Writing
an Essay
The basic process for writing an essay is the same as the one used in writing a paragraph. We follow the same steps. An essay, however, requires more thought and effort not only because it contains more information but also because we must provide road signs to guide our readers to a shared understanding of our thoughts. A PowerPoint slideshow discusses essays.
An important part of any essay is the introduction. Like most areas of life, we want to make a good first impression. We must stimulate readers’ interest and place the thesis in a meaningful context. Five strategies help create a context:
- Supply background information: This is like setting the scene for a play. You lead up to the thesis by identifying a situation, events, or issues that are relevant to your point.
- Relate an anecdote: An anecdote is a brief story or narration of an event. The story may illustrate your thesis, or it may show how you arrived at the idea for your essay.
- Use a quotation from a book, poem, newspaper or magazine article, expert in a field, famous person, personal interview, etc. If you begin with a quotation, you need to explain what it means and how it relates to your thesis.
- Use interesting facts and figures: Facts and figures such as dates, times, names of people, places, and statistics add interest and realism to your writing.
- Ask a rhetorical question: A question used in an introduction should be new, surprising, or something readers may not have thought to ask.
Once you create interest and tell your audience what you intend to discuss, you must develop the body of your essay. You must state your message clearly and completely so that readers can identify with you and follow your ideas. You must move logically from one point to the next. Transitions play a major role in moving the reader along with you.
A good conclusion brings your essay to a close that satisfies readers and does not leave them hanging. Have you ever watched a movie that just left you hanging at the end? It gave no clear resolution of the conflict and left you disappointed? Well, similar feelings occur when an essay has no clear conclusion. The reader gets to the end, turns the page, and finds nothing there. You need to make clear that you have said all you intend to say about your topic. You don’t want to say, “That’s all, folks,” or “The end” or “In conclusion.” You should be more creative than that. You can end an essay in many of the same ways that you start one—anecdote, quotation, facts and figures. You should never simply repeat your introduction, but you can state the same ideas in different ways.