how to write brilliant essays

How to Write the Perfect Essay

06 Feb, 2024 | Blog Articles , English Language Articles , Get the Edge , Humanities Articles , Writing Articles

You can keep adding to this plan, crossing bits out and linking the different bubbles when you spot connections between them. Even though you won’t have time to make a detailed plan under exam conditions, it can be helpful to draft a brief one, including a few key words, so that you don’t panic and go off topic when writing your essay.

If you don’t like the mind map format, there are plenty of others to choose from: you could make a table, a flowchart, or simply a list of bullet points.

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Thanks for signing up, step 2: have a clear structure.

Think about this while you’re planning: your essay is like an argument or a speech. It needs to have a logical structure, with all your points coming together to answer the question.

Start with the basics! It’s best to choose a few major points which will become your main paragraphs. Three main paragraphs is a good number for an exam essay, since you’ll be under time pressure. 

If you agree with the question overall, it can be helpful to organise your points in the following pattern:

• YES (agreement with the question)
• AND (another YES point)
• BUT (disagreement or complication)

If you disagree with the question overall, try:

• AND (another BUT point)

For example, you could structure the Of Mice and Men sample question, “To what extent is Curley’s wife portrayed as a victim in Of Mice and Men ?”, as follows:

• YES (descriptions of her appearance)
• AND (other people’s attitudes towards her)
• BUT (her position as the only woman on the ranch gives her power as she uses her femininity to her advantage)

If you wanted to write a longer essay, you could include additional paragraphs under the YES/AND categories, perhaps discussing the ways in which Curley’s wife reveals her vulnerability and insecurities, and shares her dreams with the other characters. Alternatively, you could also lengthen your essay by including another BUT paragraph about her cruel and manipulative streak.

Of course, this is not necessarily the only right way to answer this essay question – as long as you back up your points with evidence from the text, you can take any standpoint that makes sense.

Step 3: Back up your points with well-analysed quotations

You wouldn’t write a scientific report without including evidence to support your findings, so why should it be any different with an essay? Even though you aren’t strictly required to substantiate every single point you make with a quotation, there’s no harm in trying.

A close reading of your quotations can enrich your appreciation of the question and will be sure to impress examiners. When selecting the best quotations to use in your essay, keep an eye out for specific literary techniques. For example, you could highlight Curley’s wife’s use of a rhetorical question when she says, a”n’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talking to a bunch of bindle stiffs.” This might look like:

The rhetorical question “an’ what am I doin’?” signifies that Curley’s wife is very insecure; she seems to be questioning her own life choices. Moreover, she does not expect anyone to respond to her question, highlighting her loneliness and isolation on the ranch.

Other literary techniques to look out for include:

• Tricolon – a group of three words or phrases placed close together for emphasis
• Tautology – using different words that mean the same thing: e.g. “frightening” and “terrifying”
• Parallelism – ABAB structure, often signifying movement from one concept to another
• Chiasmus – ABBA structure, drawing attention to a phrase
• Polysyndeton – many conjunctions in a sentence
• Asyndeton – lack of conjunctions, which can speed up the pace of a sentence
• Polyptoton – using the same word in different forms for emphasis: e.g. “done” and “doing”
• Alliteration – repetition of the same sound, including assonance (similar vowel sounds), plosive alliteration (“b”, “d” and “p” sounds) and sibilance (“s” sounds)
• Anaphora – repetition of words, often used to emphasise a particular point

Don’t worry if you can’t locate all of these literary devices in the work you’re analysing. You can also discuss more obvious techniques, like metaphor, simile and onomatopoeia. It’s not a problem if you can’t remember all the long names; it’s far more important to be able to confidently explain the effects of each technique and highlight its relevance to the question.

Step 4: Be creative and original throughout

Anyone can write an essay using the tips above, but the thing that really makes it “perfect” is your own unique take on the topic. If you’ve noticed something intriguing or unusual in your reading, point it out – if you find it interesting, chances are the examiner will too!

Creative writing and essay writing are more closely linked than you might imagine. Keep the idea that you’re writing a speech or argument in mind, and you’re guaranteed to grab your reader’s attention.

