“Essay” – the word alone is enough to scare some of us. And it keeps coming up more often than not in our classes, whether in high school or college, especially when you are in the arts and humanities faculty. You would be given a series of essays over time, across several topics. In as much as you feel that an essay is not your forte, it is not as difficult as you think.
The one thing you have to realize is that an essay is simply a test to know how much you understand a particular topic, with special emphasis on “you”. When writing an essay, you have to put it in your own words, based on your comprehension, which should not be very hard to do.
As a professional writing agency, we at Writing Elites understand the problems students across all levels face when writing an essay and we have put together a list of tips to follow to write a proper essay.
1. Understand the Topic
Before you even begin to think of writing, you should understand what you are to write on. Make sure to know what is expected of you. Ask questions for more clarification. Knowing what exactly you are doing makes the whole essay writing process a lot easier. Usually, you would have to personalize or form your topic based on a general one given as it only serves as a background for you to work with.
2. Research Extensively
The next step for you is to get down and research. Use the library, rent books if you can, watch helpful videos, use the internet, conduct personal interviews. Try to lay your hand on every piece of information you can find. Find out general information and specific details, leaving no stone unturned in your research phase. Get the necessary sources and books ready. In fact, by now, you should be able to discuss your essay, already being knowledgeable, thanks to your research.
3. Choose A Topic
This step is very important. You have to create a list of persuasive essay topics. This should be topics that are catching, that gives an idea of what the essay talks about, and topics that show that you indeed know what you are about to write. Your topic should be as unique as possible, so you can personalize it as much as you can, keeping the central theme in it. You may have to spend a little time getting the best topic, but do not spend more time than necessary as you have to move on to the next phase.
4. Start Writing
Now that you have fulfilled the prerequisites, you can start the writing paper. Do not worry if your first draft does not turn out how you would like it. Write in clear grammar, keeping your tone formal. Give as much detail as possible and avoid being over ambiguous. Write in a way that would inform the average reader that you know what you are writing about. Avoid using cliches or overused words and avoid using statements or sentences from other sources verbatim. You could be guilty of plagiarism and that could destroy your whole work. If you have to use someone’s words, be sure to quote it and add the source at the end of the work.
5. Proofread and Edit
When the writing is done, the next thing for you is to proofread it. This would require some patience. Look out for possible errors. Go over sentences and paragraphs over and over again. Check out for mistakes and other slight errors that could cost you marks or taint your hard work. Then make the necessary corrections. You should also properly format your texts and make other necessary adjustments.
6. Additional Information
At this point, you may add charts, pictures, tables, and other things that will help understand your essay.
7. Reference Properly
The end of the essay should contain your references. This is like an index of all your sources and books used. You should arrange and structure it properly according to the given style to follow.
Writing an essay is not as difficult as you think. It just requires you to be willing to do it. Our team of professionals at Writing Elites would be happy to help you in your essay, whether it is to proofread and edit, or if you want the whole essay done for you if you do not have the time to do so for yourself.