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How to Make Your Essay Better: 7 Tips for Stronger Essays

Krystal N. Craiker

Essay writing doesn’t have to be intimidating. With a few tips, you can improve your writing skills for any type of academic essay.

How to Write Better Essays

7 tips on how to make your essay better, how to become a better essay writer.

The best way to sum up how to write better essays is, “Make sure you’re answering the question.”

This sounds obvious, but you would be surprised how many students struggle with this.

From not understanding the prompt to poor research skills to off-topic body paragraphs, it’s easy for an essay to derail.

We’ve got seven tips for writing better essays that will help you avoid common mistakes and craft the best essays possible.

Here are our top tips for improving your essay writing skills.

Understand the Prompt or Research Question

The first step in your writing process is to fully understand the essay topic. If your professor gave you a prompt for your academic essay, spend some time analyzing it.

First, take note of whether you’re writing an expository or persuasive essay. The tone, structure, and word choice will differ between essay types.

Pay close attention to the wording of the prompt.

If your teacher wants you to “analyze” the effects of new technology in World War I, but you turn in a descriptive overview of the technology, you are not answering the question.

If they have given you a topic but no prompt, you’ll need to create a guiding question for your research.

Be specific in what you are trying to research, or you’ll end up overwhelmed with a topic that is too big in scope.

“Symbolism in modern literature” is too broad for a term paper, but “How does F. Scott Fitzgerald use symbolism in The Great Gatsby ?” is an achievable topic.

Take Excellent Notes

Once you understand exactly what your essay is about, you can begin the research phase. Create a strong note-taking system.

Write down any idea or quote you might want to use. Cite every note properly to save time on your citations and to avoid accidental plagiarism.

Once you have gathered your research, organize your notes into categories. This will help you plan the structure of your essay.

You’ll likely find that some of your research doesn’t fit into your essay once you start writing. That’s okay—it’s better to have too much information to support your argument than too little.

Write a Strong Thesis Statement

Possibly the most important step in essay writing is to craft a strong thesis statement. A thesis statement is a brief—usually single-sentence—explanation of what your essay is about.

The thesis statement guides the entire essay: every point you make should support your thesis.

A strong thesis is specific and long enough to address the major points of your essay.

In a persuasive or argumentative essay, your thesis should clearly establish the argument you are making.

Make an Outline

Once you have all your research, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. How do you turn the information into a cohesive essay?

Rather than writing an essay with no roadmap, an outline will keep you on track. An outline helps you organize your thoughts, plan your arguments, and sort your research.

A good outline saves you time, too! You can compile the relevant evidence in your notes before writing, so you don’t have to find that specific quote in the middle of essay writing.

An outline will also stop you from reading your finished essay and realizing you went completely off track.

With an outline, you can avoid finding paragraphs that don’t support your thesis right before you submit the essay.

Craft a Great Introduction

An academic essay needs a strong introductory paragraph.

The introduction is the first impression of your essay. It prepares the reader for what’s coming and gets them excited to read your paper.

A good introduction has three things:

• A hook (e.g. insightful statement, quote, interesting fact)
• Brief background information about the topic
• A thesis statement

Using this formula will help you write a strong introduction for your essay.

Have Original Ideas and Interpretations

The best academic writing advice a professor ever gave me was, “You’ve shown me what other people have said about the topic. I want to know what you think about the topic.”

Even a fact-heavy or data-heavy essay needs original ideas and interpretations. For every piece of information you cite, whether you quote or paraphrase it , offer original commentary.

Focus on insights, new interpretations, or even questions that you have. These are all ways to provide original ideas in your essay.

Proofread for Readability

A good essay is a proofread essay.

Readability, or how easy something is to read, has many factors. Spelling and grammar are important, but so is sentence structure, word choice , and other stylistic features.

Academic essays should be readable without being too simple. In general, aim for a readability score that is close to your grade level in school.

There are several ways to check readability scores, including using ProWritingAid’s Readability Report.

The quickest way to increase readability is to fix grammar and spelling mistakes . You can also raise the readability score by using more complex and compound-complex sentences.

ProWritingAid can offer suggestions on how to improve your essay and take it to the next level.

Our free essay checker will check for spelling and grammar errors, plus several other types of writing mistakes.

The essay checker will offer you suggestions on sentence length and passive voice.

It will help you trim the excess words that bog down your writing by analyzing your sticky sentences and overused words.

The essay checker is here to help you turn in an error-free essay.

