Step One - Determine What Your Instructor Wants

This is the single best piece of advice I can give to anyone who wants to do a better job in college and learn how to write an essay. It always surprises me when students skip this essential first step, but it happens - and it happens a lot!

Let’s face it: if you don’t know what you’re supposed to be writing about or what you’re supposed to accomplish in your essay, then you are basically lost at sea. It really is that simple.

But that’s not even the most disappointing part of this baffling situation. What’s worse is your instructor really does tell you exactly how to write an essay that will make him or her very happy. Unless you’re dealing with a really bad instructor (and I mean REALLY bad), then you will not be able to figure this out very quickly at all. It does happen.

So how do you figure out how to write an essay your instructor will like? It’s very simple - look for the basic essay instructions. A writing prompt is a short but informative sheet of paper that explains exactly what you are required to do in the writing assignment. Once you’ve found that sheet and read it through very carefully, you’re ready to move on.

Step Two - Make an Essay Writing Checklist

Now here’s my secret advice: rewrite the instructions in checklist format. Most of you will never do this because it does require a little extra effort. Of course, the problem most students have is not doing adequate preparation BEFORE writing their essay. But you’re not like most students because you’re reading about how to write an essay.

If you take the instructor’s writing prompt and break it down into an easy-to-read checklist, you’ll be miles ahead of 95% of the other students. I know this because when I grade college essays, I almost always use a checklist. And guess what? That’s right: my checklist is derived from my assignment handout. Big surprise?

Step Three - Create a Basic Outline for Your Essay

No, no, no! When I say “outline” I am not talking about anything very formal. Simple is best for “how to write an essay” step number three. Here’s an example of an outline for an essay on Beowulf:

Beowulf Essay Outline
-Talk about the history behind the story of Beowulf
-Talk about the important characters in Beowulf
-Talk about how today’s stories are not like Beowulf
-Talk about why Beowulf helps us understand history
-Talk about how Beowulf also helps us understand the present-day

I want you to notice something very important here. The outline above is pretty crummy. Yes, crummy. But that’s not a bad thing because it’s going to help you get started. Watch how we can quickly clean up this outline into something a bit more effective:

Beowulf Essay Outline

• Discuss history of the Beowulf narrative
• Contrast Beowulf with contemporary literature
• Analyze important characters in Beowulf
• Show how Beowulf provides a window on the past
• Demonstrate that Beowulf also speaks to the present day

This revised outline is not really much different from the original version; it’s just easier to read and more focused. Now we have something we can work with. Again, notice that when I say “outline” I am not talking about anything all that complicated!

Step Four - Freewrite Each Essay Section

The outline from step three is going to provide a nice skeletal structure for the muscle of our essay. Now we’re ready to really write this essay!

For step four, you simply need to take each section title and do some freewriting to develop the ideas. You can do this in any order, but it’s probably best to complete it in an order that makes sense to you.

Once you’ve finished freewriting each section, you can move on to freewriting an introduction and conclusion. Note: you should NEVER try to write your introduction or your conclusion before writing your essay. This is the classic beginner’s mistake in the “how to write an essay” world.

Step Five - Revise the Essay

Here’s the most important part of the total process. Most students will not make it this far. If you complete steps one through four correctly and thoroughly, you’ll be in the top of your class. But if you also complete step four, you’ll be in the very top of your class. No, I’m not being facetious.

Now that you have taken the time to develop each of the outlined sections by freewriting, you’re going to take your how to write an essay experience one step further and dig in for revision. If you completed step four correctly, you should be left with a bunch of garbled writing. This last step requires that you read through each section of your essay draft very carefully and revise with care.

Proofread for grammar and spelling errors. Edit out any style issues to improve readability. Add more content or explanation where necessary. Change or move sections that don’t make sense or might confuse the readers.

Revision and editing is easily the most overlooked part of essay writing simply because most students don’t allow enough time to do anything more than a quick spell check. If you revise your essay well enough, you’ll have a much more readable piece of work than when you started. Plus, you will be far more likely to demonstrate to your instructor that you really do know how to write an essay.

And there you have it - a simple guide on how to write an essay in five very easy steps. If you’ve made it this far, you are way ahead of the game. Now that you really do know how to write an essay, it’s time to get started!

The point of a persuasive essay assignment is to demonstrate your ability to think critically and show your ability to engage difficult issues with clear reasoning. At the heart of your essay, you should have a very clear thesis statement that any reader could identify with ease. The argument behind your essay should be clearly stated in the thesis statement and then well supported throughout your essay for proper development.

So what should you write about? Well, if you’re following along, the answer should be clear to you by now - you should write about anything for which you can create a clear, well-reasoned argument. This is an important distinction. You do NOT want to choose a topic that you don’t understand, don’t appreciate, and/or don’t feel comfortable writing about.