It’s important to set out your line of argument in your introduction, introducing your main points and the general direction your essay will take, but don’t forget to keep something back for the conclusion, too. Yes, you need to summarise your main points, but if you’re just repeating the things you said in your introduction, the body of the essay is rendered pointless.

Think of your conclusion as the climax of your speech, the bit everything else has been leading up to, rather than the boring plenary at the end of the interesting stuff.

To return to Of Mice and Men once more, here’s an example of the ideal difference between an introduction and a conclusion:

Introduction

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men , Curley’s wife is portrayed as an ambiguous character. She could be viewed either as a cruel, seductive temptress or a lonely woman who is a victim of her society’s attitudes. Though she does seem to wield a form of sexual power, it is clear that Curley’s wife is largely a victim. This interpretation is supported by Steinbeck’s description of her appearance, other people’s attitudes, her dreams, and her evident loneliness and insecurity.

Overall, it is clear that Curley’s wife is a victim and is portrayed as such throughout the novel in the descriptions of her appearance, her dreams, other people’s judgemental attitudes, and her loneliness and insecurities. However, a character who was a victim and nothing else would be one-dimensional and Curley’s wife is not. Although she suffers in many ways, she is shown to assert herself through the manipulation of her femininity – a small rebellion against the victimisation she experiences.

Both refer back consistently to the question and summarise the essay’s main points. However, the conclusion adds something new which has been established in the main body of the essay and complicates the simple summary which is found in the introduction.

Hannah is an undergraduate English student at Somerville College, University of Oxford, and has a particular interest in postcolonial literature and the Gothic. She thinks literature is a crucial way of developing empathy and learning about the wider world. When she isn’t writing about 17th-century court masques, she enjoys acting, travelling and creative writing. 

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Copyblogger

51 Smart Tips for Brilliant Writing

Do you sound smarter when you use big words?

According to a study published in Applied Cognitive Psychology , the answer is no.

In fact, complex writing makes you sound small-minded. Just consider the title of the study: Consequences of erudite vernacular utilized irrespective of necessity: problems with using long words needlessly.

Wouldn’t it be better to title this study something like The effect of using big words when you don’t need them?

To sound smart, you must stop trying to sound smart. Brilliant writing is simple writing, a relevant idea delivered clearly and directly.

Here are 11 ways you can start writing today and sound brilliant:

1. Have something to say

This makes writing easier and faster. When you have nothing to say, you are forced to write sentences that sound meaningful but deliver nothing.

Read widely. Take notes. Choose your subjects wisely. Then share the information with readers, in your own writing voice .

2. Be specific

Consider two sentences:

I grow lots of flowers in my back yard. I grow 34 varieties of flowers in my back yard, including pink coneflowers, purple asters, yellow daylilies, Shasta daisies, and climbing clematis.

Which is more interesting in a writing introduction ? Which helps you see my back yard?

3. Choose simple words

Write use instead of utilize , near instead of close proximity , help instead of facilitate , for instead of in the amount of , start instead of commence .

Use longer words only if your meaning is so specific no other words will do.

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4. Write short sentences

You should keep sentences short for the same reason you keep paragraphs short: they’re easier to read and understand.

Each sentence should have one simple thought. More than that creates complexity and invites confusion.

5. Use the active voice

In English, readers prefer the SVO sentence sequence: Subject, Verb, Object. This is the active voice.

For example:

Passive sentences bore people.

When you reverse the active sequence, you have the OVS or passive sequence: Object, Verb, Subject.

People are bored by passive sentences.

You can’t always use the active voice, but most writers should use it more often.

6. Keep paragraphs short

Look at any newspaper and notice the short paragraphs.

That’s done to make reading easier, because our brains take in information better when it’s broken into small chunks.

In academic writing, each paragraph develops one idea and often includes many sentences. But in casual, everyday writing, the style is less formal and paragraphs may be as short as a single sentence or even a single word.

7. Eliminate fluff words

Qualifying words, such as very , little , and rather , add nothing to your meaning and suck the life out of your sentences.

It is very important to basically avoid fluff words because they are rather empty and sometimes a little distracting.

