing an essay:
Thesis writing
composing an essay
Proofreading/revision of an essay
Prior to getting into the specifics of each level, we must first discuss the overall framework.
Using phrases like "body paragraph" without any context is pointless, to say the least. Wouldn't it be cruel and odd to do that?
The Elements of a Paper
The beginning was promising. (Why Harmony is a good idea)
Isn't an essay nothing more than a series of paragraphs? Despite the fact that this is a simplistic explanation of how the system works, there is some truth to it.
Every essay should include an introduction, three to five body paragraphs, and a conclusion, as explained in our previous post on paragraphing.
The First Paragraph of the Essay
It's important to introduce your topic in the first paragraph. Hook, context phrases and your thesis statement will all be included in the outline for your paper. Your audience's first impression of your work is on them, so make a good one.
the paragraphs that make up the body
The body paragraphs of an essay serve as the main course. What you've asserted in your thesis is outlined in these paragraphs, which are between the introduction and conclusion.
If we're talking about a standard 5-7-paragraph essay, each supporting point or argument in the thesis should have its own paragraph in the body.
The Ending Sentence of the Article
A satisfying conclusion. (Tumblr source)
In the final paragraph, you restate your thesis and provide a summary of your evidence to back it up (and, after having read the body paragraphs, the audience will have the context to decide if they agree with you or not).
How to Write an Essay in Seven Easy Steps
At this point, it's going to be a piece of cake. This is what you're here to do. We're ready to simplify essay writing into the most straightforward phrases and meanings possible.
Short and Sweet Version of Our 7-Step Essay Writing Process: (TL;DR)
There are six major parts in the process, and the final step is submitting your assignment. For those of you who haven't figured it out, "Step 8: Celebrate!!" isn't actually a step in the process of writing a great essay.
Following these guidelines will ensure that you never have to worry about any writing project again. Promise.
For each phase, we'll go into further detail...
Read on.
Getting Started with the Assignment: The First Step
Isn't it obvious? There are a lot of people who start writing without completely comprehending what they're supposed to do or how much time they have.
Don't scrimp on this aspect, because it's important to know how many words you're aiming for. Understanding the scope, length, and formatting requirements of a project are critical.
Before you begin writing, you should know what kind of essay you are required to produce in addition to the specifics of the project.
In the event that you're unsure about any of these points, don't hesitate to ask your professor for help.
The 4 Types of Essays:
Generally speaking, there are four types of essays, each of which can be further categorised. To keep things simple, we'll focus on the most important four for the time being. They're nearly identical to the four different types of writing that we've discussed so far.
The Essay-Narrative
Think of narratives as stories, and you'll have a better idea of what they are. Narrative essays, like memoirs and book reports, have a specific plot or theme that they follow and describe.
The Essay that Makes a Case
This style of essay is a little different from the one it is based on. Argumentative essays, in contrast to persuasive ones, rely on facts and research to support their points of view, rather than appealing to the reader's emotions and familiarity with the topic. The goal of persuasive writing is to persuade the reader to take the writer's side; the goal of argumentative writings is to convince the reader of the validity of the opposing viewpoint.
The Essay in a Narrative Style
An essay that describes something in great detail is called a descriptive essay. This type of writing relies primarily on descriptive imagery and the senses.
In-Depth Analysis
This style of essay is intended to provide background information about a subject. Instead of trying to persuade or win over the audience to a specific point of view, it tries to enlighten and educate them in the most impartial way possible.
Step 2: Generate Topics and Ideas
Now that you've learned how to write for a specific essay kind, it's time to find out what to write about in order to meet the requirements of the assignment. At first glance, it appears to be an insurmountable challenge. It's not a huge undertaking.
The greatest approach to come up with ideas is to write them down. It doesn't matter if they're good or terrible. In a brainstorming session, you may leave your inner editor at the door because anything goes.
Suppose you're writing a book review, which falls under the narrative essay category. Searching for themes connected to your work can help you narrow down your focus on a certain theme or motif.
In our Co-Writer, there is a Research tab, where you may find and analyse web sources that are relevant to your topic. Among the many topics that can be explored in a narrative essay on "To Kill a Mockingbird" are such concepts as "Southern Gothic", "the Great Depression" and "the bus boycott."
You'll need to use a reliable citation generator to properly cite your sources once you've located them. Even if you don't use all of the sources you cite when researching, you'll have a complete list of references at the end of your essay, which will relieve some of the pressure as the deadline near.
You could try it. (Anu.edu.au)
Simply put, this implies "make it your own." Basically, your angle is your stance. If you're writing about "UFOs," for example, you may argue that "UFOs are nothing more than government aircraft" or that "UFOs prove the presence of alien life" as your position.
Outer proof must, of course, back up any claims you make. Using a summarising tool is a terrific method to identify reputable sources, or even refine your perspective, on a topic.
You'll save a lot of time this way, and the important points will be set out for you. Here, it's all about getting things done quickly. You don't have to write an essay until your clothes are out of style in order to get it done.
Make an Outline, the 4th and Final Step
This is a common omission, but it's one you should avoid at all costs.
Essay writing can be tough for some students because they skip or skimp on the plan.
