Essays are the most common college assignment. In the span of four years, you will write dozens of reflective, synthesis, narrative and other types of essays. However, if you, like most students, struggle with this particular type of assignment, pay attention to our short guide that will take you through the steps to writing an essay quickly and effortlessly.
Step-By-Step Essay Writing Guide
Writing an essay may seem like a daunting task when you consider the time and effort required. To make it less intimidating, lets break the writing process down into small steps to help you understand how to write a college essay better:
- Learn more about the type of essay you have to write. Despite having similar structures, different types of essays require diverse writing styles and literary devices.
- Choose the topic of your essay from those provided by your professor or create your own. You can find the lists of appropriate topics online for every essay type.
- Create an outline. Many students choose to skip this step, but it allows you to sort through your ideas. Start with the basic structure of introduction, main body, and conclusion and go from there.
- Gather information to support your arguments. Go to the library or research online and compile a list of appropriate sources to quote and cite.
- Write the essay according to your outline. Once you have ordered your thoughts and gathered necessary information, writing the paper takes no time.
- Edit and proofread the first draft. Before submitting your paper, reread it carefully to make sure there are no mistakes and typos. Pay close attention to the arguments and the papers structure to ensure the text is logical and well-rounded.
How To Write A Hook For An Essay
When you first sit down to work on your paper, writing an essay introduction can be extremely difficult. You need to make every sentence count, making them engaging and entertaining, memorable. To ensure such an effect, you need to utilize a hook. It is a statement specifically designed to grab readers attention and keep them reading till the end of your work.
Good hooks invoke strong emotions, take readers by surprise, shock them. You can use little-known quotes or sayings, shocking statistics or personal anecdotes as hooks. But do not go overboard, after all, your hook needs to correspond with your thesis statement and the rest of your paper.
If nothing good comes to mind to use as a hook, put off writing an introduction and start with the main body paragraphs. Once you finish those and the conclusion, you will have a much better idea about what could make your introduction stand out.
How To Write Main Body Paragraphs
Depending on the type of essay you have been assigned, you can structure the main body chronologically (if you are writing a narration essay) or by arguments (if you are writing an analysis). Each passage should contain one argument, idea or event, its analysis, supporting proof, etc. Remember to keep your paragraphs at a manageable length and use transitions to make your writing flow seamlessly.
Main body paragraphs are the perfect place to use the supporting materials you have gathered. If you choose to quote, keep the borrowed passages short and to the point. Otherwise, keep to the required citation style.
How To Write A Good Conclusion For An Essay
The conclusion is as important as a good hook. It should leave the readers satisfied with all the points you have made and convince them to agree with your point of view. There is nothing worse than a long-winded text that leads nowhere and leaves readers with a feeling that they have just wasted 20 minutes on your paper that they could have spent on far more pleasant endeavors.
Most students make a mistake of copying their thesis statement within the conclusion. Of course, you should reinforce the point you made in the beginning, but never duplicate it verbatim. You can definitely emphasize the conclusions you have made within the main body and once again remind the readers of your thesis statement, but it should be masterfully rewritten. If there is a call to action you wish to make, include it into your conclusion.
Knowing When To Reach Out For Help
At times, you have so much on your plate, that writing a good essay is more than you can handle. Luckily, there are numerous custom essay writing services online ready to take on your assignments and help you get the good grades you need to get your degree. After a quick research, you will find a reputable essay writing service with a reasonable pricing policy and good reviews.
When you are ready to place an order, you will need to provide enough information about your assignment for the essays writer working on your paper. Make sure to provide the subject and topic of your essay, the number of pages (each page is usually 275 words long), and the deadline. The more detailed information you provide, the better paper you will get.
Some services provide other types of essay help, like proofreading and editing your finished papers. Such services are especially useful if a large portion of your grade depends on a single paper. Professional editors will weed out all punctuation and grammar mistakes and typos. They will also point out the inconsistencies within your essay to make it flawless.
The best academic essays require dedication and hard work to accomplish. You will have to spend much of your precious time on research, carefully outline the paper and edit it like your own worst critic. But if you have to juggle three essays, a research paper, and your part-time job, time becomes a luxury you cant afford to waste. So when your next assignment becomes too much to handle, do not hesitate to seek professional help.