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Krystal N. Craiker is the Writing Pirate, an indie romance author and blog manager at ProWritingAid. She sails the seven internet seas, breaking tropes and bending genres. She has a background in anthropology and education, which brings fresh perspectives to her romance novels. When she’s not daydreaming about her next book or article, you can find her cooking gourmet gluten-free cuisine, laughing at memes, and playing board games. Krystal lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, child, and basset hound.

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How to Improve Essay Writing Skills

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If you've been told time and time again that you express great ideas in your essay writing but your writing needs polishing, you aren't alone. The following tips will help improve your writing skills and turn you into a great writer.

Avoid repetition: It's an essay killer

Though it may seem difficult when writing a five-page term paper on a single idea or character, avoiding repetition is essential to improving your writing skills. When you use the same words ad nauseam, your reader views it as a sign of laziness. Here are three tactics that will help eliminate wordiness and eradicate repetitive words and phrases:

• The simplest approach to improving your writing skills is to eliminate the repetitive word or phrase from your essay.
• If you feel you need to keep the idea, replace the word or phrase with something similar. This may mean substituting a pronoun for a proper name, such as he instead of George; or it may mean searching for an alternative. Use a thesaurus only to remind you of words you already know but have temporarily forgotten. Don't select unfamiliar words that merely sound good; this risky path often leads to the use of words with different underlying meanings, which ultimately can hurt you more than the original repetition.
• The last of our techniques for improving your writing skills is more difficult, but usually the most effective. Begin by crossing out the offending repetition. Next, circle key words in the sentence (skip words such as a, of, while, it, etc.). Now craft a new sentence that retains the circled words but discards the repeat ones. This may require you to add more ideas to round out the thought, but our term paper editors have found that expanding on your new sentence in this manner will improve your paper.

Active voice: Breathe life into your essay writing

In order to improve writing skills, we encourage students to write in the active voice . For those of you who have misplaced your grade school grammar book, this means that the subject of the sentence performs the action; it does not receive the action. Compare the following examples:

• Tom tossed the ball (active)
• The ball was tossed by Tom (passive)

To find the dreaded passive voice, look for a "to be" verb (is, am, are, was, were, be, being, or been) followed by a past participle (often a verb ending with -ed). Ask yourself who is performing the action (the verb). Move that person or subject in front of the verb and make the necessary grammatical changes.

Trite phrases: Banish the banal

In order to improve your writing skills, force yourself to delete all idioms and clichés. Your reader wants original thoughts, not processed or canned sentiments. Yes, this means you must replace those mundane words with something clever of your own. Reduce—perhaps to zero—the number of similes and metaphors, particularly if they are common ones.

There may be instances in which you have devised the perfect comparison, one that highlights the essence of your argument, but chances are that an experienced reader won't be as impressed with your creativity as you are. While certain types of writing (advertising, speeches, etc.) may call for this, such phrases are anathema in formal writing. Eliminate these to improve your writing skills.

Literary present: Just do it

When writing about literature, you must write in the literary present. Your natural inclination will be to write:

The river symbolized freedom and enlightenment for Huckleberry Finn.

But the literary present demands that you write:

The river symbolizes freedom and enlightenment for Huckleberry Finn.

A key tip to improving your writing skills is that everything should be in the present tense. It doesn't matter that you read the book last week, or that the author wrote it a century ago. Write about the characters and events as though they exist in the here and now. This is one of those conventions that is just easier to accept than to question.

Mechanics: Sweating the small stuff is important when improving your writing skills

Always run a spell check. It only takes a moment, and it will save you the embarrassment of turning in an analysis of Julius Caesar in which you consistently misspell Caesar. Pay attention to the suggested replacements when editing your essay, however, as these canned wizards do not always understand your meaning. Even Bill Gates can't turn "it" into "in" or "you're" into "your" for you, so you also need to comb through the paper carefully with your own eyes to find every error before handing it in. Brilliant essays receive lower grades if simple mistakes are left unchanged.

Ask for a second opinion

If you're thinking that this seems like a lot to remember, you're right. But focusing on one or two areas at a time will help you steadily improve your writing skills.

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• Writing Tips

5 Tips for Improving Your Essay Writing Skills

• 5-minute read
• 5th November 2021

As a student , essay writing is an integral part of your education. So, how can you improve your essay writing skills? We’ve got five top tips that may help:

• Analyse the essay question so you understand the assignment.
• Write an outline to organize your ideas and prepare your essay.
• Do research to find evidence and sources to support your ideas.
• Use the drafting process to refine your essay before submitting it.
• Get your essay proofread to make sure it is clear and error free.

