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By: Fred Jones
Most people hate writing essays - and it shows. The typical student groans when one is assigned, puts it off until the last minute, and ultimately produces a borderline C/C+ paper that will soon be forgotten. But with just a little more effort and enthusiasm (and a few handy tricks), that run-of-the-mill essay can become an A+ paper your professor will actually remember and compliment you on. Wouldn't that be nice? Wouldn't you rather hand in your grade-determining paper with complete confidence, instead of nail-biting fear? Then pay attention, because the following essay writing tips can make all the difference! The first tip is to write like you are explaining your topic to a completely ignorant person. Not ignorant in the sense of stupid, but in the sense of knowing absolutely nothing about your topic. Try to write as though you are a failure if the reader puts down your paper without understanding your topic. What this will do is force you to put things in their logical order, explaining earlier concepts first and building later concepts on top of them in a straightforward way. For example, let's assume the reader will be forever ignorant of the Civil War unless you write a good paper on it. You will be sure to emphasize how the Confederate states firing on Fort Sumter forced Lincoln to retaliate. Furthermore, everything you explain from that point will make sense in light of the earlier material you covered. This basic start-to-finish clarity is the bedrock of a good, enjoyable, A+ essay. The second tip is to integrate your writing. In other words, your essay should have a main point that is obvious to the reader both while reading it and at the end. Most college essays read like a mindless regurgitation of disconnected facts, figures, and dates. Biographical essays devote the first several pages to undiscriminated trivia about the person's upbringing, education, and childhood hobbies, regardless of how (or even if) they tie in to the overall point being made. This is not the way to write a good essay! What you should instead do is decide, before writing a single word, what the point of your essay is. What one or two things do you want to be crystal clear to everyone who reads the essay? Once you know what this is, let it be your lighthouse, your guidepost, for every decision that follows. Should you include this or that detail? Should this go here, or should I introduce it later? Would it confuse the reader to mention this? Whenever one of these questions arises, just relate it back to the main point of the essay. Just following this one principle almost forces your essay to be better and more enjoyable to read. You should also strive to connect ideas, facts, and statements within the essay through your use of language. Many good essays begin sentences with phrases like "because of this", "therefore", "as a result", "taking all of this into account", and the like. Phrases like these show that you have a considered understanding of your topic and how all the different things you are writing about relate to each other. A third tip is to take a bold stance or opinion within the essay. Not every essay asks for your opinion, but many do, and the worst thing you can do is write a fence-sitting, watered down, don't-offend-anyone suck up piece. These are by far the most boring essays to read, and writing one is a sure bet to put your teacher to sleep. They would much rather you take an interest in the material and write passionately about how it makes you feel. Most students do not do this, opting instead to regurgitate facts without evaluating them or offering any of their own analysis. Don't do this! By all means, support your opinions with facts and logic. That's what you're in college to learn how to do! But don't assume that the requirement to be factual and logical means you can't also take a stand. A crisply argued essay or paper is a rare treat for professors these days, and most of them will reward you with a very high grade. If all of this sounds overwhelming, there is an easy way to bring it all into focus. Read some great essays. Go to a library and seek out essays from the masters, like Milton Friedman, Martin Luther King, Thomas Jefferson, or Ralph Waldo Emerson. While you are reading, keep the three tips we discussed in mind. Do their excellent essays cover the subject in logical order (earlier concepts first, with later ones to follow?) Do they have an unmistakeable main point? Do they take bold stances or opinions? Almost invariably, you will find that the best essays do all of these things. With some effort and practice, you can begin doing the same!
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