7 Steps to Crafting Compelling Essays
Crafting an essay is a skill that can open doors for students to academic success and career opportunities. When I first started writing essays I often got stuck at endless drafts. But with time I have navigated the maze of essay writing.
Now I understand what challenges one has to face while writing a compelling essay. Like organizing thoughts, building a narrative, and balancing the structure.
In this post, I am going to share 7 steps with you that I learned over time through trial and error. Read on as these steps can be instrumental for you in crafting compelling essays.
1. Analyze the Topic
The most important step before you start writing an essay is to analyze the topic. If you are a student in need of writing an essay you probably will be awarded a question or a general theme.
To begin, first read the topic carefully. If it is a question then focus on interrogative words such as what, when, how, etc. Analyze its prompt and break it down into components to ensure all parts are addressed.
For example, if the topic has two parts i.e., why and how. You should first tell the reason for why and then discuss the how part.
But if the topic is a general theme, then you should identify directive words first. Such as define, analyze, compare, etc. These words will indicate what approach you have to adopt while writing an essay.
If you have the freedom to select topics on your own then always choose the one that aligns the best with your interest.
For a better understanding of the intent of assigned topics or to make new ones you can get assistance from Microsoft Copilot. Ask questions to the copilot that are disturbing you to get simple solutions.
For example, if you are writing an essay on the topic “Can technology fully replace teachers in the classroom?” To analyze the topic you can give a prompt to Copilot like I did in the image below.
2. Outline the Structure
After analyzing the topic the next step is outlining the structure of the essay. The structure of essays varies with their types.
Below I have outlined structures for some commonly used types that can assist you in making your essay more compelling.
Structure for Argumentative Essay
Argumentative essays – those in which you present a position on a specific topic based on evidence and logical reasons. For example, topics like “Do you think” or “Do you agree” are argumentative.
If the essay you are writing is argumentative then you should consider following the structure below.
· Introduce the topic/issue
· Add background information
· Present your argument with logical reason or documented evidence
· Give counter argument (if any)
· Conclude in a concise manner
Structure for Descriptive Essay
Descriptive essays – those in which you paint a picture of the topic/subject in the reader's mind with detailed, vivid descriptions. It mostly involves to-the-point short topics like “A beautiful beach at sunset” or “A childhood home.”
To write a descriptive essay you should follow the following structure.
· Introduce the subject
· Sensory details to describe the subject
· Chronological or spatial organization of descriptions
· Conclusion
Structure for Narrative Essay
Narrative essays – those in which you have to tell a story or need to recount an event or experience. Unlike other essays these mostly involve storytelling. You have to discuss the plot, characters, and scenes, and add POV.
Narrative essays mostly follow the below structure.
· Introduction (setting the scene or context)
· Description of characters and plot
· Sequence of events (beginning, middle, end)
· Conflict or challenge presented
· Conclusion (resolution of conflict)
Narrative essays are a bit tough to structure properly as they involve a series of events. Sometimes I often got stuck too. That is where I get help from ChatGPT to give a proper structure to my essay. You can see one such example in the image below.
Structure for Compare and Contrast Essay
Compare and contrast essays – those in which you describe similarities and differences between two or more subjects. These types of essays are written in the following sequence.
· Introducing subjects
· Point-by-point or block method structure
· Similarities between the two subjects
· Differences between the two subjects
· Conclusion (summarizing comparisons and contrasts)
3. Conduct Evidence-Based Research
Conducting research is the most vital step when it comes to writing anything. Evidence-based research can strengthen and boost the credibility of your write ups.
When doing research or gathering the data for your essay, begin by identifying reliable sources. Gather information from government or education websites, academic journals, and online platforms like Google Scholar and Research Gate.
While doing the research do not forget to verify the primary source. After verification, note it down to add it into your essay to enhance its authenticity.
Researching the material is a tough thing to do. But you can do this smartly with the help of Gemini AI. For example, if you are writing an essay on environmental issues you can gather the latest statistics as I did in the below image.
4. Make the First Draft
Once you are done with research, move on to drafting your first draft.
Remember, your first draft is just that—a draft. It is not necessary that it must be a perfect one. So, pick up the pen and start writing what’s in your mind. As you write, thoughts will flow, and your arguments will start taking shape.
While drafting an essay keep the below points in your mind.
· Start with a strong statement
· Use your outline as a guide
· Focus on content over perfection
· Write freely and avoid self-criticism
· Include evidence and examples
· Keep the audience in mind
· Set a time limit for drafting
But, if you ever find yourself completely blocked or unsure of where to begin, there’s no harm in seeking a little assistance from tools.
Based on the information gathered try giving prompts to tools like Essay Generator to make your first draft.
Like I did, as you can see in the below image. This assistance can spark creativity and provide me with ideas like introductory statements, structure, references, etc.
5. Revise and Edit
After making a rough draft for your essay the next step is to make some revisions and editing. Bring in some tweaks to make your essay shine.
Before making any changes read the draft carefully. Follow the SRS rule i.e., Scan, Read, and Skim.
While reading your focus should be on the following questions.
· Is the outline structure followed?
· Is there any repetitive information?
· Is there any unnecessary information?
· Is there an argument that contradicts the topic?
After reading it thoroughly, make the adjustments wherever required. Add more arguments if needed. Look if there is a need to add more references. Verify the evidence once again that you have used in your arguments and move the essay towards finalization.
If there is any repetitive or unnecessary information you can get assistance from an AI Summarizer. Simply provide the text/paragraph that needs to be revised. It will eliminate all the redundancy from your essay, making it more compelling.
6. Scan for Duplicity
Now comes the time to bring more originality into your essay. Scan the one you have written for plagiarism. You must scan your essay even if you have written it all by yourself. Because sometimes there are chances of unintentional plagiarism.
Upon scanning if your content is unique then it is well and good. But if there is plagiarism, remove it and scan again to enhance the originality. After making your essay unique, move on to the last step. You can find various online free tools that can help you check plagiarism.
7. Proofread to Finalize
Once you are satisfied with the content of your essay, focus your shift to proofreading. While proofreading you should focus on the following:
· Grammatical errors
· Punctuations mistakes
· Spelling mistakes
· Missing citations
· Broken sentences
Eliminate all these errors from your essay to finalize it.
Break down long sentences further into two or three to enhance the readability experience. Plus, change the difficult vocabulary with the simple one. To get assistance with enhancing the readability Hemingway Editor can be helpful.
Final Talk
Based on my writing experience and the things I learned during the time above I have described seven key steps. If you are a person struggling with essay writing follow these steps. I am quite confident that they can assist you in crafting compelling essays.