Essay Writing
An essay is generally a short piece of writing outlining the writer’s perspective or
story. It is often considered synonymous with a story or a paper or an article.
Essays can be formal as well as informal. Formal essays are generally academic in
nature and tackle serious topics. We will be focusing on informal essays which are
more personal and often have humorous elements.
Types of Essays
The type of essay will depend on what the writer wants to convey to his reader.
There are broadly four types of essays. Let us see.
1. Narrative Essays: This is when the writer is narrating an incident or story
through the essay. So these are in the first person. The aim when writing
narrative essays is to involve the reader in them as if they were right there
when it was happening. So make them as vivid and real as possible. One
way to make this possible is to follow the principle of ‘show, don’t tell’. So
you must involve the reader in the story.
2. Descriptive Essays: Here the writer will describe a place, an object, an
event, or maybe even a memory. But it is not just plainly describing things.
The writer must paint a picture through his words. One clever way to do that
is to evoke the senses of the reader. Do not only rely on sight but also
involve the other senses of smell, touch, sound, etc. A descriptive
essay when done well will make the reader feel the emotions the writer was
feeling at the moment.
3. Expository Essays: In such an essay a writer presents a balanced study of a
topic. To write such an essay, the writer must have real and extensive
knowledge about the subject. There is no scope for the writer’s feelings or
emotions in an expository essay. It is completely based on facts, statistics,
examples, etc. There are sub-types here like contrast essays, cause and effect
essays, etc.
4. Persuasive Essays: Here the purpose of the essay is to get the reader to your
side of the argument. A persuasive essay is not just a presentation of facts
but an attempt to convince the reader of the writer’s point of view. Both
sides of the argument have to be presented in these essays. But the ultimate
aim is to persuade the readers that the writer’s argument carries more
weight.
Format of an Essay
Now there is no rigid format for an essay. It is a creative process so it should not be
confined within boundaries. However, there is a basic structure that is generally
followed while writing essays. So let us take a look at the general structure of an
essay.
Introduction
This is the first paragraph of your essay. This is where the writer introduces his topic
for the very first time. You can give a very brief synopsis of your essay in the
introductory paragraph. Some paragraph writing skills can be a help here. Generally,
it is not very long, about 4-6 lines.
There is plenty of scopes to get creative in the introduction of essays. This will
ensure that you hook the reader, i.e. draw and keep his attention. So to do so you
can start with a quote or a proverb. Sometimes you can even start with a definition.
Another interesting strategy to engage with your reader is to start with a question.
Body
This is the main crux of your essays. The body is the meat of your essay
sandwiched between the introduction and the conclusion. So the most vital and
important content of the essay will be here. This need not be confined to one
paragraph. It can extend to two or more paragraphs according to the content.
Usually, we have a lot of information to provide in the body. And the mistake
writers generally make is to go about it in a haphazard manner which leaves the
reader confused. So it is important to organize your thoughts and content. Write the
information in a systematic flow so that the reader can comprehend it. So, for
example, you were narrating an incident. The best manner to do this would be to
go in chronological order.
Conclusion
This is the last paragraph of the essay. Sometimes, a conclusion will just mirror the
introductory paragraph but make sure the words and syntax are different. A
conclusion is also a great place, to sum up, a story or an argument. You can round
up your essay by providing some moral or wrapping up a story. Make sure you
complete your essays with the conclusion, leaving no hanging threads.
Tips for Essay Writing
Give your essays an interesting and appropriate title. It will help draw the
attention of the reader and pique their curiosity
Keep it between 300-500 words. This is the ideal length; you can take
creative license to increase or decrease it
Keep your language simple and crisp. Unnecessary complicated and difficult
words break the flow of the sentence.
Do not make grammar mistakes, and use correct punctuation and spelling. If
this is not done it will distract the reader from the content
Before beginning the essay organize your thought and plot a rough draft.
This way you can ensure the story will flow and not be an unorganized mess.
