Write Better Essays with These 7 Tips

Write Better Essays with These 7 Tips

• Home
• Blog
• Write Better Essays with These 7 Tips

Write Better Essays with These 7 Tips

Ever read a really good essay and thought, “I wish I could write that well, too”? You’re far from being the only student who’s wanted to write a better essay. Improving your writing skills is much more than just putting out as many practice pieces as you can, but at the same time, it’s simpler than you might think. Here’s a handy list of 7 tips to help you write better essays.

7 Practical Tips for Writing Better Essays

1. Write the Body First

Ever written the introduction first and then realized later on that it didn’t match the rest of your essay? You can avoid this and come up with a more cohesive essay by writing the body first. This way, you can reflect the body in the introduction, and you’ll have an idea of how your conclusion should go as well.

2. Focus on “How?”

It’s easy to simply describe your subject and answer the “what?” This doesn’t reflect well on your understanding of the topic, though. “Why” digs a bit deeper, but “how” is where the majority of your essay should lie. You might also notice that it’s easier to meet required word counts when answering “how” because you’ll most likely be explaining symbols, nuances, and other inner workings throughout the essay.

3. Try Condensing Your Essay into an Elevator Pitch

Sometimes, it’s hard to figure out your main argument, which you’ll need to keep in mind if you want to write a better essay. Turning your essay into a short spiel forces you to shave off details and leaves you with no more than the heart of your piece. This exercise in sales talk can also help make your essay sound enticing to readers.

4. Find the Holes in Your Material

Working with a certain well-established text? Sure, you can parrot whatever the author is saying, but you can hand in a better essay if you evaluate the material and look for holes in the arguments. You don’t necessarily have to point out a fatal flaw. Just find a couple of issues in the text and explain how they can be resolved. You can also explore the limitations of the theories you’re dealing with.

5. Step Outside Your Reading List

Gathering additional resources can also help you write a better essay. Look up the resources cited in your material and go over those that seem to be worth a read. Inversely, you can also go on Google Scholar and find papers that cited your main resource. They’ll most likely bring up fresh angles or point out things about your material that you didn’t notice before.

6. Use Wikipedia Properly

Wikipedia is often brushed aside as a no-go for essay writing simply because anyone can edit it. It certainly can’t be included in a bibliography itself, but it’s still a valuable secondary resource. Visit Wikipedia to get a quick overview of an unfamiliar essay topic, and then check out the articles’ listed references for further reading.

7. Go Through Other Essays

Yes, one more way to build a better writing style is to read essays from other people. Don’t just read pieces from peers within your field, but check out essays from other disciplines, which may have different styles and arguments. List down what works and what doesn’t work in each essay. Observe how they support their points as well. Then, the next time you write an essay, borrow one of the techniques you’ve just picked up.

It also helps to read your past essays, no matter how much they make you cringe. Take note of any words or sentence structures you overuse. Do they sound confident and engaging? How would you make them better if you had to rewrite them now?