I know this is a major obstacle for most students because many insist that there’s nothing they understand, appreciate, or know about well enough to develop a strong argumentative essay around.

Here’s a quick exercise to help you around this stumbling block:

1. Make a list of 10 issues that you find even remotely interesting (e.g. abortion, gun control, etc.)
2. Narrow the list to 5 issues that you find most interesting of the 10.
3. Choose your top 3 from that list of 5.
4. Spend 5 minutes freewriting about each of the three.
5. Use the topic you find most compelling in your freewriting.

Yes, this is going to take some time, but it is a worthwhile investment. What are you doing right now that’s more important anyway?

Let me put this another way: for today’s audience, the logic behind Beowulf (the movie) is strange and confusing. Storytelling was quite different in the eighth century - hence much of the confusion. If you miss this connection, just watching the film is NOT going to be an adequate substitute.

To write a strong essay about Beowulf, you’ll need to focus your attention on the relationship between Beowulf and Grendel. Consider some of these questions for starting points:

• What motivates Beowulf to kill Grendel?
• What does Grendel represent to Beowulf and King Hrothgar?
• What does Grendel represent to the Danes?
• What human qualities does Grendel’s mother represent?

Like any literary analysis essay, your writing on Beowulf should be focused around a central theme or question. Avoid overwhelming your reader with too much information and always keep it simple.

The reasoning behind this common first assignment is simple: college writing instructors want to help you develop critical writing skills through a simple writing assignment that requires basically zero outside research. Everyone should be able to write about him or herself on the spot!

The other reason you have to write a personal narrative is to provide your instructor with a baseline for your abilities as a writer. Chances are, the stakes are much lower for this assignment than other essays you will have to write. Still, that should not be an excuse to slack off. Remember: your instructor will also be formulating an opinion of your work at this stage of the game, so be sure to make a strong effort.

Above all else, be sure you’re absolutely sure what the terms of the writing assignment are.

Without knowing what your assignment is, I can promise you one thing with about 90% accuracy: your professor is expecting you to demonstrate lots of critical thinking in your work. Be sure to avoid these common problems:

• Do NOT tell every single detail from your birth until now. Focus on key events targeting a specific theme.
• Do NOT overuse the word “I” throughout the paper. This is ok in a first draft, but you need to edit it out later.
• Do NOT wait until the last minute to complete this assignment. It is more difficult than you think.

Your essay should be simple in structure and easy to read. Don’t think for a second that this is going to be easy to do. Get started writing now, and you’ll be happy you did!

Really, a philosophical essay is about argumentation. Essay types can be misleading because there is always at least some overlap. The point is that doing philosophy is mostly about critical thinking and argumentative writing.

Let’s remember the golden rule: you need to follow your instructor’s guidelines very closely when writing any essay. That rule definitely applies to philosophy essays.

Your first question should be - “What is my argument?”

I can almost guarantee you one thing: your professor is going to evaluate your writing in terms of your ability to clarify and support your argumentative position. So make it clear and obvious.

If your philosophy essay assignment is typical, your instructor probably gave very clear instructions on how to write it. Philosophers are pretty picky about paper organization, format, and layout, so follow those rules to the letter.

Here’s a simple model you can use if your instructor did not provide instructions:

1. Introduce the Issue
2. State Your Argument
3. Discuss Other Viewpoints
4. Provide Your Rebuttal
5. Conclude the Issue

Again, this is very general, but it should help you organize your thoughts. Since clarity is incredibly important in philosophy writing, you’ll really need to steer clear from fuzzy thinking in your essay (a.k.a. “B.S.”). This is definitely NOT a good way to develop your paper.

Well, this article is going to do exactly that – help you start writing immediately so you can get beyond writer’s block.

Here’s what you need to do: Start writing!

The problem most people have with writing is almost always in “getting started.” From my experience, students struggle with this part because they are unwilling to see that *writing is a process* that must begin somewhere…

Fortunately for you, I’m here to give you a system that will help you do exactly that in 10 minutes.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1. Freewrite for 3 minutes on your topic. (Set a timer!)
2. Read over what you have.
3. Freewrite for another 3 minutes. (Enhance your focus.)
4. Read over what you have.
5. Freewrite for a final 3 minutes. (Get very clear!)

By the end of this process, you should have a much clearer idea about what you want to say in your essay. But more importantly, you will have done some writing!

I know this sounds too easy, but it really works. Once you complete this little exercise, your brain will be very active and you’ll be far more productive than if you had spent another 10 minutes sitting around thinking about writing.

Now that you’ve answered that question, answer this one:

What exactly is your writing assignment?

This is the first question I pose to anyone who comes to me for writing help, and it’s immensely important. If you cannot spell out exactly what your writing assignment is, you’re in serious trouble.