Read on to learn more about how to improve your essay writing skills.

1. Analyze the Essay Question

The most important step in writing an essay is understanding the assignment. As soon as you have your essay question, then, try to identify the following key words:

• Content words – Content words will tell you what the topic of your essay should be. For instance, in “Discuss the causes of World War II,” the key content words are “causes” and “World War II.”
• Instructional verbs – Instructional verbs will give you a sense of how to approach your essay. There is a big difference, for example, between explaining an idea and analyzing it. Look for what you’re being asked to do in the question, then let this guide your essay writing.
• Limiting words – Limiting words will tell you what to focus on. For example, “In discuss the consequences of the Brexit for trade in the EU,” the phrase “for trade in the EU” limits the scope of the essay question (i.e., while Brexit may have many consequences, the focus here should be trade in the EU).

Try underlining or highlighting these types of words in your essay question.

2. Create an Outline

Another great essay writing skill is to outline your work before you start writing. Most essays will follow a basic format, which you can use to structure an outline:

• An introductory section or paragraph that presents the topic, your thesis statement , and any important background information the reader will need.
• The body paragraphs (or sections), each of which should discuss a single point, example, or idea that supports your main argument.
• A conclusion , where you summarize how your argument supports your thesis.

When planning an essay, then, you can break it down in the way shown above and make notes about what each part will say. Once you are happy with your outline, you can then use this to guide the essay writing process.

3. Use Evidence and Sources Effectively

Having a point you want to argue for or a claim you want to make is fine, but a good essay will also use evidence and sources to support the points it makes.

Once you have worked out a position to argue for, then, do some research to find evidence that supports it. This can include quotations, statistics, and illustrations.

As well as including this evidence in your essay, though, you’ll need to analyze it and show how it support your arguments. Whatever you use, make sure there’s a clear connection between the evidence and the point you’re trying to make.

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In addition, remember to cite your sources properly! You need to show where you’ve found your evidence. This will usually include citing sources in the text of your essay and adding a reference list or bibliography at the end of your document, where you should provide full details of the sources you cited. If you’re not sure how to approach referencing sources, check your style guide or ask your professor.

4. Use the Drafting Process

The biggest mistake people make when writing an essay is to only write it once! Rather, you should always redraft at least once to polish your initial version.

Once you’ve written a draft, then, take a break from it (ideally at least overnight). Then, when you’re ready, go back over your essay and look for ways to improve it. This might be simply checking that you express yourself clearly. But you might also spot ways to strengthen your arguments, such as by adding more evidence.

If you do this at least once, your essay will be far stronger. And there’s always room for further redrafting if you want to be certain your writing is perfect.

5. Have Your Essays Proofread

Okay, strictly speaking this doesn’t quite fall under the category of “essay writing skills” in the same way as the other points here. But one of the smartest things you can do before submitting an essay is have it proofread by an expert.

At Proofed, for example, our academic proofreaders can check your writing to make sure it reads clearly and smoothly, correcting any spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors that slipped through the drafting process. We can even provide feedback on how to improve your academic writing.

If you need help polishing an essay, then, submit it for proofreading today.

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A (Very) Simple Way to Improve Your Writing

• Mark Rennella

It’s called the “one-idea rule” — and any level of writer can use it.

The “one idea” rule is a simple concept that can help you sharpen your writing, persuade others by presenting your argument in a clear, concise, and engaging way. What exactly does the rule say?

• Every component of a successful piece of writing should express only one idea.
• In persuasive writing, your “one idea” is often the argument or belief you are presenting to the reader. Once you identify what that argument is, the “one-idea rule” can help you develop, revise, and connect the various components of your writing.
• For instance, let’s say you’re writing an essay. There are three components you will be working with throughout your piece: the title, the paragraphs, and the sentences.
• Each of these parts should be dedicated to just one idea. The ideas are not identical, of course, but they’re all related. If done correctly, the smaller ideas (in sentences) all build (in paragraphs) to support the main point (suggested in the title).

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

Most advice about writing looks like a long laundry list of “do’s and don’ts.” These lists can be helpful from time to time, but they’re hard to remember … and, therefore, hard to depend on when you’re having trouble putting your thoughts to paper. During my time in academia, teaching composition at the undergraduate and graduate levels, I saw many people struggle with this.

