An essay is a piece of writing that focuses on and develops an idea or argument through interpretation, analysis, or evidence. What you write for an essay and its length depends upon the matter of study and at which level you write it. For instance, essays at the middle school level are rather an overview of a subject whereas university-level essays are argumentative.
However, there are certain basic steps to follow while constructing an essay. There are essay writing services one can opt for. This beginner’s guide covers the writing process required while writing an essay.
The Process of Essay Writing
While writing an essay, one must prepare, write and revise the piece. These three processes make up the core features of essay writing. The quality of the essay, time invested, and effort spent is determined by the essay type and level.
However, the primary is your preparation where you research and create an outline for your essay. The next step is writing is afresh by putting in the introduction, body, arguments and analysis, and the conclusion. Revision is the third step where you check your essay for grammar, spelling, and plagiarism and then, organize and format it.
Preparation for Essay Writing
When you receive your essay topic, you don’t start writing it headfirst. Initially, you need to have a clear idea of the vastness of the topic and what you want to include in your writing. There are few ways to prepare your essay-
- Understand the goal of your assignment. Try to clear out as much as possible from the person who assigns you the topic.
- In case you pick your topic, choose a subject of study that interests you and you know a little about.
- Depending on the time given to you, form the length of the essay.
- Research on your topic by reading primary and secondary sources. Take notes and try to scour for real-life shreds of evidence and examples.
- Construct your thesis or the central point of your argument. A good thesis is what marks a good essay, so clear rather than diplomatic.
- Outline your essay by mapping your points chronologically. It will make your writing process easier and methodical.
Writing the Essay
From the ground level, we know that the essay is divided into introduction, body, and conclusion. Thus, writing these three parts require different measures.
- For Introduction
The introduction is what grabs your reader’s attention even though it makes up only 10% to 20% of the piece. Pique your reader’s curiosity by creating a hook sentence. You can also choose to start your question with a rhetorical question that will deeply invest your reader in reading the essay further. Introduce the argument of your essay by a one-liner or give a little background about the topic. However, don’t go into details. Finish off your introduction by portraying your stance in the essay. However, if you have a large essay where your body is divided into parts, make sure to map the structure in the introduction itself. This will guide the reader through the essay and work as a preview.
- For Body
The body of your essay is a substantial catch. It is the part that makes your essay a worthwhile read. The body covers a more detailed background introduction, the thesis, your arguments in favour of your motion, evidence, and examples. The purpose of the body is to present the main content of the essay for analysis and interpretation. The body makes up about 60% to 80% of the text. In large essays, divide your body into paragraphs with a clear intention. Each paragraph can focus on the main idea that is introduced in the introduction. It can go further into presenting examples that can be empirical or theoretical. The use of transition words is recommended while writing the body of an essay as it helps in connecting the sentences with clarity. The body is where your essay’s soul lies. It is where the overall argument develops. Thus, the appropriate construction of the body is crucial for your essay to be successful.
- For Conclusion
The final paragraph that marks the end of your essay is a conclusion. It takes up about 10% to 15% of the entire text. It is the place where you tie your arguments, thesis, and pieces of evidence together to draw an inference. Do not introduce new arguments or undermine your previous arguments in the conclusion. Make it grand by leaving a strong final impression on your readers. A conclusion must be convincing and in favor of your essay’s main idea. You can even get your essay written from the best essay writing services available online.
Revising the Essay
The final step before you present the essay in front of the concerned authority is revision. This step is often neglected even though a touch of revision is what distinguishes your essay as the work of a dedicated, hard working person. Revision includes going through the essay multiple times to edit it at required places for addition or elimination of facts and statements. It also includes checking your essay for grammatical and spelling errors. The most important step in this process is mandatory plagiarism checking. Plagiarism is an offense. Therefore, to vouch for your originality you need to run your essay through a plagiarism checker. Organize and format your essay as the finishing touches and you are ready to present your essay.
All essays require citations based on a specific style. This comes after the essay writing but a step not to undermine. Master your writing skills and that too benefits you while essay writing.
Also read: 101 Intelligent Education Essays