Academic writing is an integral part of distance learning and home study because this is usually the required way to complete the assignments. Whether you’re studying a Crime & Forensics course or taking digital photography lessons, you’ll likely need to write an essay to showcase just how much knowledge you’ve picked up and the progress you’re making. So in this post, we’re going to talk about a couple of ways that you can improve your essay writing overnight.
- Have an overarching question or statement to write about
Essays always have a question to answer or a statement to talk about. Essays are essentially short pieces of writing that outline your understanding of and perspective of something, hence why it needs to actually have some kind of narrative or purpose before you can start writing it.
So in order to have something to write about, you need to have an understanding of the subject area, and an argument or opinion about it. Imagine if the question can be answered with a simple yes or no – would it be a compelling essay? Absolutely not! Also, adding a list of reasons why you think yes or no wouldn’t good enough either. Instead, it should be structured like an argument or a statement to not only discuss, agree or disagree but to delve into the subject matter and explore it so that it can unfold in your essay.
- Outline your essay and plan it out
One of the biggest issues with essay writing is not having a coherent flow for all the information that you’re trying to present. Much like a fictional piece of writing, you should aim to create some kind of narrative through your essay so that it’s easier to follow. Most people will simply just try to squeeze in a lot of information without much regard for how it flows, but this is the wrong approach.
Before you start writing, plan our your essay so that it starts with an introduction of the argument or statement that you’re making. After that, decide how you want to structure your essay. It could contain separate paragraphs for subjects and evidence to help you support your statement or argument, and it should end on a conclusion that summarises the essay and helps to connect everything.
- Understand the words you use
Many people incorrectly assume that a piece of academic writing such as an essay has to be written in complicated and technical words. While it’s true that you need to show that you’re proficient in the language used in the subject (for instance, being able to name computer components and processes by their correct name if you’re studying an Information Technology course), you shouldn’t try to use complicated words that you don’t understand.
The entire purpose of an essay is to get your point across, so it’s vital that you’re clear and concise with the way you write. Don’t be overly wordy and don’t try to complicate things–just keep it simple and make sure you understand the words you’re using!
