Essay writing is like cooking – if you follow the recipe, you will create something special. It is also similar to science, as it follows specific rules that allow the essay to work as intended. Before rushing for assignment writing help, try to uncover the secrets of creating excellent essays. Writers from GradeMiners share their expertise and explain how essays of any level of complexity can be completed in only five steps! You will see that essay writing is not that challenging if you go through each step carefully.
The Five Stages of Writing a Top Essay
Before listing the stages involved in essay writing, we need to emphasize one crucial idea – never skip through any of these stages and pay equal attention to each. They will allow you to plan, write, and polish your paper effectively and increase the chances of getting an A.
Brainstorm
Students make a huge mistake when they start writing, hoping that they will figure everything out as they go. Trust me; inspiration does not come without brainstorming for ideas. Even if you are given an essay topic, you need to determine how to approach it, what sources to use, and what ideas to cover. This stage helps organize all erratic ideas in your head, which can be done using pen and paper, mind maps, tables, or anything else that works for you. How do you know it’s time to move to the second stage? When you have at least one or two papers filled with ideas, quotes, and sources.
Narrowing Down
Then, take the ideas and organize them into categories. For example, you can differentiate between ideas that must be included, can be included if you have enough space, and are better excluded. Organize your sources and find those supporting your position and those criticizing it. You will need both for your argument and counterargument in the body of the paper. Finally, create a thesis statement that will underpin your paper. Don’t worry if it sounds sloppy; you can revise it during the next stage.
Outline
Creating an outline is the toughest and most time-consuming part of your essay writing. An outline is a detailed paper plan containing all main ideas and supporting arguments. It is a skeleton unto which you will add flesh as you create a draft during the following stage. A good outline contains three main parts:
- Introduction. This section establishes the topic and contains attention-grabbers and a thesis statement.
- Body paragraphs. At least three body paragraphs should explore each main idea separately. Make sure you include supporting evidence, facts, and examples. Later, you will examine them more closely and add personal interpretations. Outlining also implies creating topic sentences and transition sentences. These help your paper to flow and allow you to organize the material logically.
- Conclusion. This section wraps up the paper and is the easiest to create. Restate your thesis and sum up all significant ideas. You can complement it with a final thought that leaves the reader thinking about the raised issues.
Drafting
You are halfway there! You don’t have to achieve perfection at this stage, but your paper should be complete and have all the significant parts. If your outline is detailed and well-organized, you need to add a few explanations and interpretations to create a complete paper. Include transition words, in-text citations, and references to create a draft.
Revise, Edit, and Polish
Impatient students give up on this stage. Someone submits the draft as it is; others search for the best essay writer service to do the revision and editing for them. However, this final stage is not that difficult. You need to carefully read the paper several times, paying attention to the grammar, style, and overall structure. Re-arrange the ideas for a better flow if needed, and make sure every sentence makes sense. Sometimes, you get so carried away by the writing process that you may miss errors and typos, so check these as well. Finally, create a reference list conforming to the selected referencing style. Use a referencing guide to check every punctuation mark and letter in the references, as every detail matters.
Conclusion
The five-stage essay writing reduces the risk of failure to the minimum. However, a friend’s feedback is always appreciated, as you don’t always recognize your mistakes. Friendly advice is particularly useful when you are not sure you communicated your idea well. You can also give the essay to the best writing services, which can edit and polish it before submission.
BIO:
Introducing Benjamin Oaks – the man of many talents, including academic writing. Graderminer to the backbone, Benjamin takes great pride in helping new generations of college graduates in the U.S. to get their diploma successfully and be able to pay off college loans faster. Also, Benjamin is a cool guy to talk to on non-work related topics, from sports to high cuisine.