Mark Twain suggested that you should “Substitute damn every time you’re inclined to write very ; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”

8. Don’t ramble

Rambling is a big problem for many writers. Not as big as some other problems, such as affordable health insurance or the Middle East, which has been a problem for many decades because of disputes over territory. Speaking of which, the word “territory” has an interesting word origin from terra , meaning earth.

But the point is, don’t ramble.

9. Don’t be redundant or repeat yourself

Also, don’t keep writing the same thing over and over and over. In other words, say something once rather than several times. Because when you repeat yourself or keep writing the same thing, your readers go to sleep.

10. Don’t over write

This is a symptom of having too little to say or too much ego .

Put your reader first. Put yourself in the background. Focus on the message.

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11. Edit ruthlessly

Shorten, delete, and rewrite anything that does not add to the meaning. It’s okay to write in a casual style, but don’t inject extra words without good reason.

To make this easier, break your writing into three steps:

• Write the entire text.
• Set your text aside for a few hours or days.
• Return to your text fresh and edit.

None of us can ever be perfect writers, and no one expects us to be. However, we can all improve our style and sound smarter by following these tips and writing naturally.

40 quick writing tips to help you start today

Looking for more quick writing tips? These 40 pointers will help you organize and express your thoughts.

• Stop overthinking.
• Jot down one idea at a time.
• Write a little bit every day.
• Read something interesting if you’re feeling stuck.
• Make notes in your phone.
• Keep a pen and pad of paper with you when you’re away from your computer.
• Transfer your notes to your computer regularly.
• Pause conversations to capture interesting anecdotes.
• Add interesting anecdotes to conversations.
• Monitor how people react.
• Research fascinating topics.
• Brainstorm the best way to approach a topic.
• Look for fresh angles.
• Listen to a podcast related to your topic.
• Watch a video related to your topic.
• Discover the time of day when you’re most creative.
• Schedule time to write at your desk.
• Clean your desk.
• Know your audience.
• Practice choosing the right words.
• Outline your main points.
• Experiment with how you structure your writing.
• Draft many headlines.
• Craft intriguing subheadlines.
• Use effective bullet points.
• Study other authors.
• Create a messy draft.
• Take a break before you edit.
• Refine your messy draft.
• Edit with your ideal reader in mind.
• Choose simple language.
• Clarify any confusing phrases.
• Keep your explanations concise.
• Go into more detail only when it’s necessary.
• Entertain your reader.
• Share an unpopular opinion.
• Inspire new ideas.
• Transform written articles into other forms of content.
• Prompt your reader to take notes on your content.
• Motivate your reader to share your content.

Want the best of Copyblogger for writers delivered directly to your inbox?

If you’re looking to strengthen your writing skills in practical and effective ways, let us guide you to the best resources on Copyblogger.

Because when you get the exact right information, you can immediately begin to up your game as a content writer. And that’s what’s going to get you the results you want.

The written word drives the web. It always has, and it always will.

Even if you’re working with audio or video, the right words are still what make the difference.

• Words drive engagement.
• Words drive customer experience.
• Words drive sales, growth, and profit.

And if you want to master the art of using words to drive business results, you’ve come to the perfect place — Copyblogger has helped accelerate the careers of writers just like you since 2006.

Jump in (it’s all free) and let us take you straight to the good stuff:

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Reader Interactions

Reader comments (181).

April 7, 2010 at 8:15 am

I think one big word is good, people that use many risk alienating readers. I enjoy articles that have one big word that fits perfectly. It makes me feel the article was worthwhile (I learned something), no matter what.

April 7, 2010 at 8:17 am

At school, I loved maths/science and hated English. My writing was bad. I felt stupid because all the other kids used long words.

Then a few years ago, a good friend of mine, who is a confidence coach, simply told me I was much better understood by others because I used plain and simple words…. none of these pompous long words.

It took someone else to point out my simple writing strength.

September 4, 2010 at 1:29 pm

Friends usually praise me for using simple words in my writing. They said they wanted to learn how to do it. So, they asked me to teach them.

I told them that my writing vocabulary is very limited. I have no other choice but to use simple words. Those are the only words I know.

Jef Menguin

April 7, 2010 at 8:18 am

After all, everything is about simplicity.

