Foundation

Tools

How to Write an Essay:

How to Write an Essay that People Will Want to Read

Why write an essay? To persuade, to teach, to convince, to convey, to influence, to call to action.

The result of a successful essay is a change in the reader's perspective, with an understanding of evidence you have provided and defended. An essay is a work of logical art. It is the result of skillfully aligning both reason and emotion to achieve the effect you desire.

1. Know the Purpose of Your Essay

A good essay has a clearly stated thesis. This is the WHY, the reason for writing the essay in the first place. Sometimes you may want to research your topic first (step 2), so that you know what you want to write about. I'm stating Know Your Essay's Purpose as step 1 to emphasize the necessity of knowing what you want to say in your essay, then sequentially providing evidence to support what you're saying at each step along the way -- essentially, this sums up the ideal framework for an effective essay. That's it. C'est ça.

2. Research

Make yourself an expert in your field. Begin your essay-writing process by researching your topic. Utilize as many sources as you can: the internet, academic databases and journals, printed materials at the library, interviews with experts in the field. Take notes while noting ideas generated by this process of knowledge collection. By gathering information and synthesizing ideas in different ways, you will find something interesting and original to write about. You might go off in an entirely different direction and discover which questions are really worth asking, during this process.

3. Analyze and Evaluate

Evaluation is the process of assessing something's value by determining how it relates (or doesn't) to your purpose. What is the relevance of this idea to your thesis? Does this evidence support or conflict with your proposition? This process of quality control is ongoing and deepens your critical thinking skills and clarity of thought: analyzing the arguments of the essays you're reading is the beginning of understanding how to write a solid essay. Clearly define the claims, write out the reasons, consider the evidence. Look for weaknesses of logic, and also strengths. Ask yourself questions throughout the writing process. Actively think about what you are saying and why it matters.

4. Thesis Statement

Pick your best idea and distill it down into a clear assertion that you can focus your entire essay around. Your thesis is your main point, summed up in a concise sentence that lets the reader know where you're going, and why. This is the hub (the substance, the heart, the reason) of the essay, around which each main point and paragraph revolves and sequentially evolves.

5. Organize Your Evidence

Sketch out your essay in a draft outline before writing it out. Use one-line sentences to describe paragraphs, and bullet points to describe what each paragraph will contain. Play with the essay's order. Map out the structure of your argument, and make sure each paragraph is unified and flows into the next point somewhat naturally or intuitively.

6. Write the Thing

As you've heard echoing through the halls of schools for eternity, grasp the reader's interest as soon as possible with title and first paragraph. These are probably the most important elements in your essay. "This is an essay-writing point that doesn't always sink in within the context of the classroom. In the first paragraph you either hook the reader's interest or lose it. Of course your teacher, who's getting paid to teach you how to write an essay, will read the essay you've written regardless, but in the real world, readers make up their minds about whether or not to read your essay by glancing at the title alone."

Introduction: The introduction is your chance to enter the stage, steal the spotlight, set the scene, grab the reader's attention, and lead into your thesis. Your intro is merely (but importantly) a buildup to the issue, the scene for you to seize the attention of your audience by bringing your reader into the essay's argument. Relate the topic, if you can, to something that the reader will care about.

Paragraphs: As you know, each individual paragraph should be focused on a single idea that supports your thesis. Begin paragraphs with topic sentences, support each assertion with evidence, and expound your ideas in the clearest, most sensible way you can. Speak to your reader as though he or she were sitting in front of you. In other words, instead of writing the essay, try talking the essay. You don't want to abuse the reader's trust and confuse them with flowery words and abandon them on a path astray; not today, anyway. No--you want to make a point, safely and clearly. So, make your point.

Conclusion: Gracefully close your essay with a quick wrap-up sentence that summarizes your main point again, and then end on some memorable thought, perhaps a quotation, or an interesting twist of logic, or some call to action. Is there something you want the reader to walk away and do? Let him or her know exactly what. We like things spelled out. Tell the readers what they have learned and what difference this learning makes in their lives.

7. The Take-home Message:

1. Tell the reader what you're going to say.

2. Say it.

3. Tell the reader what you've said.

Fun example assignment teachers in the U.S. like to give to students: Write an essay inspired by America or by the principles you choose as guides for your thoughts and actions.

Here's Walt Whitman's 'ode to America' offering in a poem:

"I Hear America Singing" (1855)

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear, Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong, The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam, The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work, The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck, The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands, The wood-cutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown, The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing, Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else, The day what belongs to the day--at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly, Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.