What is an essay?
Many people assume that an essay is an ordinary essay. However, it is not.
An essay is a prose literary genre. Translated from the French, it means "essay" or "sketch". The essay reflects the individual experiences of the author, his view of this or that issue. It does not give an exhaustive answer to a certain question, but reflects his own opinion or impression.
Writing an essay perfectly develops logic, the ability to argue one's opinion, and to present information competently. The writing style is more conversational.
Characteristics of essays
To properly write an essay, you should take into account the specific features that distinguish it from other genres.
The main features of an essay are:
- The presence of a certain narrow topic that contains a problem and encourages the reader to think.
- Subjective author's position. The essay is distinguished precisely by the presence of the author's view of the existing problem, his attitude to the world, speech and thinking.
- Conversational style of writing. Complex formulations, too long sentences should be avoided. It is important to stick to a relaxed style to establish contact with the reader. At the same time, it is important not to overdo it, turning the essay into a low-quality text full of slang. Short, simple and clear sentences, the use of different intonation in sentences will give the right emotional coloring to the text.
- A detailed analysis of the problem. Your own point of view should be argued, relying on factual material.
- The relative brevity of the statement. There is no limit on the number of pages, but the essay is characterized by a small volume.
- Free construction. The essay has the nature of the statement, which does not fit into any certain framework. The construction is subject to its own logic, which the author adheres to, trying to consider the problem from different sides.
- The logic of the exposition. Despite the free composition, the essay should have an internal unity, coherence of the author's statements expressing his opinion.
Thus, the essay is characterized by a special style of narration, its goal is to encourage the reader to think. The author does not insist on his point of view, but as if inviting the reader to think and discuss it.
So how to write an essay?
Proper essay writing is all about understanding the peculiarities of the genre. Following the basic principles and writing guidelines will allow you to create an interesting essay.
How to choose a topic
If there is no list of topics among which you can choose one, and only a general direction is given, you need to take into account what audience the essay is designed for. The options can be different: a teacher at a university, a committee, a literary community, an employer. If the essay is written for delivery to the teacher, it is necessary to think about what qualities will be evaluated. On this basis, the topic should be chosen so that there was an opportunity to show the abilities that the examiner expects from the author: originality, the ability to logically build sentences, literacy, professional qualities, etc.
When choosing an essay writing topic from the suggested list, you should choose the one in which there is certain knowledge, considerations or just a strong interest.
If the essay is focused on the employer, it is desirable that both the topic and the content of the essay reflect the character of the author, his sincerity, uniqueness, humanity and individuality. It is good to use free literature study guides when writing.
How to start an essay
It often happens that a person with enough eloquence and ability to express his or her thoughts on paper has difficulty starting an essay, including an essay. Thinking over the beginning can take quite a long time, which greatly clouds the process of creative work. Use our tips on how to start an essay.
Tip 1. Before you start writing an essay, you need to formulate an idea, define a goal and find sources of information for the work.
Tip 2. Use the technique of freewriting (free writing). Its essence is to write down all the thoughts that come into your head, without editing it and without watching for grammar, punctuation, style, etc. A great way to help cope with a creative crisis and find an extraordinary idea.
Tip 3. It is important not to get hung up on the introduction. You can write the introduction and after you have written the main part. In this case, it is already clear what the essay is about, so it is easier to write the introduction.
Tip 4. One quite common option is to write an essay, starting with a question, the answer to which is given in the aftermath.
How to make an outline of an essay
You shouldn't strive to make a perfect outline at once. It can be edited in the course of the work. It is not necessary to make a plan when writing an essay at all, nor is it necessary to stick to a plan that has already been written. The absence of restrictions and rigid frameworks is an advantage of this genre. If it is easier for the author to stick to a strict plan, then it is worth taking the time to draw it up.
All the main thoughts should be reflected in the form of paragraphs of the plan. Then go into as much detail as possible by breaking each paragraph into subparagraphs.
Then you should reread the plan, making sure that each point is in its place and sufficiently detailed.