If you choose to major in English or another Arts and Humanities subject in college, you will be writing a lot of essays. It is a difficult skill to acquire as it calls for both imagination and careful planning, but if you make sure to follow these guidelines each time you write an essay, you should have no one stopping you from succeeding in your essay competitions and exams.

Plan
Although this may seem time-consuming, if you prepare well, you'll really save time when writing the essay because you'll know where your response is going and won't put yourself in a tight spot. If you find yourself blocked at first, don't panic; just write down a few thoughts, and the rest will probably come to you. Making a mental map works best for me; each new "bubble" stands for one of my primary paragraphs. After that, I jotted down quotes that I would need for my examination of the bubble.

This design can be expanded by adding more sections, marking out sections, and connecting the various bubbles when relationships are noticed. Exam conditions won't allow you to create a comprehensive strategy, but it might still be beneficial to jot down a basic one with a few key terms to ensure you don't get overwhelmed and write an unfocused essay. There are many different formats available If mind maps are not your preferred method of organization, such as tables, flowcharts, or even just a list of bullet points.

Have a Clear Structure
While you plan, keep this in mind. Like an argument or speech, your essay must follow a logical structure and make sense from beginning to end to address the question. Beginning with the fundamentals, it is advisable to select a few key ideas to serve as your primary paragraphs. In some cases, it may be beneficial to limit your essay to three key paragraphs to ensure that you have enough time to develop your ideas. If you agree with the question generally, arrange your arguments in the following order: YES (agreement with the question) AND (another "yes" point) BUT (disagreement or complication) OR YES, BUT, AND if you disagree. This will guarantee that you stay on the topic of your argument and never veer off course.

Naturally, there are several acceptable responses to this essay question; you are free to choose any logical stance as long as you support it with textual proof.

Support your Arguments with Well-analyzed Quotations

Why should writing an essay be any different from writing a scientific report, which you wouldn't write without providing proof for your conclusions? It's not necessary to use a quotation to support every argument you make, but it doesn't hurt to try. Examiners will be impressed by your analytical interpretation of your quotations, which can also help you better understand the subject.

When choosing the ideal quotations for your essay, also pay attention to literary devices.

Be Creative and Original

Using the above advice, anyone can write an essay; nevertheless, what truly sets it apart from the others is your individual perspective on the subject matter. Make note of anything uncommon or fascinating you've seen in your reading; if it piques your attention, the examiner probably will as well.

You might be surprised to see how closely essay writing and creative writing are related. If you approach your writing with the mindset of presenting a speech or debate, you will undoubtedly capture the interest of your reader.

Establishing your thesis statement, major ideas, and the overall direction of your essay should all be covered at the start. However, don't forget to save something for the end. Although it's necessary to summarize your key ideas, the essay loses its purpose if you simply restate what you said in the opening.

Consider your conclusion not as the tedious plenary at the end of the exciting stuff, but rather as the speech's culmination, the part that everything else has been building towards.

Both consistently return to the opening query and provide a summary of the essay's major ideas; the difference is that the conclusion introduces a fresh topic that is built upon throughout the essay's body while also complicating the introduction's straightforward synopsis.