Tips for writing
an essay

Writing great essays depends as much on how you write them as to what you put in them. The person(s) reading your work will undoubtedly want to know what you will be discussing, how you will approach the topic, and in what order your paper will be written – all in the introductory paragraph. If you make sure to write an awesome intro, the rest of the essay will come easily.

Always following the same systematic approach for every paper and you will get you high quality work in a short amount of time. Of course, some people may not agree with it, but a good way to start working is to write a sentence outline in the format of the final paper. Often times, especially if the essay is for a grade, you can take it to your teacher to see if you are on the right track and then take their suggestions to modify it so you can get a good grade - works every time!

The Five Keys to Writing Great Essays

1. Brainstorm until you think you have plenty of material to start with.

2. Write a sentence outline with a thesis statement that includes the topic and three parts of that topic. As a general rule, try to have three main points with two supporting sentences after each one, and a concluding statement that just restates your thesis statement (simply re-worded), plus supports it or explains it.

This is the point where it is wise to either get a teacher to look at what you propose to include in your essay OR for you to go over and make sure that the paper will flow logically and smoothly.

3. Go back to the thesis statement and add whatever you need so that any reader will be able to tell what your paper is about without having to read the rest. (The goal is to let the reader know practically everything in your paper without having to go through it as well as be able to skip to certain parts if needed.)

4. For the main points (main body of the paper) make sure you elaborate on each of the supporting sentences and ALWAYS have good transition sentences from paragraph to paragraph. These main points should go in the order they are stated in the introductory paragraph; otherwise, those who want to skip to certain sections will have difficulty finding them.

5. Make sure your conclusion touches on the main concepts of your paper and addresses the points stated in your thesis statement. This is the place to address certain aspects not mentioned in the paper, but may still need to be addressed.

Now you are ready to go back and read your paper out loud to yourself or someone else to make sure it sounds ok, flows good, and keeps the reader's attention. Make sure the margins are correct and spell check before you turn it in!

If you follow these simple steps every time you write a paper, the writing will not seem so hard because you will already know where to start – no more writer’s block!

Written by Lena Presley