Tuesday Tidbit: How to Write a KILLER Essay!

by Emma Bartley

Sitting on my bed with my computer in my lap, I stare at the blank page with curser blinking taunting me.  Another quick glance at the assignment.  I pick up my phone and check Twitter one more time…anything to avoid writing this essay.

Writing an essay can be one of the most difficult and frustrating things to do in high school. You have to think of ideas, write using strong language, use correct grammar, and make sure your writing is always supporting your argument. For me personally, I never know where to start with my essays. Here are some tips I’ve found on how to write a killer essay!

DON’T PROCRASTINATE! First and foremost, don’t procrastinate. It causes you to rush and will stifle creativity. Give yourself ample time to develop your thoughts and to revise your essay.

BRAINSTORM. Don’t just start writing. Outline your essay and write your topic sentences. Write down the quotes from your sources to support your argument. Find the weak points in your argument. What can you improve? Does your argument make sense? Does it flow? Plan the structure of your paper before you write the first word of your essay.

ROUGH DRAFT. Plan to write several drafts of your essay. Make sure you stick to the essay structure that is assigned. Does it need to be five paragraphs? Do you need a topic, evidence, and analysis? Write down all of your ideas in this draft.

–Introduction Tips: DON’T use quotes at the beginning of the essay; make your lead unique!

–Topic Sentences: Make sure everything draws back to your topic sentences. Your topic sentence guides your whole paragraph, and if a sentence doesn’t support the topic sentence, it doesn’t need to be there!

–Conclusion: Connect your conclusion back to your introduction. Rephrase your thesis but expand on it. This can be hard to do at first, but I’ve found that with practice it gets easier!

REVISE, REVISE, REVISE!

First read your paper for content. Is your argument clear? Remove everything that is not necessary. Stick to the point! Continue to look back at the topic sentence and make sure every word has a purpose and supports your argument.

Then read for word-use and sentence structure. Read your paper out loud. Does it flow? Do you repeat certain words too frequently?

Finally, read it for grammar and spelling. Is your punctuation correct? If you are unsure, look online.

GET HELP! Have a friend peer edit your essay. Do you know someone with exceptional grammar? Ask them to check how your essay looks! Does someone know MLA format really well? Have them take a look at your format to make sure it’s right! Help is never something to be embarrassed about!

 

SOME EXTRA TIPS:

Remember your AUDIENCE. Are you writing for a teacher to see? Are other peers reading your essay? Who are you trying to convince with your argument?

DON’T use clichés.

Avoid using FIRST AND SECOND PERSON. Do not use words like you, me, or we.

Try to make your sentences DIFFERENT LENGTHS. If every sentence is extremely long or extremely short, it becomes boring to read.

If your essay is an argumentative essay, include the COUNTER-ARGUMENT. The best arguments recognize the counter-argument and explain why it is incorrect!

DON’T just use big words for the sake of using big words. Sometimes, the more basic words describe something in a much better way than a less common synonym will!

And remember…stay calm! If you get stuck or have a mental block, take some time to recharge! Your mental health is just as important as school. You can accomplish anything you set your mind to! Just know that the more experience you have with writing essays, the easier it will become.