An essay is a unique literary genre where the main feature is the author’s freestyle. But not only advanced or professional writers reflect their thoughts in this type of paper. All scholars had to write an essay at least once in their lives. Completion of this task is mandatory for passing school and university courses in social, humanitarian, and even some exact sciences.
How to write an essay? Even a person with sufficient eloquence is lost when they need to answer this question. Why? Because it is more difficult to express one’s thoughts on paper. Thinking about a question can take a long time, no wonder sometimes people choose to delegate. They make inquiries to special services with the question: “can someone write my essays please?” And they get the help needed.
But what if you decided to do everything by yourself? How to improve one’s writing skills? Many of us, regardless of age and experience, feel shy to express our opinion on a given or derived topic. However, you should not be afraid to write your own work of art.
An essay is a creative task to express one’s opinion, so there is no single correct way of writing it. However, many authors make similar mistakes when compiling their papers. Yes, in the process of writing, authors may encounter all kinds of difficulties and errors. Let’s compare the most common mistakes in writing essays, and then you will improve your skills and even avoid these failures in the future.
Story Stages
1. Bad Editing
Bad editing is usually the first, subtle, but very significant mistake in the writing process. Don’t limit yourself to updating just spelling and punctuation. Reread to avoid ambiguous or even funny expressions, tautologies, and unfortunate turns. And keep in mind: the lack of example statements makes your paper impersonal and not as professional as you would like it to be.
2. Verbosity
Vivid images and elegant metaphors speak louder than dozens of words in a complex sentence. Different ideas or desired details often significantly distract the reader, driving them away from the given topic. Focus on the main idea and do not make your readers feel as if they are reading a novel.
3. Long Phrases
The use of long phrases is the eighth deadly sin and a very common error. The length of a sentence does not always determine its quality. Long phrases do not necessarily prove the genius of the author. “I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one”. This quote belongs to Mark Twain and proves the above statement.
If you feel like you are holding your breath while reading it, then you should break the text into smaller structural units (use lists if appropriate). Such a text will be easier to read and comprehend.
4. Concepts And Terminology
Do not overload the essay with solid facts, concepts, or unusual terms. It is absolutely useless. It is not necessary to demonstrate that you know French and German, and have read dozens of encyclopedias. Rash words simply scare the reader, so keep it simple.
5. Boring Prefaces
Do not start your essay by repeating the question or presentation. Grab your readers’ attention from the start! Describe any situation that influenced your decision. The reflection on your life position and opinion on the topic you will describe can also be a perfect start.
6. Inability To Determine The Problem
Lack of understanding and inability to identify the problem of expression happens due to lack of knowledge. Your essay is not a book on everything in the world, so it is better to focus on one topic and support it with good, well-rounded arguments.
7. The Reasoning Behind Your Opinion Is Unclear
Many students do not always know how to give a strong argument. The most compelling arguments are references to examples from various sources (books, personalities, history, etc.). Two arguments in favor of each thesis are the safest and most correct testimony of your justice.
8. An Impersonal Narrative
After writing an essay, read it carefully and ask yourself whether it reveals individual traits of your personality. Your essay should be unique and express your point exactly. Just an example, an autobiographical essay. Do not write that you are perfect, enjoy all subjects, have many talents, play various sports and participate in all kinds of social activities, when in reality everything is completely different. Just be yourself and reveal your unique talents.
9. Inappropriate Logic
Important attributes of any good text are:
- a sense of integrity,
- coherence of language,
- consistency in the presentation of our thoughts.
If the work contains confusing text, then:
- there is less chance that it will be understood,
- there is a greater chance of doubting your mental capabilities.
Try to maintain structure and order in your work. “First”, “second” and “third” can be your saving boats. Use them to start a new paragraph and to unveil a corresponding argument.
Final Thoughts
Our most important advice is not to write an essay in a hurry. This might be the biggest mistake that a student makes even before they sit down to work. More precisely, such an error does not allow the work to begin. You are distracted by numerous factors that you hide behind to justify your inactivity.
Try to organize yourself. If this does not work, ask a relative or friend to help you. Let them check that nothing is bothering you (TV, desire to drink tea, unwashed dishes, etc.). Then you have nothing to justify, and you will start working. Start thinking about your essay in advance, write the first version, leave it for a while and come back to it later with fresh thoughts.
You can create an essay that will be pleasant, interesting, and most importantly – correct. Just follow the above-mentioned recommendations. A well-written work that does not have the mentioned errors is a guarantee of achieving your goal.
