How to Write a Brilliant Essay in 10 Simple Steps

Writing a decent essay takes time, nerves, and devotion that not everyone is willing to give. When you add multiple papers that have piled up and are waiting to be written, it’s easy to understand what makes the process of academic writing so maddening.
However, that doesn’t mean that you should stop trying. Just as any other student, you can also become a better essay writer if you follow the right steps and implement proper strategies. The following easy guide will help you understand how an academic paper can be written through 10 simple steps.

The first thing you should do is think about the topic and conduct a proper research through relevant academic and scientific sources. Visit the library, use reliable academic databases and browse through credible online sources. It’s inevitable to take notes during this stage, so make sure to stay organized and note down the source of the information you are going to use in your paper.

When you gather a good base of sources, you should start analyzing them and choose the arguments you are going to support your discussion with. Make sure to understand the materials you have collected, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and think of unique arguments of your own. One of the most important steps towards completing an awesome paper is analyzing the work of others.

Brainstorming is really fun! You get to unleash your creative side and write down any idea that comes to your mind. You cannot write a genius essay without having your own ideas, so you should ask yourself many questions associated to the topic and collected sources and try to answer them without thinking too much. Great things can result from the active meditation with a pen in your hand. If brainstorming is a hard thing for you to do, then you should try taking a walk and use a smartphone app to dictate your thoughts.

You have probably come up with many ideas through the brainstorming stage, but you cannot use them all because that would make a mess out of your paper. Choose the most unique and inspiring idea of all and turn it into a strong thesis. This will be the main point that will serve as a base for all arguments, so make sure you construct a clear sentence that identifies the purpose and essence of your paper.

Be honest: you usually skip this step, don’t you? Drafting an outline is not a loss of time; it’s a step that will keep your thoughts focused on the goal. Plan the entire structure of the paper and describe each paragraph with a short sentence. Map out the discussion and make sure that each argument is associated to the thesis.

Some writers like to leave the introduction for the end, but it’s best to start the paper right from the beginning. In the introductory paragraph, you should grab the attention of your reader and lead towards the thesis. You can insert a fun statement or quote in the introduction, just to make it more captivating.

Remember: every paragraph should be associated to the thesis. Make sure to follow the outline and stick to a logical flow that won’t lose the attention of your reader. Support all arguments with evidence and make sure to express your own ideas in a clear manner.

When you’re certain that all important points of the discussion have been covered, it’s time to make a graceful exit. Start writing the concluding paragraph with a clear sentence that wraps up the entire discussion, and then add a thought or quote that the reader will remember. You can also conclude the paper with a call to action or an interesting twist. It would be great to direct the reader towards more information and inspire them to research the topic further.

You’re not done yet! You cannot submit the first draft you complete, since it’s not clean enough. First of all, you will need to format the paper according to the guidelines you professor provided. Make sure to add citations that are properly formatted according to MLA, APA, Chicago, or any other citation style required by your school and teacher.

No matter how much you would like to skip this phase and submit the paper once and for all; that’s not possible if you want to get a good grade. The content should be polished and clean of all grammar and spelling mistakes, but you should also make sure that it’s free from gaps in logic. When you’re certain that you have the perfect version of your paper, you can finally hand it over.

Now that you know all steps of the essay writing process, it’s time to get to work and prove to your professors that you can meet and exceed their expectations. Writing academic content is not that hard; you just need to get inspired and stick to a proven scheme that works!