write a good essay

Part 1 Doing the Prep Work for Your Essay Develop a plan. Consider how much time you have to write the essay and develop a writing plan based on that. This will help you figure out how long to spend on each part of the essay writing process, and will also keep you on task. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses when devising your plan.[1] For example, if you are a good researcher but not great at editing, spend less time on the research section in favor of spending more time on the revising section. Make sure to schedule breaks for yourself to refresh your brain and recharge yourself. An example of a plan for a one-day essay writing project might look like this: 8:00 – 9:30 – Consider an essay question and argument for the topic. 9:30 – 9:45 – Take a short break. 10:00 – 12:00 – Conduct research. 12:00 – 13:00 – Outline the essay. 13:00 – 14:00 – Take a lunch break. 14:00 – 19:00 – Write your essay. 19:00 – 20:00 – Take a dinner break. 20:00 – 22:30 – Revise and copy edit your essay. 22:30 – 23:00 – Print and prepare your essay submission.[2] Consider the essay question. You may know the topic of an essay when your teacher assigns it to you, but even if you don’t, first consider the question and different ways you could make arguments about the topic. Doing this preliminary brainstorming will not only direct you towards the appropriate research, it will help the writing process go more quickly.[3] Make sure you understand what the question is asking for! If you provide a summary when the essay prompt asked you to “analyze,” you’re unlikely to do very well. If you don’t have an essay topic, choose a subject that interests you and consider the essay question afterward. You are more likely to write a good essay on a topic that you’re interested in. Develop your argument or thesis statement. Your argument or thesis statement is the point you’re making in the essay.
Essays can be crucial to admissions and scholarship decisions. Writing an essay often seems to be a dreaded task among students. Whether the essay is for a scholarship, a class, or maybe even a contest, many students often find the task overwhelming. While an essay is a large project, there are many steps a student can take that will help break down the task into manageable parts. Following this process is the easiest way to draft a successful essay, whatever its purpose might be. According to Kathy Livingston’s Guide to Writing a Basic Essay, there are seven steps to writing a successful essay: 1. Pick a topic.You may have your topic assigned, or you may be given free reign to write on the subject of your choice. If you are given the topic, you should think about the type of paper that you want to produce. Should it be a general overview of the subject or a specific analysis? Narrow your focus if necessary. If you have not been assigned a topic, you have a little more work to do. However, this opportunity also gives you the advantage to choose a subject that is interesting or relevant to you. First, define your purpose. Is your essay to inform or persuade? Once you have determined the purpose, you will need to do some research on topics that you find intriguing. Think about your life. What is it that interests you? Jot these subjects down. Finally, evaluate your options. If your goal is to educate, choose a subject that you have already studied. If your goal is to persuade, choose a subject that you are passionate about. Whatever the mission of the essay, make sure that you are interested in your topic. 2. Prepare an outline or diagram of your ideas.In order to write a successful essay, you must organize your thoughts. By taking what’s already in your head and putting it to paper, you are able to see connections and links between ideas more clearly. This structure.
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