• MR Mark Rennella is Associate Editor at HBP and has published two books, Entrepreneurs, Managers, and Leaders and The Boston Cosmopolitans .  

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7 Effective Strategies to Improve Your Essay Writing Skills

Essay writing is an essential aspect of academic and professional life. Whether you are a student, a researcher, or a professional, your ability to convey your ideas effectively through writing can significantly impact your success. Therefore, it is crucial to improve your essay writing skills to excel in your academic or professional career.

While some people possess a natural talent for writing, most individuals can learn to write well with some effort and practice. This essay explores various strategies that can help you improve your essay writing skills and elevate your writing to the next level.

1. Develop Strong Writing Habits

To become a skilled writer, you must develop strong writing habits. One of the most effective ways to do this is by setting aside dedicated time each day to write. Whether it's for 30 minutes or an hour, making writing a regular habit can help you improve your skills over time. 

Additionally, it's crucial to create a comfortable and distraction-free writing environment. Find a quiet and comfortable place to write, turn off your phone and other electronic devices, and focus solely on the task at hand.

2. Read Extensively and Analyze Writing Styles

Reading extensively is another effective strategy for improving your essay writing skills. By exposing yourself to a wide variety of writing styles and genres, you can learn different techniques and approaches to writing that you can then apply to your own work. 

Pay attention to how authors structure their arguments, how they use language to convey meaning, and how they engage readers. By analyzing these elements of good writing, you can incorporate them into your own work and improve your writing skills.

3. Develop Strong Research Skills

Good research skills are a critical component of effective essay writing . The ability to find, evaluate, and use sources effectively can help you write well-informed and well-structured essays. 

Start by familiarizing yourself with different research methods and sources, such as academic journals, books, and online databases. Additionally, ensure that you properly cite all sources in your work, as plagiarism can result in serious consequences.

4. Use a Clear and Concise Writing Style

Clear and concise writing is essential for effective communication. Avoid using overly complicated vocabulary and convoluted sentence structures that can confuse readers.

Instead, strive to write in a simple, straightforward, and easy-to-understand style. This will make your arguments more accessible and help you connect with your readers.

5. Edit and Revise Your Essay

Editing your essay and revising it is a critical step in improving your essay writing skills. Start by reading through your work to identify any errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation. Then, revise your work for clarity and organization.

Ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and supports your thesis. Additionally, ensure that your writing flows smoothly and logically from one idea to the next.

6. Seek Feedback and Learn from Criticism

Seeking feedback is an essential strategy for improving your essay writing skills. Share your work with others and ask for their honest opinions and suggestions for improvement. 

This can help you identify areas where you need to improve and provide you with valuable insights into your writing. Additionally, be open to constructive criticism and use it as an opportunity to learn and grow as a writer.

7. Practice Writing on Different Topics

Writing on different topics is an effective way to challenge yourself and expand your writing skills. Experiment with different writing styles and genres, and practice writing on topics that you're not familiar with. This will help you develop a broader range of writing skills and increase your versatility as a writer.

Improving your essay writing skills is a challenging but rewarding journey. It requires dedication, perseverance, and a willingness to learn and grow. By utilizing the strategies discussed in this article, you can improve your writing and increase your chances of success in academia, career, and personal endeavors.

Remember that writing is not just about conveying information or ideas; it is also about engaging and inspiring your readers. Your ability to articulate your thoughts effectively and persuasively can make all the difference in achieving your goals.

So, take the time to develop your writing skills, practice regularly, and seek feedback from others. With patience and hard work, you can become a proficient and confident writer who can express yourself clearly and effectively.

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• Self-Improvement

How to Improve Writing Skills: 18 Tips to Become a Better Writer

Want to become a better writer from penning emails to essays to novels, read this practical guide for more on how to improve writing skills..

Businesses and individuals from across the globe upload about  2.5 quintillion  bytes of data in a single day. In the digital age, content is king, and websites with valuable content always have the upper hand.

Writing involves more than just churning out random words and hoping it makes sense. Good writing is well-structured, intentional, and intricate. If you’ve been struggling with your writing and want to know how to improve writing skills, you’re in the right place.

In today’s post, we’ll be highlighting some incredible tips on how to improve your writing skills. Follow these tips, and you’ll be on your way to becoming a better writer.

