How to Write an Essay

You have just been given the task to write an essay. But, you are not sure how to go about it. You’ve got a lot of different things buzzing around in your mind. But the one which seems to be taking hold the fastest is the anxiety surrounding the project. Most likely this essay is going to have some impact on your grade and you really need to do well in this class. Take a deep breath. The first step to writing a good essay is to relax and remember you have got this under control.

Once you’ve taken a moment to gain some perspective, you should begin by examining the prompt. This will be located in your class syllabus, the course website, or possibly a handout provided by the instructor. Try to understand precisely what the professor is looking for in this assignment. Consider what things you have discussed in class. How does this prompt connect to that material? Try to get into the mindset of your teacher. That way you can determine the real purpose behind this assignment. This is the first step in developing your answer to how to write a good essay.

There are lots of different types of essays you may be assigned. Here are a few tips on how to write for some of these different types.

How to Write a Persuasive Essay

The persuasive essay has a very specific purpose. That purpose is to convince your reader that your idea is correct. You can think of these essays as a type of argument. You want to bring the reader along, give them good reasons, sometimes emotional and sometimes factual, to be persuaded that your view is correct. To write a good persuasive essay, you must have a clear idea of what exactly your view is. It is essential to have a clear perspective which you are arguing for. Do not be wishy washy and go back and forth between different perspectives. Pick the one that you are committed to and really sell it to your reader.

How to Write an Analytic Essay

The analytic essay requires some critical thinking prior to writing. First figure out what exactly you are trying to analyze. For example, you may be asked to analyze the causes of the 1920 stock market crash. In order to do this you need to first select which resources from class to use. Once you’ve got this data you need to find a coherent way to analyze it. The best way to create this analysis is to come up with a reasoned firm explanation. For example, “The main cause of the 1920 stock market crash was the invasion of aliens.” Once you’ve got a strong thesis statement like this one, you will need to go through your supporting points and illustrate how these points support your thesis.

How to Write a Cause and Effect Essay

The key to write an essay of this style is to clearly articulate the cause and effect in question. Typically most cause and effect scenarios are somewhat complex. You will need to show that complexity in your writing while creating a clear succinct picture of the phenomena in question. To do this, create an outline which tells the basic cause and effect scenario. Think of this as what you would explain to a child. Then fill in this outline with some of the complexities you wish to include in your essay. Do not abandon the basic explanation; however, do not forget to show you have a deep understanding of the phenomena at hand.