Essay writing is one of the fundamental language skills that everyone must learn and master. Anyone can write a sequence of sentences but, it does not become an essay. Effectively, writing an essay means creating a logical and cohesive prose, explaining a topic or theme and by communicating the emotion of the topic with the prime focus on the smooth and effective flow of language.
Now a days, essay writing is become more important because this art is assessed in many direct/ indirect way in top competitive exams and recruitment process in the country. Particularly , for recruitment of Bureaucrats and Managers. In Civil Services Exam, conducted by UPSC, there is a paper of essay writing which plays a very vital role in deciding the final merit.
Learn the art of writing an Effective Research Paper.
Type and kind of essays:
There are various types of essay based on various criteria.
One way to categorize is by length:
(a) Short essays,
(b) Long essays,
(c) Very long ones and,
(d) Huge prose.
Also, essays can be :
(a) Narrative,
(b) Analytical,
(c) Comparative,
(d) Expository and
(e) Descriptive.
The very first step in essay-writing is to determine the type and length of the essay to be created/written. If , approximate length of essay is initially not firm, then, the whole essay-writing process would become an aimless exercise. Size/ length of essay is an important proposition because we have to fit all the requisite contents/facts/analysis etc. within approximate given size of the essay and also to be completed with in given time limit. Length of essay is also closely related with the specified time limit fixed for completing the essay , as such, a mutual balance between specified time limit for writing essay and effectively completing bears a vital importance.
Note: Thesis, research essays and similar technical ones are unique and hence, these follow their own style based on the specific field and depth of research and are different from essay writing.
Build the base
Essay is nothing but a cohesive presentation of facts and ideas. Ultimately the base of an essay is the collection of these facts and ideas that make up the essay. So, the second step is to gather the required facts/data by either of the following strategies:
- Brain-storming: Form a group who know about the topic and ask the group members to pour their ideas/mind on the specific topic of essay in light of the facts/ data.
- Books: The good old way of taking a load of books from library and collecting facts/ data from it. Note down the relevant data/ facts with reference from these books to mention in the body of the essay to make the essay effective.
- Internet: Internet is not only Google and Wikipedia, surf deep into forums, reference sites, etc..
- Previous works: Refer to essays, thesis, presentations etc. which have already been made on the same topic or similar related topics. These will give you idea for effectively writing the essays.
Conclusion: Collection of all the relevant data/ facts, the mind of others on the particular topic of the essay (which you have gathered by discussions with others) enrich your think tank and beget the lot effective ways to write the essay.
Structuring the essay
Putting and presenting all the data/ facts and all your ideas in an essay may not be desirable. Also random inclusion of facts / data or ideas may be disastrous too. Follow a structured approach. Irrespective of the length and type, the following structure applies generally to most essays. It is always better to improvise it.
- Introduction
- Getting into the theme
- Paragraph 1
- …
- Paragraph n
- Conclusion
- References – Bibliography
It is advisable to provide a logical order for the paragraphs based on some criteria such as importance, time limit, complexity. However, chronological ordering of presentation bears an utmost importance.
Transitions
Besides providing a proper order for the paragraphs, it is crucial that each paragraph is coherent with respect to its predecessor and successor. This is called transitioning. Smooth transition is achieved by:
- Pre-determine the theme of each paragraph.
- Start with the basic one and end with the most complex one.
- If any two paragraphs seem out of order, combine their ideas and split them in a different way.
- Repeat until all paragraphs seem coherent.
Write, edit and re-edit
No one can produce the perfect essay in first attempt. So, do not hesitate to edit your essay. You can form sentences in a different manner, choose a different synonym or change the criteria of paragraph ordering. It is never too late to add extra ideas. So, make every draft as a rough one until the draft fulfills your expectation. Now, before moving on to making the final draft, there are three special sections that should be taken care of:
- Introduction
Readers must be in-sync with the author if the ideas are to be understood as intended. To ensure this, the easiest way is to provide the following crucial information in your introduction passage:
- Purpose of the essay: State clearly and effectively what you are trying to communicate.
- Type of Essay: Whether it is an analysis , a description or a narration ?
- Author’s view: Always keep in mind the perspective from which the essay is being written.
- Conclusion
Conclusion is where the final impressions are made. Conclusion must include:
- Concise recap of the essay.
- Details about the extent to which the essay covered the topic
- Ultimate idea behind the essay.
- References
This section must include the formal references to all sources of facts, ideas and concepts used in the essay. Also, bibliography must also be included here, citing the books, websites and authors of various sources.
Make it presentable
Essays are generally 80% brain and 20% beauty. You might have all facts in the perfect order but still something will be lacking: the Midas touch.
If written by hand:
- Write slowly if you have a bad handwriting and focus on your letters.
- Give proper spacing between paragraphs.
- Use variations to highlight important points and topic headers.
If typed:
- Use a professional font and design.
- Make effective use of bold and italics.
- Don’t make your essay look too bright or too dull; colors should be mild.
- Add figures and images at appropriate places if suitable.
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After all, putting your heart into the essay is the key ingredient for an effective essay.
Good luck!