Less is more!

April 7, 2010 at 8:19 am

Some writers seem to use ‘rambling’ for comic effect and it seems to work quite well for them – but perhaps it only works for those with an established audience who have come to expect it??

I confess that I fall foul of most of the tips above. 🙁

January 1, 2011 at 6:15 pm

Basically rambling only “works” when the intent is humor. It distracts us from an initial point, sometimes returning us there via a circuitous route, sometimes dropping us off at the head of a totally new pathway. Handled with care, it can leave the reader saying ‘hmph’ to himself as he grins at being cleverly tricked. Handled poorly, it can be accompanied by the sound of a book being slammed shut and tossed into the fire.

I ramble far too much. Not because I have nothing to say or am pretentious, but because I have ADD and that’s the way my brain works. I think that I get more ideas on paper faster than most people, but I think it likely that I spend more time editing in order to get decent copy, too.

August 4, 2011 at 3:13 am

I ramble a ton, and like Bill it’s not to be egotistical or for filler (typically), it’s just that is how I’ve always written. I actually do write with a personal style, but part of my personal style IS my rambling. However, perhaps that should be my next “elimination round” for re-writing since I get less than 50 VIEWS… not visits, not subscribers, but VIEWS a day. My HIGHEST has been 75 VIEWS in a day. No subscribers.

The more I read about other people’s blogs, the more envious I get.

But, I will also say that I’ve been too heavy handed on the “good grammar” aspect of using 4-6 sentence paragraphs, instead of limiting my paragraphs to a just a few sentences if that was all that was necessary.

There I go rambling again. =P

April 7, 2010 at 8:24 am

I hope this post goes viral today – these tips are what strong writers do every day. Saying more with less is the best kind of writing. I think that’s why enjoy blog writing because the whole point is to say as much as you can in the smallest space. What good are big words if they don’t add clarity?

April 7, 2010 at 8:25 am

Thanks for putting this list together. Now, I must apply it!

Information like this is priceless!

Chat with you later… Josh

August 4, 2011 at 3:14 am

I think you just succeeded in every single one of these tips.

April 7, 2010 at 8:30 am

Love Mark Twain’s quote.

By the way, could “brilliant” be considered a fluff word in some context? 🙂

Ana/ YourNetBiz

April 7, 2010 at 8:31 am

This is very useful advice. I find your posts almost always help me. Thank you!

April 7, 2010 at 8:34 am

Damn fine article… Mark Twain would be proud!

I think the title of that study is really clever, though. How often are the titles of studies funny, while also clearly illustrating the point of the study? Full points!

I know it’s widely accepted writing tips gospel, but I’m still unconvinced by the “passive voice must be avoided!” rule of writing. See, when I was taught English (as a foreign language), I was told, “in English, the passive voice is used very often so you will have to learn how to use it.” I did, like a good little student, only to be told later in life I should stop!

Did the last paragraph really bore you that much? (Did you even notice?) Is the active form really always better? Where did this anti-passive sentiment start?

I realise you may not have the answers, but I’ve long wondered, so if you do, fill me in!

September 4, 2010 at 1:34 pm

Passive voice has its own place. It is very useful when you are describing a process or when the doer of the action is not as important as the result.

April 7, 2010 at 8:35 am

I love the big words. Love them. But I tend not to write them so much as I would speak them, so it’s not a problem in my blogging.

Just two days ago I was reading Ray Bradbury’s Zen and the Art of Writing and a maxim jumped right out at me: “…when you write quickly, you write honestly.” I love that. It’s both true and useful. And to follow along with today’s point, when you write quickly, you can’t stuff your writing full of multi-syllabic nonsense someone else can’t easily decipher.

April 7, 2010 at 8:43 am

These are brilliant tips! Anyone of our clients writing copy for their site could benefit from this. Thanks!

April 7, 2010 at 8:45 am

Interesting. I’m translator, and when we speak about these online writing news and challenges of the unknown, it seems that both languages coincide. The same principles apply to my native language (Spanish). I’m ready to read the next 11 tips! Thank you!

