How to Develop Your Own Essay Writing Strategy
Each student has their approach to writing essays. Some of them favor more structured methods, while others have a more creative approach. But, there’s more to them than following a structure or using non-linear writing.
This article will talk about the many strategies students can use in working on academic papers. They can be used for specific assignments to get the best results. They give students more creative freedom instead of doing every essay the same way.
Clustering
This strategy is also known as idea mapping. Students can use it to find connections between the topic and ideas around it. Chances are if you reach out to an essay writer online, they rely on this method in their work. First, grab a piece of paper and write down the topic. Circle it around and write down any ideas about it. Repeat the process until there are enough options.
Clustering ideas can be added to explain the topic later. These ideas will be major categories of your essay. Try exploring as many ideas that will center around the main topic. Once you’re done, take a look at the idea map and select the things you’ll want to write about. This will save you from wasting time without a plan to follow.
This strategy is excellent for those wanting to explore ideas around the writing topic. It’s also a great way to separate good ideas from bad ones. Clustering gives students an excellent essay blueprint and a visual aid to make writing easier.
Freewriting
This strategy is perfect for creative writers as it’s least constrained. But, it requires complete concentration. The main idea is typing anything that comes to mind, even when that’s “I don’t know what to write.” You may find ideas that will be realized in the paper. To follow this method of essay writing, students have to:
- Find a place where they can work without being disturbed.
- Set up a timer for 10 minutes at a minimum.
- Write without stopping or editing until the time runs out.
- See if you’ve written down any good ideas that can be explored.
It’s a great approach when you’re stuck on a paper. The main idea is that you don’t stop writing even if you hit a wall. Once the clock runs out, take a look at what you wrote. Highlight the best and most promising ideas. This process can be done until you see the outline of the paper better. It also helps discover relevant points that can be added to the article.
Listing
The next essay writing strategy is one of the most favored by students. It requires making lists of ideas and finding links between them. This method helps to work on broad topics that have to be narrowed down. Students have to perform several actions to get results:
- List every idea about the topic for 5-10 minutes.
- Look at the list and select workable ideas.
- Think about how the concepts relate to the topic.
- Choose those that can be used.
Listing or brainstorming is an excellent choice for those working in short creative bursts. They don’t have to complete the sentences and have several ideas to work with. You’ll let creativity loose while working in an organized frame. It’s an excellent choice for creating an outline for a paper.
Looping
Looping is a variation of the freewriting technique. It allows students to focus on ideas. After finishing with the first batch of freewriting, you have to look for a key thought in the text. Afterward, start another freewriting session around that central idea. The process of freewriting several times is called looping.
Each 5-10 minute session will be more specific than the previous one. As with freewriting, students don’t have to stop until the clock runs out. This can be repeated as much as necessary. Don’t forget to highlight all interesting sentences, phrases, and ideas. After looping ideas 4-5 times, paper writers will have more specific information for the topic.
Looping is a great strategy for people who don’t like structured writing and wish for more flexibility. But, it’s not the best choice for those who don’t like to work in short bursts. This process may offer new approaches to assignments you’ve already finished.
The Journalists' Questions
One of the most traditional strategies of essay writing has to be the journalists’ question method. It derives from the six questions journalists traditionally ask when writing articles. These are:
- Who?
- What?
- Where?
- When?
- Why? and
- How?
This method is the most effective when writing about people.
For example, if you’re given a paper on J. Robert Oppenheimer. With its strategy, one can tell who he was, what he worked on, when, and where. It’s an excellent way to quickly come up with enough information for the paper. But, asking the right questions requires practice. Journalists’ questions can be revisited later to come up with better answers.
This approach is beneficial for people who have to do a lot of research. The journalists’ questions strategy is heavily structured and easy to execute. This is a perfect choice for those preferring to work under strict guidelines.
Outlining
The last strategy on this list helps students better organize the main idea, thesis statement, and article content. This method is not suitable for selecting a topic or working on ideas. It only works when one has a solid understanding of what the paper must look like. In order to outline an essay, do the following:
- Write a title of the outline
- Add an introductory hook sentence, the main idea, and the thesis statement
- Outline the body with main ideas connected to the thesis with supporting details
- Outline the conclusion that explains the significance of the thesis
The length of the outline depends on the length of the paper. For example, when you’re working on a big research essay, both it and the outline can be broken down into headings. Outlines are a great strategy for those favoring a structured approach to writing.
Conclusion
Writing essays is easier and more fun when you have the right strategy to tackle them. Next time you get an assignment, take the time to find the best approach. Find something that suits your creative or organized side.
