Writing an essay as a beginner is easy. What most people do not have is the confidence required to write it. Writing an essay is the same as telling your friends what happened at the baseball tournament last summer. By the end of this article, if you still find it difficult to write your essay, you can get a writer to do it for you. Let us dive into the Essay writing for beginners guide.
You start at the beginning, give a brief overview, pump in the details, and then sum up with a conclusion. Easy-peasy, right?
An essay is simply a piece of writing where you develop your argument or narrative based on evidence, analysis, and interpretation. Essays are non-fiction. They are brief, straight to the point, and describe, analyze, clarify and critique a subject.
In school and life in general, essays are used as learned arguments, observations of daily life, or reflections of the writer. They can be political manifestos, literal criticism, etc.
So how do you write an essay? This article will give you a step-by-step guide for a beginner to write an essay like a pro.
Essay Writing for Beginners (step by step)
If you are reading this article, you probably need or are required to write an essay. You might not be excited right now because you do not know what to expect. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Writing an essay can be as fun as… baking cupcakes! Just read on if you don’t believe me.
Step 1: Decide what kind of essay to write
Generally, there are four main categories of essays:
- descriptive,
- narrative,
- argumentative,
- expository essays.
In argumentative and expository essays, you are conveying information and making clear points. These two are the more formal types of essays.
On the other hand, narrative and descriptive essays are fun. This is where you show your creativity and write more excitingly. You want the person reading it to feel your excitement and experience the events through your writing.
So, work out what you want to say and then decide what kind of essay you want to write. It can be any type depending on your audience and objective.
Step 2: Pick a topic
Now that you already know what kind of essay you want to write. It’s time to pick a topic. Try to pick something that you are already quite familiar with, and that will hold your interest. This will ensure that words will flow and writing will be a piece of cake.
Step 3: Design an outline/thesis
A thesis is the main point of your argument. Make it as concise and comprehensive as possible. A good thesis is both debatable and provable. It is not obviously correct and universally accepted.
For example, all human beings need oxygen to survive. This is a universally accepted fact, and thus not a good essay idea.
Step 4. Do your research
Now that you already have an idea and a plan of what kind of essay you will write, it’s time to do your research. Find relevant primary and secondary sources and take notes.
This will help you determine your angle and position on the topic. Supporting evidence will make your essay more accurate and reliable.
Depending on what you chose to write, your essay’s supporting evidence can be data sets, research theories, counter-arguments, etc.
Don’t worry; you will not need to find the nearest library. Most of the data and information from all the reliable sources can now be found online. All you need is to google and use the correct keywords, and all the information you need will pop out.
Google Scholar is one of the most credible sources of properly published researches. Statista, on the other hand, has most of the leading global statistics.
Step 5: Write your essay
Now you have all the ingredients, and it’s time to ‘bake’ your essay. So start writing!
But just like cooking, each ingredient needs to be portioned. You don’t just put everything together in one bowl and mix. When cooking, ingredients are usually measured in grams, tea-spoons, or cups. But in writing, we measure in paragraphs.
A standard form of essay has about five paragraphs. It can be longer or shorter, depending on what type of essay you are writing. The sections are divided into:
- Introduction
- Body
- Conclusion
These three sections are arranged in a manner called the essay structure.
Introduction
An introduction is critical in any form of writing. It is where you grab the reader’s attention and tell them what you will be discussing. It sets the mood and shows the readers what to expect. So make sure it is as exciting and captivating as possible.
You need your first sentence to set the tone. Make sure it is short, concise, and will spark the curiosity of your readers. You can start with a question, for example. It is in human nature to want to know an answer to a question when asked.
Example: Do you think dogs can help cure depression?
As the first line of an essay, this question makes the reader want to know how and why dogs can help cure depression.
Humor is another excellent way of starting your introduction. Who doesn’t appreciate great humor? Something to distract them from their crazy and sad day. Humor will set a perfect mood for the essay and keep the readers wanting to dive in more.
Here is an example: Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I see darkness.
Next, you need to give the context of the essay. The reader needs to quickly understand the context of your essay. Do not bore them with unimportant information. Next, show exactly what you want to say in your essay. Your goal here is to state your position or stand in the subject.
Body
This is now where you will put down your evidence and argue your points. It is the central part of your essay. The length will depend on the type of essay you are writing. This part of your essay comprises 70% to 80% of your essay, so you should pay close attention to each sentence.
Your essay’s body should be divided into paragraphs, and each section should be centered around one idea or the main point of the essay. Each paragraph should comprise of 4-5 short sentences. Elaborate on each concept and provide clear supporting evidence.
The first sentence of each paragraph should be the topic sentence. It defines what the section will talk about. It also works as a transition sentence from the previous paragraph before introducing the new idea.
Depending on what you are writing, present evidence of your argument after the topic sentence. Then, interpret and explain the evidence and link it to your position in the discussion.
Stick to the idea you developed in step 3, and don’t divert from the main idea.
Conclusion
Congratulations on getting this far on your essay. Now all you need to do is write a perfect conclusion, and you are all set. This is the final paragraph of your essay.
Your conclusion should not be more than 15% of your essay. Your aim here is to:
- Sum up what you have written by making connections between your points of argument.
- Summarize your essay’s outcome – state any new insights your essay has provided to the topic or argument.
- Point out the take-away for the reader. It can be a question, an opinion, or a thought.
A good conclusion should leave the reader with a vivid picture of the subject of the essay. It would be best to conclude with an impactful sentence, a quotation, or a call for action. Doing this will ensure that your piece is memorable and will be in the reader’s mind for a long time.
Avoid introducing new arguments or ideas in your conclusion. It is also not advisable to use the concluding phrases; “In conclusion….”, “To sum up…” or “To conclude…”.
Step 5: Proofread your work.
Now you are done writing the first draft of your essay. All you need to do now is make a fair copy of it. Editing is essential in any form of writing.
Editing is testing the structure, arrangement, content, and all the information on your essay. Check the grammar, formatting, and style of your writing. Check the sentence structure and ensure they convey the information they are intended to.
Another trick would be to read your essay out loud. This will help you determine whether the thoughts are linked there is a writing flow. Take time to read and reread your work before you submit your final copy. If you are overwhelmed after the writing session you can get easy writing experts to help you edit your essay.
Now go and write great essays.
So there you have it. This is an essay writing for beginners’ guide . All you need to write a great essay is to prepare well and do proper research.
Start with an excellent introduction that will get the readers hooked, lay down your arguments in flowing paragraphs in the body of your essay, and then conclude like a boss. That is how you write an essay that kicks butt. So go out there and write fantastic essays.