April 7, 2010 at 8:47 am

Great advice. I find audio transcription a useful technique to avoid unnatural language, thus my writing comes across more conversational. A great iPhone app for this is Dragon Dictation.

April 7, 2010 at 8:52 am

Great tips! As a psychologist I know of the big words–and they do bore me! Even though I understand the words, I skim over much of them to get to the point. Which might be a the 12th tip here: Get to the point and be done with it!

April 7, 2010 at 8:57 am

If for nothing else, avoid the passive voice since politicians use it to get around tough questions. 🙂

Politicians know “it’s easy to leave the actor out of passive sentences… to avoid mentioning who is responsible for certain actions.”

April 7, 2010 at 9:02 am

I’m a civil servant. I know all about leaving the actor out of sentences, but does that mean the active voice is always better? Is the problem the voice, or the avoidance?

It’s perfectly possible to avoid identifying the actor when writing in the active voice. I did it just now.

Politicians also use soap. Should I stop?

April 7, 2010 at 9:10 am

There is only a small handful of people that have their clocks wound through big words.

The rest of our customers just want to hear us speak in everyday language. When I write copy I like to pretend that I am writing a letter to my grandmother. If she would get what I’m saying then I know it worked.

Great post. Very concise and packed with valuable tidbits.

-Joshua Black The Underdog Millionaire

April 7, 2010 at 9:16 am

It’s great how you made your point both in words and in this blog. Nice job!

April 7, 2010 at 9:18 am

@willie. I’m no active voice extremist, but active rules!

“politicians also use soap. Should I stop?”

Didn’t you mean, “The soap was used by the politicians. Should I be stopped by that?” 😉

April 7, 2010 at 9:23 am

Thank you, Dean. I’ve been reading your stuff for 15 years or more (a yellowed torn-out page from an old DM News confirms this), and you’re always right on. Too many writers, I think, begin with the goal of impressing their audiences. The real goal is communication.

April 7, 2010 at 9:27 am

I always keep in mind that I should write simple words and short sentences when I’m writing.

April 7, 2010 at 9:30 am

@willie, passive voice isn’t always a bad thing. But in general, I agree with Shane & Dean, active voice is clearer and it always identify who or what is doing the action of the sentence.

Too often, passive voice is used to keep from getting clear about what’s actually going on. The classic example being “mistakes were made.” Well ok, that’s helpful in one sense, but it would be good to know who made them.

The reason so many writing teachers recommend reworking passive to active is it’s a quick way to make your writing simpler and more direct. I like the way Dean framed it, rather than saying “it’s always wrong.”

April 7, 2010 at 9:44 am

Excellent and immediately useful tips. Novice blogger.

April 7, 2010 at 9:45 am

Nice post. I see a conflict between #2 and #4. In example #2, you take a sentence and make a paragraph out of it. In #4, you advise shorter sentences. I think the example in #2 would have worked better if you had found a way to use several short sentences to flesh out the description.

I’m a nit picker.

May 1, 2012 at 10:43 am

Benjie, I beg to disagree, there is no conflict. Adjectives and adverbs are two different things. He advises against using “unnecessary” words and keep it to the point, not do away with subject matter altogether.

April 7, 2010 at 9:56 am

Probably one of my biggest downfalls is being a little too stiff in my writing style. I appreciate your tips Dean. I think we all know many of these things. I’ll be very good at my writing for day, then start to get carried away and back into bad habits. Nice refresher.

April 7, 2010 at 10:01 am

“Sesquipedalian” means the use of especially big or long words. You should assiduously eschew obfuscatory prolixity and hyperverbosity.

April 7, 2010 at 10:08 am

Your post was very good, Dean. A nice, clean, spare writing style is something to be envied. I go in spurts. When I organize myself and clear my head, I do well. My thoughts flow and I lose myself in my writing. I glance at the clock and realize I’ve been writing and editing the same piece for 2 hours. I feel good about the end result.

Then, the next day, things may go all to heck in a handcart. I allow the tyranny of the urgent to take over and find myself racing to get things done. My work suffers, my desk gets more cluttered and I get so scattered I don’t do anything particularly well.

That’s when I pull back and decide to let my writing take a breather, while I catch up on other things. I don’t allow myself to turn out garbage. When I’m back to the right place in my head, I start writing again.

