How to develop your essay writing

It’s possible to express great ideas in your writing, but not write them so well. Perhaps you aren’t very solid at transitioning your ideas onto paper? Or, maybe your style just needs a bit of polishing? Below, you will find several easy ways for you to strengthen your essay writing, allowing you to deliver clear, bold pros to your reader.

Know Who You’re Writing For

If you’re writing an essay, it probably means it’s for an academic grade. By nature, academic essays should be written in a formal style. This means that you should avoid being overly casual tone; try to be as professional as you can. Here are some things you want to try and avoid:

• Contractions (“don’t,” “weren’t,” “it’s”).
• Cliches.
• Repetition (repeating the same ideas; using the same words and phrases).
• Slang.
• Subjective descriptions(“this amazing painting”).

Avoid Using First Person

You should only use “I” when it is appropriate (e.g. detailing a personal experience related to the topic, including case studies). Always use third person perspective when writing an essay, unless it is specifically stated otherwise—for instance, if you’re writing a critique where your opinion on the matter is asked for.

Use Plain Language

You don’t need to reference a thesaurus to write your paper. Using “big words” (more “academic-sounding” words) is unnecessary when a simple one will do. Jargon and complex language usually just makes your paper needlessly confusing. Hand in hand with this, shorter sentences are usually clearer and bolder than long, difficult ones. You want to make sure your paper is clear and precisely expresses your idea.

Deciding What Pieces of Evidence to Use

Writing your essay is going to involve using evidence to support your claim, or thesis. This means the books, articles, and research material you’ve managed to gather. If you don’t feel something will have enough impact, or possesses any true relevance to the paper, don’t use it. Use critical analysis and thinking when determining what you allow into the paragraphs of your essay. You’re looking for quality over quantity.

Make Time to Edit and Proofread

Take the time to edit and proofread your paper. This doesn’t just mean looking for typos and proper grammar, but ensuring that your information is in proper order and relevant. Read the paper, and then read it again. If you can do something better, do it; don’t settle.