How to Write the Greatest Essay You’ve Ever Written

How to write a great essay

Writing is a recipe where we share our thoughts and ideas, guiding the readers along for the experience we are cooking up. The idea behind writing essays is to be able to deliver a well-concocted thesis seasoned with logical reasoning and research like salt and pepper to a main dish. An essay is something most students encounter multiple times in their academic career, and while some can manage, there are plenty of others that struggle to write a great essay for one reason or another.

Writing your essay boils down to a few things; a well-thought out plan, a direction, and good hearty material. This is a simple recipe to the best essay you will ever write. Think of it as a recipe that requires certain steps to become a tasty, tasty dish for your readers to consume. But first, lets take a look at the basics.

What is an Essay?

From an academic standpoint, an academic essay is a test of knowledge to your teacher or professor. Whether you’re in high school or university, it showcases various writing skills such as knowledge of a subject, literary techniques, a logical train of thought, and even imagination. The professor is the one who reads the essay, so you must appeal to their senses as if they are a judge on Iron Chef and you are the chef preparing the food for them.

Knowing the audience and the task helps you put your essay in the right direction. Do they want an analysis essay? An argumentative essay? A narrative essay? What is the essay question? Finding out what it is that your professor wants will give you a better sense of what you will write. Here’s the recipe list of what you’ll need to start writing your essay.

Recipe List:

Introduction

The first part of the essay your audience will experience, so it’s important to start off strong. The introduction should do exactly that; introduce. Start off with an attention grabbing statement like a rhetorical question or a general statistic. You should then hone in and become more specific; introduce the thesis statement or argument you will spend the rest of the essay talking about.

Thesis

Your thesis statement is the crux of the entire essay. The thesis should be your main idea, a polarizing argument or an unpopular opinion or an astute observation of your topic. It should be easy enough to find different reasons to write about it but interesting enough to captivate your audience.

The thesis statement is usually most effective in the introduction paragraph and is no longer than two sentences. Avoid using vague language like pronouns (it, they, we, he, she etc.) or words like things/stuff. Be very specific with your language in order for your main idea to be very clear. It should also include your take or opinion on this topic.

Reasoning

Your thesis shouldn’t stand alone. That’s like boiling chicken without the spices. Your reasoning and your arguments are the spice of your essay. These are the important and functional body paragraphs. The reasonings should be relative to your topic and prove your thesis. If you tell someone that Coke-a-Cola is better than Pepsi, you better back your claim up with reasonings why. Each reason should be at least a paragraph, 4+ sentences using examples and tying it to your topic. The reasonings should lead your topic towards an agreement of your essay. It should develop a train of thought that prove . If its not, consider rewriting your reasonings

Conclusion

Just as important as the introduction, the conclusion is where you tie everything together nicely. Add the finishing touches and garnish the rest of your essay by summarizing your reasonings and your original thesis statement. The ideas in the introductions should not be different from your ideas in the conclusion. The point of your essay should be clear throughout, from beginning to end.

You should also finish with a great statement just as you opened with one. Restating your thesis is essential for reinforcing your wonderful ideas. 

So, how do you put everything together?

Any good idea starts with a plan because it’s easier to reference things you need to improve on or change altogether. Just as a recipe has steps to cook the dish, an essay also has steps to cook the best essay you’ve ever written.

  1. Make an Outline
    Having an outline of your essay allows you to map your ideas and link them together. They are the blueprints needed to write your paper in an organized way. To some, it might be a waste of time, but to others its a lifesaver.
  2. Start with your thesis statement
    Knowing what you’ll be writing about is important for the next steps of your writing. If you can tie everything you say back to this crucial statement, you’ll be in good shape.
  3. Give your reasonings an explanation
    If you give a reason, you must explain it. Otherwise your reader might not understand what you mean and then all is lost. Use examples of what you are trying to say, it will help others understand what you mean.
  4. Proofread!
    This step is usually overlooked, but its essential to completing your essay. It’s like a taste test before you serve up your dish to others. Proofreading allows you to check for mistakes and see if there are misunderstandings. Look for simple sentence structures and make them more complex. Not everyone thinks the same, so its best for you to get another point of view from someone else.
  5. Give Yourself Enough Time
    Rome wasn’t built in a day. And your greatest essay wasn’t written in one day either. To provide the most quality essay takes time, so allow yourself time to think and develop your ideas and have time to read and reread and edit as you please. If you are writing an assignment and are crunched for time, visit Assignment Expert for help with your essays and anything related to English homework. We’ve got you for all your English homework needs!
Filed under English, Writing.
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