In the end, all you have to do is fill in the holes in your outline and you'll have a finished paper. Establishing a flow of ideas, noting areas where evidence already exists, emphasising areas that may benefit from more clarification, and identifying areas in which further evidence or sources are needed are all made possible through the use of an outline.
Outlining in the form of a bulleted list is quite simple. For the sake of clarity, I'll simply spell it out for you.
An Example of Outlining
You'll have no trouble drafting once you've completed your outline. This may be one of the most difficult phases, especially if you're not a big fan of planning, but it's worth it in the long run.
Creating Sentences for Each Section of the Outline
Interested in going a little bit more? You can keep up the momentum by adding more detail to your essay outline if you're in the mood for it. You may, for example, type out each of your outline's subheadings.
The opening sentence of a paragraph is known as the topic sentence. As a transition from the previous paragraph and an explanation of the paragraph's primary ideas to the reader, it's critical that it's done correctly.
Writing subject sentences in your outline is a three-pronged strategy.
The goal is to ensure a logical transition between ideas/paragraphs.
Assuring the smooth transition between paragraphs and the coherence of the underlying thesis or argument
In order to make it clear what the rest of the paragraph will be about.
When it comes to drafting, topic sentences might be a stumbling block because they have to do so much at once.
A preliminary outline will make you feel like a superhuman drafter, and you won't have to worry about queries like, "What was I trying for here?" and "Should it actually go after this point?" that come up later in the process.
This is the final step: composing your draught.
An easy way out was available. (CastStock) (Source)
For the drafting stage, the most important piece of advice is that you should not censor or edit yourself. For the next stage, you can put it away
The goal of drafting is to get all of your thoughts down, including good ones, horrible ones, and great lines. Overwriting is not a problem. Simply keep on typing.
This can be more difficult than it appears at first. As a writer, you're likely to encounter several hurdles, including writer's block or procrastination, but these roadblocks can be overcome.
When you're stuck or just plain tired from all the work you've done so far, turn to an online paraphrase tool for some assistance. Seeing your thoughts reworked in a new context might be enlightening:
stay away from spelling and grammar blunders.
bring out the best in your voice and style.
change up your essay's terminology or sentence structure to give it that extra oomph
Using the same words repeatedly is a bad idea.
Sixth and final step: editing
There is nothing left for you to do now. The essay is yours. However, this is hardly the time to revel in our good fortune. Give yourself a pat on the back, but don't stop there. You haven't reached the finish line yet.
Drafting is only half the battle; editing is the real prize. This is the stage where you fine-tune your writing to its most intelligent, sharpest form. This is where your ramblings get transformed into a polished piece of writing.
If you're seeking for a more efficient approach to edit, consider the following flow:
Editing for quality
Remove unnecessary components, streamline the structure, and make sure that everything is in working order.
If you're unsure about how to use the term "principle" instead of "principal," you can refer to the following:
Make content modifications first, and then check the nitty-gritty details. This way, you won't have to keep travelling back and forth to modify.
Before submitting your work, read it aloud to yourself.
If you've gone through numerous rounds of editing, you may be amazed at how much craziness is still lurking, but this step will help you find and fix any flaws.
Okay, so three rounds is a lot, but it's not as bad as it sounds. But don't worry: you're not the only one going through it. To help you, you have a variety of resources.
Submitting the application is the final step.
It's done. You've completed your task!
Useful Time-Saving Tools for Essay Writing
Help save time, energy, and frustration by using writing tools. Among the many things they can assist with are idea comparison and contrast, language improvement, and fluency correction.
Here, we'll take a quick look at which ones are most valuable at different points in the writing process:
Online brainstorming, angle-finding, argument-building, and outlining tools
Never again. (It's a Brainless Tales reference.)
The most important factor in determining the direction of your essay is the research you conduct. Aside from that, QuillBot is perhaps the best writing tool out there. Just stating the obvious.
Try our Co-Writer if you can't think of a way to approach the assignment's subject matter. Aside from using Co-built-in Writer's features (notes, outline, citations, draughts and edits), the Research tab can help you come up with topic ideas and angles for your essay by showing you themes and subjects connected to your search query.
Use a tool like our Summarizer to rapidly analyse and contrast the main points of your possible sources. Your essay will benefit from this information, which will assist you remove anything that is unnecessary or duplicate.
Consider how each issue you choose as significant connects to the overarching argument or message of your essay when you uncover more sources and polish your views.
Find out if there's a citation style you need to adhere to in your assignment's specifications. Begin compiling a citation list as you come across materials you intend to use.
Starting with the themes you've already researched and the data you've gathered, outline your essay with these aspects.
Online Drafting Tools that Make Writing Faster (and Easier!)
That's how I felt. (Pinboard, to be precise)
Regardless of how much you enjoy or despise the drafting process, you know that the sooner you finish it, the better off you will be.
Using online writing tools is the best way to keep your writing momentum up and get out of a rut faster than any other method, according to a lot of experience. We're here to tell you about the value!
When you don't have the words, can't get your thoughts onto the page with any clarity, or don't know where a topic or section should belong, these tools will be your lighthouse in the drafting storm.