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1. Consistency Is Key

The best way to become a better writer is to practice your writing consistently. Write every day, and you’ll become a better writer in no time. It doesn’t matter how long your writing sessions are; what matters is that you’re writing regularly.

Start small with 500 words a day, and later bump up the word count to 1,000 or even 2,000. Learn from other blog posts and ask for feedback from your peers to gauge whether or not your writing is improving. Don’t be discouraged if they give you a low rating; it gets better with time.

2. Read Like Your Life Depends on It

Great writers are also avid readers. Reading every day will also go a long way towards improving your writing skills. It helps improve your grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. 

Reading other people’s work exposes you to different writing styles and techniques. You can learn how to use metaphors, similes, and other literary devices by reading the works of great writers.

Don’t just read any book or blog post; pick well-written and engaging ones.

Related Read : How to Improve Handwriting: 10 Great Tips to Up Your Handwriting Skills

3. Have the Basic Down Pat

No matter how advanced your writing skills are, you can’t go far if you don’t have the basics down pat. This includes proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. You need to ensure your work is free of errors before hitting the publish button.

Also, brush up on the correct use of punctuation marks. This includes commas, semicolons, apostrophes, and quotation marks. Using these incorrectly can change the meaning of your sentences, so be careful.

4. Keep It Simple

Being a good writer doesn’t mean using big words to show how smart you are. Remember, writing is more about the reader than the writer. As such, be sure to use simple words that are easy to read and understand.

You can still sound smart without using big words. Using simple words makes you sound more confident and in control of what you’re saying. So, next time you sit down to write, keep it simple.

5. Keep It Short and Sweet

Keeping your sentences and paragraphs short makes it easier for readers to consume your work. Long sentences are hard to follow. Most readers don’t have large attention spans for long sentences and paragraphs.

The best way to keep your writing concise is by using an active voice. In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. For instance, “John wrote a novel” is in the active voice, while “A novel was written by John” is passive.

Use simple words, short sentences, and an active voice, and your writing will be more concise.

Related Read : 10 Different Types Of Journaling & Which Writing Type is Right for You

6. Create an Outline for Your Work

Creating an outline for your work makes it coherent and well-structured. Before getting down to business, create a clear outline for your work.

Suppose you’re writing a  college essay . Try creating an outline with the introduction, points, and conclusion. Decide how many words you want each section to have, and you’ll be good to go.

7. Avoid Overexplaining Your Content

Of course, you want readers to understand your work, but don’t go overboard on the explanations. Remember, you’re not writing to third-graders. There’s no need to go into trivial details of whatever you’re working on.

Overexplaining will likely lead to long sentences and paragraphs. This means it does the opposite of what it’s supposed to do. It only makes your work hard to follow and understand.

8. Do Your Research

All forms of writing require extensive research to be good. Research is a must, regardless of whether you’re writing an article or a blog post.

Ensure you gather as much information as you can before you start writing. This will give your work more depth and make it more interesting to read. It’ll also help you avoid making mistakes.

9. Read Out Loud

Reading aloud helps ensure that your text sounds how you want it to. It also gives you a good idea of your work’s flow and also helps identify typos.

It will also help identify what areas of your work you need to improve.

Related Read : How to Write an Email to a Professor (5+ Tips for Starting, Ending & Body)

10. Remove Filler Words and Phrases

Filler words and phrases  are words and phrases that don’t add value to your content. They only take up unnecessary space and burden the reader. Ensure your work is free of filler words or phrases before submitting it.

So how can you tell whether you have filler words or phrases? Well, read your work sentence by sentence. After every sentence, ask yourself whether it adds value to the reader.

If it doesn’t, it’s a filler sentence. If it does, then let it be.

11. Join Forums and Writing Groups

Forums and writing groups are great ways to get feedback on your work and connect with other writers. Feedback will help you improve your writing skills by pointing out areas that need improvement.

It’s also a great way to learn from other writers and get different perspectives on how to approach writing. Visit some of the top  writing websites and forums  and sharpen your writing skills.

12. Use Contracted Word Forms

Using contracted forms like “can’t” instead of “cannot” and “won’t” instead of “will not” makes your writing sound sharp. Use contractions to make your work less stuffy and easier to read.

Unfortunately, it lowers the word count, but at least your writing sounds better. Use contractions appropriately and improve your writing immediately.

