An academic essay requires more than a few random thoughts on the subject. It would help if you made a case in your essay. At the very least, it should respond to one question or a small set of closely related ones (see 2 below). A good argumentative essay will attempt to prove something by developing a single “thesis” or a short set of closely related points, then supporting that thesis with evidence and reasoning, such as relevant examples and supporting citations from the relevant sections of the text. Typically, this requires rereading the text or sources with a question or working thesis in mind.

When you are not given a thesis statement to work from (which is usually the case), you should begin by articulating the question(s) you intend to answer in your essay as precisely as possible. Create a working thesis or hypothesis by first thinking, reading, and writing. Take your time with this initial response. Keep going with it, but keep testing it out, even imagining possible objections, and be prepared to modify or qualify it as your work progresses. (Sometimes, a potential title that is ambiguous but intriguing is discovered early on and can serve the same purpose.)

Even though numerous viable methods exist for presenting any argument, your essay’s structure (its introduction, body, and conclusion) should be carefully crafted to make your case as effective as possible. (Usually, the best college paper writing service to present your argument to a reader differs from the order in which you discovered its components.)

While there is no one perfect method for writing an essay, there are some habits that all great writers share.

  1. They begin writing at a young age, long before they feel “ready,” because they see it as a tool for learning and discovery rather than merely recording what they have already learned.
  2. To avoid getting stuck, they don’t try to write an essay linearly but instead write whatever comes to mind first, regardless of whether or not it will ultimately be relevant.
  3. Even as they write freely, they keep the essay’s goals and structure in mind, revising them as they go. Consciously and regularly changing, an “outline” may never be committed to paper beyond a few scribbled notes.
  4. A lot of time is spent on revisions. Instead of composing an essay writing in Canada in one sitting and then going back and tweaking it sentence by sentence, they draught and redrafted multiple times, shifting around the order of the essay’s more significant parts and adding or removing others based on what they learned as they write. Putting the essay away for a day or two and returning to it with fresh eyes is a common practice for this type of revision, as it allows the mind to work on the piece more subconsciously or indirectly.
  5. Once they have a mostly finished and well-organized draught, they go through and edit the sentences, paying close attention to the transitions between them so that a reader can easily follow the development of ideas within a sentence, between sentences, and across paragraphs. Diction (the choice of precise and appropriate words) and economy are two other factors to keep in mind when revising sentences (the fewest words without loss of clear expression and complete thought). After that, they do a final proofread.