10 steps to better essay writing

As mentioned earlier writing the perfect essay is not easy, but hopefully, our ten tips to better essay writing will help you get started.

1. Understand the topic

To truly write a good essay about the topic you are tasked to write, you need to understand the topic. This might sound simple, but often people write without truly understand the topic which they are writing about and this can easily show in their essays.

2. Focus on the subject

A lot of times writers lose their focus and their writing starts to wander. To ensure you keep your focus, remember to focus while writing. Some of our techniques to keep your focus include writing 20 minutes and keeping a five minute break, and then again writing another 20 minutes. This way you won't tire yourself and you give your brain a chance to cool down.

3. Write down what surprised you about the subject

An essay is not just a way to showcase what you know of the subject, but to show what you have learned. Don't be afraid to tell what surprised you and discuss the different ways the subject surprised you.

4. "Be source heavy"

To ensure your essay is well researched and written, use a lot of different sources. Some sources might be lacking in some areas which the other sources might fill up. This will give you a broader perspective on the subject. This also helps you to go from a B student to an A student and will show the hard work and time you have used to write your essay. Best of all this will also help you discover new different kinds of perspectives and you just might get surprised (Check #3) on what you find out from the subject you are writing about.

5. Write in this order - body, introduction and last conclusion

While writing an essay it's important to write it in the correct order. We recommend writing first the body, then the introduction for the body and at last the conclusion. This way you won't get stuck and your essay will be much better formed. Often people start working on their essay from the introduction and get stuck, because they don't yet know what the essay will truly be about.

6. Answer "What?", "Why?" and "How?"

Every essay should answer these basic questions. "What?", "Why?" and "How?". This will ensure that the reader knows the topic, why something has happened and how it happened or how it can be solved.

7. Try to have fun when writing

This might sound like a cliché but try having fun when you write. It will make the text more lively and show even for the reader. Best ways to make writing more fun is to really ask yourself, "What would make writing more fun for me?"

8. Don't use cliches

We do understand the irony of telling you not to fall for clichés but try not to fall for them. These include staring your essay with a question, starting your essay with a quote or for example starting your essay with a definition.

9. Don't use Wikipedia

Using Wikipedia as a source can be very tempting, but there is one thing you must remember if you decide to use it as a source. Anyone and we mean anyone can write in Wikipedia. This means not all facts are or will be correct. So choose your sources carefully.

10. Pay attention to the small details

It might be very tempting to write the essay quickly and go as broad as possible, but our last tip is, pay attention to the small details. The small details bring more depth and interest to your essay and should get you a higher score for your essay.

What if writing an essay is not for me?