Related Read : How to Write an Essay: A Beginner’s Guide to Earning an A+ Essay Score

13. Sprinkle Some Personality Into It

Add a bit of personality to your writing to make it less drab and more exciting. Don’t be afraid to throw in a few funky phrases or even use a bit of slang. Of course, this only applies to informal writing.

Some good writers use anecdotes in their work to spice it up. This is a great way to show your personality and make your writing more fun.

14. Get an Editing Tool

Editing tools help you identify errors in your work to improve your writing. There are tons of editing tools available online, so find one that works for you and start using it.

Your writing will improve if you use an editing tool. Just make sure to choose a reputable one.  Try Grammarly  for starters, and explore other options as you grow your writing.

15. Don’t Overuse Adverbs

Adverbs are great for writing, but only if you use them appropriately. Writers have the habit of padding weak words with adverbs. In most cases, instead of adverbs, you can use words with the same meaning as your “adverbed” words.

For instance, you could use “hilarious” instead of “extremely funny.” You could also use “gorgeous” instead of “very beautiful.” The list is endless.

Related Reads : Learn how to write a resume , how to write a cover letter , and how to write a scholarship thank-you letter .

16. Look for a Writing Partner

A writing partner is someone with whom you can share your work and get feedback. They’ll help improve your writing skills by pointing out errors and suggesting improvements.

It’s also a great way to connect with other writers and learn from each other. If you don’t have a writing partner, look for one online or in forums and groups. You can read and rate each other’s works and motivate each other to become better writers.

17. Take a Writing Class

If you’re serious about improving your writing, you should consider taking a writing class.

A good writing class will help you understand the intricacies of writing and also give you valuable feedback. You can learn about the different writing styles and how to beat common writing challenges.

It’s a great way to improve your writing skills, so take a writing class if you have the opportunity. The best part is that taking the class doesn’t mean interfering with your daily activities. You can take night classes and spend the day at work or in school.

Apart from taking writing classes, you can also consider joining a writing program. This is a huge step in knowing how to become a better writer.

18. Avoid Excess Prepositional Phrases

Prepositional phrases are great for adding detail to your work, but using too many of them makes your writing sound choppy. If you can say the same thing without a prepositional phrase, do so. It’ll make your writing smoother and easier to read.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should avoid prepositional phrases altogether. Just use them sparingly and only when they’re needed. 

Related Read : How to Improve Memory: 25 Steps to Take to Remember Things Better

Final Words on Improving Skills in Writing

Now that you know how to improve writing skills, our work here is done. Knowing how to write better is improving a lifelong skill that’ll help you move mountains. Practice every day and become the pro writer you’ve always wanted to be.

A blog post showing you how to be a better writer is just the tip of the iceberg. Check out our blog’s  self-improvement section  and learn about how you can become a better version of yourself. Oh, and bonus tip for future bestselling writers: consider contributing to the Goodwall Blog to start getting your name out there!

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• Online Course

Improving Your Essay Writing Skills: 10 Tips For Students

Writing an essay is more than just stringing words together. It involves presenting a coherent argument supported by evidence.

Improving your essay writing skills requires commitment and following a series of clear steps, from understanding the essay prompt to refining your final draft. In this article, we will explore some practical yet effective strategies for composing compelling essays that will captivate your readers’ attention.

Here are the steps for improving your essay writing proficiency:

1. understand the essay prompt.

Before embarking on your writing journey, ensure you grasp the nuances of the essay prompt. Identify the pivotal themes, questions, or issues the prompt delves into. This will steer your research and help maintain your focus on pertinent information. Your essay should revolve around a certain theme or topic. For example, is your essay about college applications, or about getting accepted into an MBA program? Knowing the main gist of your essay is always the first step before you start putting words together in writing.

Writing an essay is more than just sharing your opinion or concept, you also have to back up your theses with solid research using credible sources.

2. Gather and Analyze Information

Research your chosen topic diligently. Pore over reputable sources such as scholarly books, academic journals, and credible websites to get pieces of information relevant to your subject matter. As you amass data, subject each source to rigorous analysis and evaluate its authenticity. Your gathered information will provide credible evidence to support your arguments, enabling you to create a well-informed and persuasive piece.

3. Explore Supplementary Resources and Assistance

There are moments when the demands of academia or professional life can become overwhelming. In such junctures, considering alternative avenues to alleviate the pressure is prudent. If you find yourself juggling multiple responsibilities, the thought of enlisting assistance, like pondering “Could I pay someone to write my essay ?” might arise. This avenue offers the chance to collaborate with seasoned writers skilled in crafting impeccable papers that meet your academic or professional goals. Opting for this approach not only ensures punctual submission but also provides fresh insights and perspectives on your topic.