Using a paraphraser's visual sentence-building features, you may choose the perfect words and phrases to express your ideas exactly as you see them in your head. You can use the writing modes to match the tone and style of your writing to the vibe you had when you originally came up with an idea or thought.
Avoid writing blockages by using the paraphraser right when you get stopped on a difficult topic sentence or transition when you're sleepy or unmotivated. As long as you're drafting with no regard for quality, it's okay to throw any old sentence into the paraphraser with no regard for how it turns up.
In addition to speeding up the process of writing, this will also boost your confidence in your ability to express yourself clearly.
The Summarizer can also help you get out of a rut when you're drafting. When you summarise a paragraph or other piece of your work, you can come up with new ways to express yourself. Your fatigued eyes may have missed rabbit holes and redundancy because of the delay in receiving responses.
When it comes to the writing process, the key is to work smarter, not harder—and this is doubly crucial when it comes to completing the first draught.
Tools to Improve Your Writing Without Having a Bad Day
Editing isn't considered an easy task by most people. If you're one of those folks who prefers to edit rather than write, you're not alone. Editing professionals don't use that term very often.
Many free web tools are available to help make the process easier for the smart ones. If I'm correct, you're a Smarty.
An online paraphraser can help you find the proper tone, style, and terminology to perfectly communicate your views when working on issues like awkward paragraphs or choppy sentences.
Drop-down thesaurus for words and phrases lets you visually modify the sentences you're working on, and you may also vary the tone and style of your writing using the different writing modes.
All of these elements will assist you in making the transition from "Wow, this is a rough draught indeed" to "Wow, I didn't think I'd agree, but they make a wonderful case"
While we encourage you to edit for substance before grammar, we are not in charge of your writing decisions. That's who you're supposed to be reporting to.
The knitty-gritty concerns, such as fluency, grammar, punctuation, spelling, word choice, and pathetic formatting mistakes, such as unnecessary spaces, should be checked after the strange or sticky phrases have been fixed, in our opinion.
Using our Grammar Checker, this may be done fast and painlessly. You can use it even if you don't want to edit because it is the lowest-effort editing manoeuvre available.
Before You Send Your Essay in, Check Out These Online Writing Resources!
Run your document through the summarizer one last time if you're satisfied with the way it reads. Why? If your message or point is conveyed in the way you intended, and if the flow of your work is logical, then you'll know if you've succeeded.
To get a good mark, both you and QuillBot must agree on what the assignment's essential elements are and ensure that you followed the assignment's instructions or prompts.
Essay-Writing Process for the Time-Conscious
As you can see, we've already bombarded you with a slew of details. Is this a guide that doesn't cover everything? We're experts in our field.
Just for the purpose of those soaked sponges, I'll summarise the typical 7-step approach for addressing essay writing: (again).
How to Write an Essay in Seven Simple Steps
Getting Started with the Assignment: The First Step
Step 2: Generate Topics and Ideas
Find Your Purpose
Make an Outline, the 4th and Final Step
This is the final step: composing your draught.
Sixth and final step: editing
As a concluding word:
It's time to send it in!
Changing the Way You Do Business
More and more writing experience will reveal your own personal patterns of which steps you prefer and which parts you hate, as well as how long it takes you to complete each step and how much or how little heartburn you have throughout each phase.
Our essay writing process is intentionally kept as simple as feasible. It's essential to have as few steps as feasible in order to maintain a sense of control and direction.
Driving to a new location and feeling like it took forever, just to arrive back home and feel like it was a lot quicker? The same applies to workflows. Learn the fundamentals, and then you'll be able to tweak, tweak, tweak, tweak, tweak, tweak, tweak, tweak, tweak, tweak, tweak, tweak.
To help you get started, here's a more detailed workflow that you may iterate on:
Getting Started with the Assignment: The First Step
Step 2: Generate Topics and Ideas
Compiling Citations is the third step.
Finding Your Angle in Step Four
Step 5: Create an Outline.
Drafting Topic Sentences in an Outline, in Step 6
Editing the Outline for Flow and Cohesion of the Argument is Step 7
Step 8: Compose Your First Draft
Editing for Context (Step 9)
Step 10: Correct Grammar and Fluency
Formatting the Assignment is Step 11
12th and last step: perform a final read-aloud proofreading
Submitting is the final step in the process!
Even though the steps are the same as in the basic flow, some of them have been split down into smaller chunks for ease of understanding.
Taking large leaps isn't a big deal for some writers. Others may find them overpowering and stifle progress. If you're someone who takes planning seriously yet problems with editing, you might want to follow the example above, which breaks down the tasks into smaller ones.
Break down the steps that you find the most challenging, the ones that you get stuck up on the most, or the ones that are most critical to your ability to execute a good job right away.
Keep tweaking and improving your workflow until it's just right for you. Just as you'll do with with other essay assignment from now on, bend it to your desire.
The End of the Road for Essays
Writing an essay doesn't have to be a pain in the a**.
A variety of techniques and methods are available to make the process go more quickly and smoothly. Having read this post and having a strong desire to write, you can now move forth confidently.
You are the only one who can accomplish it.