How to Write an Essay, Essay Example

The process of writing an essay can be challenging for many students.  However, I have found that this process is simplified by breaking it into several components:  researching a topic, constructing the actual essay, and revising and editing prior to submission.  Regardless of its topic, a well-researched and well-written essay allows for the writer to communicate his or her ideas to a larger audience.

The writing process actually involves a great deal more than just writing.  The writer must carefully consider their topic while deciding on the purpose of their essay.  The essay may be intended to argue a specific point or to present general information about a research subject.  Regardless of the essay’s purpose, the general format remains the same and includes an  introduction, a body, and a conclusion.  As well, the essay will have a thesis statement, generally found in the introductory paragraph, which indicates the essay’s specific purpose or topic.

Prior to beginning the essay, it is important for the writer to spend time planning and researching the chosen topic.  There are a variety of writing strategies that can be employed in this task, including brainstorming.  This exercise encourages the writer to ask themselves about the who, what, where, when, and how of their topic and  write down any and all ideas that develop from the brainstorming.  Other writing strategies include free writing, listing, and clustering and mind mapping and are meant, like brainstorming, to encourage the thinking process in an informal fashion.

Although the introduction and conclusion play a vital role in opening and summarizing the essay, the body paragraphs represent the portion of the essay that will allow for the writer to present the majority of his or her argument.  There is no set number of body paragraphs to be used in an essay; often, it is simplest to let the subject of the paper dictate the overall structure of the essay body.  However, it is important for each paragraph to have its own topic sentence.  These enable the writer to present the main subject of each paragraph in a clear and coherent manner.  The topic sentence is followed by supporting details that support the essay’s thesis, and often utilize quotes and paraphrased information from research sources.

Once the essay has been completed, it is important that the writer reads over what he or she has written to check for possible errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and typographical errors.  This step is best accomplished by printing out the essay and going over it sentence by sentence.  It can often be helpful to read the finished product out loud to catch errors that one might not notice on the computer screen.  The revision and editing process ensures that the finished essay meets the guidelines laid out by the instructor in a clear and professional manner.

Writing an essay is an excellent way to develop good writing skills while improving on one’s critical thinking abilities.

While writers may approach the creation of an essay in an variety of different ways, the overall format of an essay remains the same.  Every essay will have a thesis statement expressing the essay’s topic or subject, an introduction, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion.  When writing the essay, it is crucial to spend time utilizing writing strategies such as brainstorming, as well as to edit and revise as necessary once the essay is completed.  Regardless of its topic, a well-researched and well-written essay allows for the writer to communicate his or her ideas to a larger audience.