4. Create an Outline

A well-structured outline functions as a navigational chart for your essay. Systematizing your core ideas and supporting arguments not only streamlines the writing process but also guarantees a seamless flow of thoughts. Having a skeleton outline in place would make it easier for you to flesh out the content of your essay. It will organize the whole piece into a cohesive unit from introduction to conclusion.

5. Craft a Captivating Introduction

Embark on your essay journey with a captivating introduction that situates the context. Consider commencing with a thought-provoking question or an astounding fact linked to your subject matter. You should create a hook in your introduction that would make your reader stay until the end. Remember, many readers deviate from the piece if the first few lines do not pique their interest.

6. Build Strong Thesis Statements

Your thesis statement encapsulates the crux of your essay’s argument. It must be clear, concise, and debatable. Make sure it reflects the purpose of your essay and provides a roadmap for the reader. A strong thesis statement helps establish clarity, coherence, and direction, making it easier for the audience to understand the purpose and significance of the essay’s content.

7. Developing the Essay’s Body

Every paragraph within the body should center on a single idea or argument interconnected with your thesis. Utilize topic sentences to introduce the core concept of each paragraph and furnish supporting evidence to substantiate your claims. The essence of your essay hinges on the body. This is where you present and expound on each point of your argument and convince the readers to believe, or at least consider what you are trying to convey.

Remember to gather pieces of evidence and examples to support your essay’s main argument.

8. Harness Evidence and Exemplars

Lend weight to your arguments with statistics, research findings, and real-life instances. Well-referenced evidence amplifies the persuasiveness of your essay. No matter how strong your thesis statement is, it will not have much impact without supporting facts and similar incidents in the past to prove it.

9. Craft a Coherent Paragraph Structure

Uphold a coherent structure within each paragraph. Employ a lucid topic sentence, furnish corroborative details, and conclude by intertwining the paragraph with your thesis. Just like movie plots, your essay should build up gradually until it reaches your conclusion. It should have a cohesive train of thought from start to finish.

10. Create a Smooth Flow of Ideas

Ensure your essay flows seamlessly between paragraphs and sections. Employ transitional phrases and words to sustain a logical progression of ideas. Stick to your topic from start to finish. Don’t deviate much from the main subject when citing points and examples so as not to confuse your readers and make them miss whatever you are trying to convey.

Take the time to refine your essay before submitting it. You may ask a friend or relative to give it a quick scan and share their comment.

Additional strategies for elevating essay writing proficiency:

1. incorporate counterarguments.

Acknowledging and addressing opposing viewpoints bolsters your argument. This showcases your grasp of the topic’s complexity and your aptitude for engaging with diverse perspectives.

2. Use Visual Aids for Clarity

Incorporating graphs, charts, and images augments comprehension for readers. Visual data elucidates intricate concepts and renders them more accessible. When using visuals, provide accompanying explanations and tether them to your central argument. Visual tools not only give the readers a break from seeing just texts, but they can be an alternative medium for conveying your message in a non-verbal way.

3. Use Analogies and Metaphors

Analogies and metaphors serve as potent tools for illustrating abstract concepts in tangible terms. Drawing parallels between novel ideas and familiar notions aids readers in grasping your message. For instance, likening an intricate scientific process to the gears of a clock can enhance understanding. Analogies and metaphors infuse depth and evoke sensory and emotional engagement.

4. Edit and Proofread

Revision stands as the cornerstone of refined essays. Scrutinize your work for clarity, coherence, grammatical correctness , and precision in spelling. Soliciting feedback from peers or mentors can offer invaluable insights as well.

5. Use Citation and Referencing

Accurate citation is pivotal to circumvent plagiarism. Adhere to relevant citation styles like APA, MLA, or Chicago, ensuring uniformity across your citations and references.

6. Address Ethical Considerations

Certain essays might confront ethical aspects relevant to your subject matter. Address these concerns earnestly and thoughtfully. Confronting ethical dimensions demonstrates a holistic perspective and a knack for critical analysis. This imparts nuance to your essay and underscores your capability to scrutinize the subject matter from multiple angles.

7. Do a Final Review

Before submitting your essay, undertake a final review to conform with all requisites. Scrutinize formatting, citations, and overall presentation.

