An essay is one of the most common tasks used to test your academic knowledge. The way you deal with this assignment demonstrates how you think, structure information, and argue your point. 

A good academic essay demands much time and effort. But after you master the art of essay writing, you will most definitely notice that your critical thinking skills have improved. And it goes without saying that your writing skills will be great, too.

In this article, you’ll find some handy tips on how to write an essay that will make both you and your professor proud. 

Make a Schedule and an Outline

Time is the most important and valuable resource. To make the most of it, make a schedule for your essay before you actually get down to writing. How many words do you need to produce? What is the submission date? How many hours per day do you plan to devote to this assignment? Make a schedule to help you stay efficient throughout the whole process.

And if you’re falling behind schedule, remember that you can always turn to the professional writers at https://essaywriterservice.com/. It’s also quite important to outline your essay, so that you have at least a rough idea about its content and what it’s going to look like. Such a “skeleton essay” might consist of headings, examples, and references in line with the planned structure. It will serve you as a frame that won’t let you get lost in your topic.

Use Reading and Note-taking Techniques 

How do you approach the writing process? If you can’t stop reading everything there is on the topic and write your essay the last minute, then it’s about time to change your style. And the same goes for extensive note-taking.

There are many different reading strategies that a student might use. Some of the most effective techniques are to scan, skim, surface read, and then deep read a text. This way you filter irrelevant information out and concentrate on what’s important.

As for the note-taking, you might want to try a strategy called “synthesis matrix”. There you should write down all the sources that you have used and the main ideas that correspond to them. And it’s rather handy to create this matrix in Excel or Google Sheets.

Try Freewriting

Freewriting is a writing strategy that is useful for those students who suffer from blank page anxiety. It’s a warm-up exercise for your brain that will leave you with a written stream of consciousness. How about searching for some useful ideas for your essay there?

Decide how much time you want to freewrite, set a timer, and start writing whatever comes to your mind in relation to the essay at hand. For example, if you need to develop a thesis, you might use this starting sentence: “I want to argue that…”, and then write without stopping or editing the text.

This technique works wonders when it comes to conquering the fear of a seemingly endless blank page. Besides, it will help you silence your inner critic and overcome perfectionism. 

Think as a Reader

Working on an essay can be tricky. You spend so much time reading and editing your own writing that you might fail to see that the essay lacks coherence. To prevent this from happening, try to see your text with a reader’s eyes. That is, with a fresh perspective of someone who just saw your essay for the first time.

It’s important that your text flows smoothly and that all its parts, especially the introduction and conclusion, are coherent. Simply put, everything in your essay has to make sense.

To ensure that your writing comes across as consistent, you can introduce each paragraph with a topic sentence and use signposting. A topic sentence should tell what the whole paragraph is about. This way, your reader will follow your thoughts and arguments more easily. As for the signposts, they help your reader to navigate through different arguments within the essay.

Reread, Rethink, Rewrite

You shouldn’t treat writing an essay as a linear process. Instead, think of it as a chaotic process that requires you to go back and forth, which it truly is. 

It’s OK to rewrite the introduction, as you most likely will change the initial topic or problem in the process of reading, thinking, and writing. Moreover, it’s crucial to revise your written essay to check its substance, structure, and style.

Proofreading is another useful habit that will help you be as confident about the quality of your essay as possible.

Wrapping Up

Writing essays is a difficult and time-consuming process. Yet, it’s definitely worth it, as you’ll learn to analyze information, structure your thoughts, and argue in a clear and coherent way.

To become better at writing essays, make a schedule and an outline, use reading and note-taking techniques, freewrite to overcome the writer’s block, think as a reader, and embrace the chaotic nature of the whole process.

Also, remember to revise and proofread your brainchild. Even if you feel tired of every single word in your essay. Just do it.