A Condensed Guide to Writing an Essay

A CONDENSED GUIDE TO WRITING AN ESSAY

IF YOU ARE REVIEWING OR ANALYZING A WORK, READ IT FIRST FAIRLY QUICKLY TO GRASP ITS GENERAL POINTS.Then reread it, underlining or highlighting passages of special interest, jotting notes and queries in the margins or on a notepad. You may also find it useful to summarize the main points of several related paragraphs.

WRITE A THESIS, HOWEVER TENTATIVE IT IS AT THIS STAGE. Don't worry about writing a perfect introductory paragraph; at this point you are writing chiefly to get ideas. As you write on the topic, you probably will find that your argument related to the topic -- in other words, your thesis (your controlling idea) -- is firming up. You will discover that you have an attitude toward this point, and you may, in fact, be able to regard this attitude as your thesis.

Reminder: A thesis statement announces the central idea of the ENTIRE PAPER; a topic sentence announces the central idea of the ENTIRE PARAGRAPH (and thus should be the paragraph's opening sentence). A thesis statement is not a fact; rather, it is an opinion/position that you can support by examples, statistics, analogies, details, quotations, et cetera. (Of course, a thesis statement can contain a fact.) Strive to create a complex sentence structure as you compose your thesis.

WRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT. Keep discovering ideas by writing and by asking questions about your subject. If writing your first paragraph is especially difficult, skip it and get on with the job of drafting the rest. By the time you finish a first draft, you may have a good idea for an opening paragraph. As an example, a quotation from the work you are writing about may now open your paper. Similarly, don't worry too much about a final paragraph, for your conclusions are, at this stage, likely to change.

REVISE THE FIRST DRAFT FOR OVERALL COHERENCE (how your ideas relate to others). Try to give yourself a few hours if not a day to revisit with a fresh eye. Ask yourself if the main points of your essay appear in a reasonable sequence. Be strong: Get rid of irrelevant sentences and words even if you are smitten with their superficial smoothness.

REVISE FOR SMALL-SCALE COHERENCE. Realize that many experienced writers at this point engage in the following actions more or less simultaneously, but if you do not have a method you like, you may find it helpful to proceed by the stages given here.

Assume that your most recent draft makes sense of the points you wish to make. Now, pay attention to the structure of each paragraph and of each sentence. Does each paragraph deal with the topic you announced in your opening (topic) sentence? Is this topic developed fully with an adequate number of sentences and appropriate supporting details?

Even if the generalizations are clear to you, ask yourself if they will be clear to your reader. Consider whether concrete examples--perhaps brief quotations from the text-- re needed or not. Similarly, ask yourself if the stages in your essay are clear. Do you need additional transitions like "additionally," "moreover," and "similarly" to keep your reader focused on your ideas?

WORK ON YOUR INTRODUCTION AND CONCLUSION. Are they informative? Would they hold your reader's interest? Does your opening paragraph identify your topic? Have you placed your thesis statement at the END of your opening paragraph? (You should.) In addition, please remember that your reader understands that you are the writer. It is therefore redundant for you either to announce your subject ("In this paper I will prove") or to use the colorless "In my opinion." Similarly, avoid the obvious "Thus I have concluded that" in your conclusion. Finally, do you have an effective title, one that hints at the direction of your paper?

REVISE YOUR DICTION (choice of words). Is the word you have chosen the most precise word you can produce? In other words, if you were to describe a historical figure, your choice when selecting from terms like "deceived," "mixed up," "mistaken," or "delusional" is bound to affect your reader's attitude about your subject. Further, do you fill your paper with an excessive number of expletives like "there is, there are, there would have been"? Do you fill your paper with an excessive number of intensifiers like "seem," "very," "really," and "greatly"? Have you written "This can be shown" anywhere in your paper? If so, eliminate it.

RE-READ YOUR DRAFT WITH A KEEN EYE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EACH SENTENCE. Consult a handbook if necessary to eliminate wordiness and to gain greater clarity. Ask yourself if you should rearrange your words, if you should choose a stronger verb (click HERE for a list of strong verbs), and if you are writing an excessive number of passive voice constructions.

To the latter point, remember that it is nearly always better to write, "Congress today enacted new standards for agricultural pesticide use" and "Hamlet delays his revenge until he can verify Claudius' guilt" instead of "New standards for agricultural pesticide use were enacted by Congress today" and "Revenge is delayed by Hamlet until Claudius' guilt can be verified." For additional help on active and passive voice, click HERE.

EDIT. Re-read your draft yet again, this time checking the spelling, punctuation, grammar, and other mechanical matters. For instance, verify any quotations for accuracy. Check a rhetoric text when in doubt about correct sentence structure so that you omit the possibility of writing fragmentary sentences or sentences containing comma splices, run-ons, and dangling modifiers.

REVIEW the write stuff for the additional information it offers on comma usage, transitional expressions, organization, common writing errors, et cetera. Check out some of the resource links listed on the Instructional Menu. Visit a CCCCD Writing Center for further guidance (if necessary).

FOLLOW YOUR PROFESSOR'S DIRECTIONS IN MATTERS OF MANUSCRIPT FORM AND DOCUMENTATION. When in doubt about the requirements of an assignment, by all means ask your instructor well in advance of the due date of your paper. Speaking of time, do give yourself the opportunity to succeed by not waiting until the eve of the due date to initiate your first draft. If you don't care enough to give your best effort in fulfilling the writing assignment, why should anyone else care about what you have to say on the subject?

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Professor Joyce M. Miller Return to Home Page Return to Instructional Menu