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 serves as a
foundation for your paper. Use either an outline or a
diagram to jot down your ideas and organize them.
To create a diagram, write your topic in the middle of your
page. Draw three to five lines branching off from this topic
and write down your main ideas at the ends of these lines.
Draw more lines off these main ideas and include any
thoughts you may have on these ideas.
If you prefer to create an outline, write your topic at the top
of the page. From there, begin to list your main ideas,
leaving space under each one. In this space, make sure to
list other smaller ideas that relate to each main idea. Doing
this will allow you to see connections and will help you to
write a more organized essay.
3. Write your thesis statement.
Now that you have chosen a topic and sorted your ideas into
relevant categories, you must create a thesis statement.
Your thesis statement tells the reader the point of your
essay. Look at your outline or diagram. What are the main
ideas?
Your thesis statement will have two parts. The first part
states the topic, and the second part states the point of the
essay. For instance, if you were writing about Bill Clinton
and his impact on the United States, an appropriate thesis
statement would be, "Bill Clinton has impacted the future of
our country through his two consecutive terms as United
States President."
Another example of a thesis statement is this one for the
"Winning Characteristics" Scholarship essay: "During my high
school career, I have exhibited several of the "Winning
Characteristics," including Communication Skills, Leadership
Skills and Organization Skills, through my involvement in
Student Government, National Honor Society, and a part-
time job at Macy's Department Store."
4. Write the body.
The body of your essay argues, explains or describes your
topic. Each main idea that you wrote in your diagram or
outline will become a separate section within the body of
your essay.
Each body paragraph will have the same basic structure.
Begin by writing one of your main ideas as the introductory
sentence. Next, write each of your supporting ideas in
sentence format, but leave three or four lines in between
each point to come back and give detailed examples to back
up your position. Fill in these spaces with relative
information that will help link smaller ideas together.
5. Write the introduction.
Now that you have developed your thesis and the overall
body of your essay, you must write an introduction. The
introduction should attract the reader's attention and show
the focus of your essay.
Begin with an attention grabber. You can use shocking
information, dialogue, a story, a quote, or a simple
summary of your topic. Whichever angle you choose, make
sure that it ties in with your thesis statement, which will be
included as the last sentence of your introduction.
6. Write the conclusion.
The conclusion brings closure of the topic and sums up your
overall ideas while providing a final perspective on your
topic. Your conclusion should consist of three to five strong
sentences. Simply review your main points and provide
reinforcement of your thesis.
7. Add the finishing touches.
After writing your conclusion, you might think that you have
completed your essay. Wrong. Before you consider this a
finished work, you must pay attention to all the small
details.
Check the order of your paragraphs. Your strongest points
should be the first and last paragraphs within the body, with
the others falling in the middle. Also, make sure that your
paragraph order makes sense. If your essay is describing a
process, such as how to make a great chocolate cake, make
sure that your paragraphs fall in the correct order.
Review the instructions for your essay, if applicable. Many
teachers and scholarship forms follow different formats, and
you must double check instructions to ensure that your
essay is in the desired format.
Finally, review what you have written. Reread your paper
and check to see if it makes sense. Make sure that sentence
flow is smooth and add phrases to help connect thoughts or
ideas. Check your essay for grammar and spelling mistakes.
Congratulations! You have just written a great essay
Source- FastWeb.com