Teachers and professors are all the same – well, mostly the same. We are very consistent about one thing: telling you in no uncertain terms what we expect in your essay.

I know what you’re probably thinking.

“But my teacher only confuses me. That’s the very problem I’m having in writing this stupid thing. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.”

Maybe you’re right. Like any other profession, there are always bad apples. There are good doctors and bad doctors, good lawyers and bad lawyers. And, yes, there are good teachers and bad teachers.

To be fair, there are also good students and bad students. Trust me, I know. So if your teacher falls into the “bad teacher” category, let’s acknowledge that for what it is and move forward. What I’m going to ask you to do is to play the role of the good student and to do what good students do – ask questions!

Again, we’re assuming that your professor has not made it very clear what the writing assignment is for you and/or the other students. There could be a variety of reasons for that. Remember: these people work very hard in their jobs as instructors and often teach the same classes over and over and over again.

(In my first year of teaching, I must have taught College Writing close to 10 times.)

Since we often teach the same material over and over again, we occasionally forget to say things or to make certain assignments crystal clear. And, let’s be honest here. Teachers, like anybody else, have good days and bad days, on days and off days.

The point is - if you’re in any way uncertain about your assignment, be sure to get the instructor to clear things up for you. For the most part, instructors love questions – especially good questions. From my own experience as both a teacher and a student, I can honestly say that the key with questions is timing.

Your teacher might be unavailable for questions during class. So ask after class. Or, perhaps you’re uncomfortable with the idea of asking questions in person. Send your thoughts in an email. (This is actually a great way to be sure you get everything answered.)

Just do me one favor. Be absolutely certain you read the writing prompt (handout given during class) very closely. Nothing is more irritating than questions that are already addressed in a handout.

It’s even better if you can ask your questions with the writing assignment in hand and then take notes as your professor answers you. Such behavior is almost always apparent to teachers and often remembered during grading sessions. (Hint, hint.)

Here are some great questions to ask:

• How long should it be?
• Do I need to include outside source material?
• What kind of essay should I write? (informative, personal, etc.)
• What would an “A” paper look like?
• What should I be absolutely sure to avoid for the best grade possible?

Also think of questions specific to your situation. A lot of this is about “feeling out” your instructor to get a sense for what’s important to him or her.

Ironically enough, the writer usually attempts this in hopes of impressing a college instructor who probably does use “big words” from time-to-time. While in some cases it may be a good idea to use an expansive vocabulary in an essay, it is typically a bad idea.

If you’ve ever had the experience of writing an essay that suddenly confuses even you, then you were probably using words or working with concepts you really didn’t understand.

So, what’s the solution?

The answer to that question depends upon a number of factors – the course, the instructor, and so on. In general, I believe (and most writing teachers agree) that using an artificial diction is almost always a bad thing. Trust me: we’re quite good at identifying it in a stack of essays.

The easy answer to this problem is to avoid it in the first place:

• Don’t use words that make you uncomfortable or that you can’t define.
• Don’t use the thesaurus in your word processor to hunt down words that “sound smart.”
• Don’t write sentences that attempt to explain concepts you really don’t understand.

Here are a few things you can do to write with clear language:

• Do use simple, shorter words more often than not.
• Do write in simple, shorter sentences more often than not.
• Do use “in other words” and “that is” to clarify difficult points.

The problem of “advanced diction” is a symptom of the very arrangement between writers and readers in typical essay assignments. Allow me to explain, elaborate, and clarify…

When you’re writing an essay, part of what your teacher or professor is looking for is demonstration of knowledge. In other words, your teacher wants you to show him or her what it is that you know (especially, what you have learned in class).

Let’s use some hypothetical numbers to make more sense of this.

Suppose you’re taking a psychology course and your professor has asked you to write a paper as part of your final course grade. Your paper is due in the last few weeks of class.

Now when the class started, your professor had 100% of the knowledge related to the material covered in the class about psychology. You, on the other hand, came into the class with 0% of the knowledge.

Your professor has asked you to write an essay about “Abnormal Psychology” towards the end of the semester or term to give you an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge. By that point, you should have a number closer to 100%, though your professor will not expect you to be at the 100% level after just one class. (Remember: the instructor has been working with this material for years and years before you came along.)

What your instructor really hopes you’ll do is demonstrate knowledge of the things that you could be reasonably expected to know after 3/4 of the class is complete.

The mistake many students make in using advanced diction usually occurs in a desperate attempt to give the impression that he or she knows understands far more than he or she actually does.

Just remember that “simple is always best” and that your instructor does not expect your essay to read like an encyclopedia or a textbook.

Write with simple language and use terms you actually understand. Your professor will be much more pleased with an essay that is obviously student written than with one that tries too hard to sound like a pro.

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