Essay Writing, And How to Pick Your Best Topics
Essay writing is not a fun activity for most students. Be not dismayed, here are some few tips to make you the boss of essay writing, and and also excellent at choosing essay topics
Essay Writing, the Bane of Most Students’ Existence
When it comes to essay writing, there are a great many students, whether they are studying the English Language as a subject or they are at tertiary levels, who would quickly tell you they cannot do it. The requirements for a good essay, to them, are too many and the English Language is sometimes too technical to arrive at a good enough essay worth reading. Unfortunately, this sentiment, although it is the most popular sentiment, it is also one that nothing can be done about. Over 60% of courses offered in the university give essays as their main mode of assessing students, much to the dismay all of said students. They are asked to produce essays ranging from 500 worded assignments to several page worth of theses material. And to these students, there is definitely no fun factor in writing these essays. Essay writing, as mentioned before, is a very well used method of assessing students, their thought processes, their understanding of fundamentals grammatical laws and also their world view. The essays they may be asked to write could span several types including interview essays, argumentative essays, analytical essays, narrative essays and even their theses and research essays. This is why most teachers and professors of higher learning institutions require that mist assignments be given in essay form. As to whether these essays are read before grading is given, it is a mystery, but teachers do emerge with these essays with highlighted points, underlined plagiarism and lots of notes explaining why a particular grade is given. It could be safely assumed that the essay would get read therefore it is important to spend enough time writing it. Most of the time, adequate time is given to students for the preparation and the writing of the essay itself. What messes students up is the fact that they actually procrastinate, leaving the research work, gathering of sources and writing till the very last minute. This results in them rushing, making all sorts of mistakes, being unable to read through and sending in half baked work. The end result is poor grades and frustration. This is usually what happens to students. These reasons are the main reasons why students do not like writing essays and would prefer to do other forms of tests. In order to write a good essay, there are several things to take into consideration, one of which is the topic you choose. Topics play a vital role in how the essay you are writing can be steered. The right topic results in a good direction for the essay, and in the end, a good essay will be written. A poor topic usually results in a premature writer’s block as ideas simply fly out the window because there is hardly an information to back up your topic.Essay Writing, Outlines, and Topic Choosing
Writing can end up being more fun than people think it is. Since there is so much work involved in getting the essay written, most people write it off as a difficult task, especially choosing the right topic to write about. As mentioned before, a topic can either make or break your essay, resulting in either a good essay overall, or a bad one. In order for you to become good at selecting topics for your essay, you really need to become conversant with what you are passionate about. In other words, you need to be sure about what tickles your fancy, or makes you happy. 90% of the time, a topic picked around your interests and passions result in a better outcome for both the student writing the essay, and the essay itself. Unfortunately, not every student knows what they like and which topics they would rather write on. They end up making several mistakes picking the wrong topics and hitting several road blocks resulting in an even more frustrating writing process. Another thing that plays a big role in the essay and it’s outcome is whether or not there is a desired outline and if you can stick to it. Sticking to the preferred outline given for your essay makes writing the essay even more easy. This is because, the guidelines you have would serve as excellent points for you to tailor your essay accordingly. It would be in your best interest to confer with the people most likely to know more about essay writing, or the people who are going to mark your work. These people will give you the recommended guideline that you should stick to, and you will end up writing an essay that is accepted. Not knowing the right outline to write with makes the writing process stressful and frustrating. Sometimes too, knowing which outline you ought to use, yet being unaware of what exactly the outline entails adds to the frustration of writing. A good way to scale this mountain would be to consult about the type of outline given, and familiarize yourself with essays written in this manner. That way you have a fair idea of what the outline actually is, and what is required of you. Examples always dispel mystery.How to be a Better Essay Writer
Most people would turn up their noses at some of these points but in order to be a better writing, there are certain things to do, to ensure that writing essays and choosing topics never scares you.- Practice Practice makes perfect is not just a saying. It is applicable in various areas of life. Most people may not have the time, but picking out a topic at random and writing about it in your free time helps you to become much better at writing. It helps you to better express yourself, and most importantly, you begin to take note of the topics that interest you. This way, your essay writing game gets upped, and then when you are given an actual assignment, you do not shy away from giving it your best. Take some time during your holidays and free time to write essays on randomly generated topics. Do a little research, ad have the essays written. You could have a senior colleague or a tutor look over the essay for you and give you ideas on how to better express yourself.
- Read wide You can only be as good a writer as the material you read. This information is not new because what you read determines how you write. If you read pieces of articles that have rich expressions, you would most probably end up writing like that. Take time to select material of interest any chance you get. Read these materials out of curiosity or just for fun, and get ideas on how certain points can be put across. One great point that is note worthy is that the more you read the more your vocabulary gets built. At the end of the day, you will end up with a good vocabulary bank with the necessary expressions needed for you to use in your own writing.
- Never procrastinate The time given to write essays, from entry level to expert level is usually enough for the level you are at. If there is an essay that takes two weeks to write, research included, most probably the deadline would be set for two weeks after it is given. As soon as an essay is given, try to work hard on the essay. It is better to do a little bit of work each day, than cramming it all in the end and ending up with an essay that is rushed and subpar.
How to Choose a Good Topic
The first daunting part of writing an essay is most probably choosing the right topic. If the topic you are choosing is not a good one, the chances are, you would end up with a poorly written essay. If the choice is left to you, be very careful and meticulous about choosing your essay. The topic you choose is dependent on the type of essay you are being required to write. Take some time off to look at the various essay types to know which topics suit them. This way, your expression is not curtailed once the topic is picked because of the type of topic and the number of words you are required to write. Here are a few of the most requested essay types and some examples of good topics to write on- Argumentative essays and choosing topics The topics chosen for this type of require a deep level of research and investigation. When choosing a topic, opt for one that has enough grounds for a string argument. A topic that has a lot of evidence and facts surrounding it is always the better choice. Once the evidence is easy to find, your writing automatically becomes rich because your arguments are based on facts. The topics picked for such essays revolve around the conflicting issues in the world and in life. Some of these are people’s opinions which have become the popular opinion. Good examples are: A. Internet use: Blessing or curse B. How involved should parents be in their children career choices C. Gun control: a Necessity?
- Persuasive essay types These essays nudge a reader towards certain ideas and philosophies. The driving force of such essays are the considerations of the writer. The thought processes have to be clear and concise, and at the same time full of persuasive language. You should sound assertive enough. The difference between an argumentative essay and a persuasive one is, an argumentative essay looks at the facts supporting both the for and against the topic of discussion. The persuasive essay is just giving strong points for the motion, giving the reader no option but to choose the idea on the table. Good essay topics are: A. Is makeup always necessary B. Is a dress code a determining factor on productivity of a company?
- Narrative essay types A narrative essay usually starts by telling a story, or giving insight to an event that could have taken place. Some narrative essays are basically to give insight to the readers’s life. These types of essays aim to spark an emotional response in the reader. These sorts of essays are usually required when a person is applying to college or writing a personal statement Some examples are: A. The best day of your life B. Why you chose a particular career C. How your childhood affected your worldview