Improving your essay writing skills requires practice and dedication. Employing these strategies empowers you to translate your expertise into prose that educates, convinces, and captivates your readers. Remember, a meticulously structured essay not only showcases your knowledge but also your aptitude for explicating intricate concepts. Next up, you may want to explore a guide on how to write an interdisciplinary research paper .

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Hey there, welcome to my blog! I'm a full-time entrepreneur building two companies, a digital marketer, and a content creator with 10+ years of experience. I started RafalReyzer.com to provide you with great tools and strategies you can use to become a proficient digital marketer and achieve freedom through online creativity. My site is a one-stop shop for digital marketers, and content enthusiasts who want to be independent, earn more money, and create beautiful things. Explore my journey here , and don't miss out on my AI Marketing Mastery online course.

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• Writing Tips

5 Tips for Improving Your Essay Writing Skills

• 5-minute read
• 5th November 2021

As a student , essay writing is an integral part of your education. So, how can you improve your essay writing skills? We’ve got five top tips that may help:

• Analyse the essay question so you understand the assignment.
• Write an outline to organise your ideas and prepare your essay.
• Do research to find evidence and sources to support your ideas.
• Use the drafting process to refine your essay before submitting it.
• Get your essay proofread to make sure it is clear and error free.

Read on to learn more about how to improve your essay writing skills or watch it in video.

1. Analyse the Essay Question

The most important step in writing an essay is understanding the assignment. As soon as you have your essay question, then, try to identify the following key words:

• Content words – Content words will tell you what the topic of your essay should be. For instance, in ‘Discuss the causes of World War II’, the key content words are ’causes’ and ‘World War II’.
• Instructional verbs – Instructional verbs will give you a sense of how to approach your essay. There is a big difference, for example, between explaining an idea and analysing it. Look for what you’re being asked to do in the question, then let this guide your essay writing.
• Limiting words – Limiting words will tell you what to focus on. For example, ‘In discuss the consequences of the Brexit for trade in the EU’, the phrase ‘for trade in the EU’ limits the scope of the essay question (i.e. while Brexit may have many consequences, the focus here should be trade in the EU).

Try underlining or highlighting these types of words in your essay question.

2. Create an Outline

Another great essay writing skill is to outline your work before you start writing. Most essays will follow a basic format, which you can use to structure an outline:

• An introductory section or paragraph that presents the topic, your thesis statement , and any important background information the reader will need.
• The body paragraphs (or sections), each of which should discuss a single point, example, or idea that supports your main argument.
• A conclusion , where you summarise how your argument supports your thesis.

When planning an essay, then, you can break it down in the way shown above and make notes about what each part will say. Once you are happy with your outline, you can then use this to guide the essay writing process.

3. Use Evidence and Sources Effectively

Having a point you want to argue for or a claim you want to make is fine, but a good essay will also use evidence and sources to support the points it makes.

Once you have worked out a position to argue for, then, do some research to find evidence that supports it. This can include quotations, statistics, and illustrations.

As well as including this evidence in your essay, though, you’ll need to analyse it and show how it support your arguments. Whatever you use, make sure there’s a clear connection between the evidence and the point you’re trying to make.

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In addition, remember to cite your sources properly! You need to show where you’ve found your evidence. This will usually include citing sources in the text of your essay and adding a reference list or bibliography at the end of your document, where you should provide full details of the sources you cited. If you’re not sure how to approach referencing sources, check your style guide or ask your professor.

4. Use the Drafting Process

The biggest mistake people make when writing an essay is to only write it once! Rather, you should always redraft at least once to polish your initial version.

Once you’ve written a draft, then, take a break from it (ideally at least overnight). Then, when you’re ready, go back over your essay and look for ways to improve it. This might be simply checking that you express yourself clearly. But you might also spot ways to strengthen your arguments, such as by adding more evidence.

If you do this at least once, your essay will be far stronger. And there’s always room for further redrafting if you want to be certain your writing is perfect.

5. Have Your Essays Proofread

Okay, strictly speaking this doesn’t quite fall under the category of ‘essay writing skills’ in the same way as the other points here. But one of the smartest things you can do before submitting an essay is have it proofread by an expert.

At Proofed, for example, our academic proofreaders can check your writing to make sure it reads clearly and smoothly, correcting any spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors that slipped through the drafting process. We can even provide feedback on how to improve your academic writing.

If you need help polishing an essay, then, submit it for proofreading today.

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