Thanks for the reminders and the little insights.

Steve Benedict

April 7, 2010 at 10:17 am

To take a page from Hemingway… good post! Time to drink.

April 7, 2010 at 10:19 am

You are singing my song. I read so much tangled writing every day that my eyes hurt.

April 7, 2010 at 10:24 am

@Bob, thanks for the reminder about a word I happen to love!

@James, laughing, thanks.

April 7, 2010 at 10:27 am

As a grammar lover, librarian, Mark Twain fan, and nit-picker, I love everything about the post.

I recently learned that there is now an opera based on Strunk’s The Elements of Style, for anyone who just can’t get through the book:)

April 7, 2010 at 10:36 am

ps. Active voice cuts down on word count, too. At 8 cents per word, that can add up with the proofer.

April 7, 2010 at 10:37 am

OK, well, I’m not trying to start the passive voice appreciation society here (although I do think it’s been unneccesarily hated on by some).

And, yes, the passive voice can be and is used to obfuscate. Sometimes, though, who is doing the obfuscating (for example) is either unimportant or really obvious (here it’s clearly the aforementioned soap-using politicians). (The bastards.)

I guess my main issue with “avoid the passive voice” as writing advice is that for many of us, determining whether a sentence is in active or passive voice is a non-trivial task. It is a non-trivial task to me, and I’m *good* at grammar.

Instead of spending time working out whether each of your sentences is active or passive, is it not more efficient to hunt for things that are unclear, or wordy, or that sound like a civil servant wrote it?

April 7, 2010 at 10:38 am

Great tips to keep in mind, especially number 4 – I am Queen of the never ending sentence.

April 7, 2010 at 10:45 am

I think these are all very useful tips – thanks for sharing. The advice on short sentences, paragraphs and not writing too much are something I think would make a lot of blogs a lot better and are sins I often fall foul of myself (I am a chronic over-writer).

Josh, is that opera real? I’m the kind of word geek who’d go and see it!

April 7, 2010 at 10:50 am

I’ll definitely apply these tips. Thanks for posting it! More power! (^_^)

April 7, 2010 at 10:56 am

@Willie, it only takes a few seconds to erase passive.

In your word processor, do a search for any form of “to be” (ex. “is, are, am, was, were, has been, have been, had been, will be, can be, should be, would be.”). If verbs follow these words, it’s probably passive voice.

To establish niche authority, we need to write with authority. And, yes, you’re making me laugh (Josh, too).

Passive voice is to be avoided because many extra syllables are added for it to be accomplished.

Avoid passive voice, which adds many extra syllables. (43% difference)

As for the big words and complex sentence issues– while thesauritis and inelegant subordination can lead to obsfucation, we have 800,000 words to choose from and complex ideas to convey. Simple sentences cannot express complex, subtle relationships. The world of ideas should not be limited to a 4th grade reading level.

April 7, 2010 at 11:09 am

Great article. I noticed I’m doing a couple of these things. I need to stop.

Another thing to add to Edit Ruthlessly: read your copy out loud. One of the quickest ways to catch all the points that come before 11.

April 7, 2010 at 11:34 am

Great blogging advice! Ban the fluff, for sure. Be concise. Be simple if/when possible. And *usually* brevity is helpful too, but rambling from time to time CAN be just what the meandering flâneur needs… 😉

April 7, 2010 at 11:40 am

This is right in line with the lessons from a business writing course I’m taking. What’s interesting is that I didn’t realize that I was adding fluff words, cliches, etc. until after I took the course. I now find myself auto-correcting my writing more.

Your tips are simple, but so valuable. I think more of us need these tips than we realize.

Thanks for sharing.

April 7, 2010 at 11:41 am

I do wish that Dean had a career in politics. It would be so good to hear less hot air and more truth from those who are supposed to govern us.

April 7, 2010 at 11:53 am

Love this as so many of us are guilty of these at one point or another. I am not a fan of the big words as it do not find them to be very conversational. I do not necessarily talk in big words so why would I write that way is sort of my model for writing. For me it is not necessarily about looking smarter or not, it is about how I talk and transferring that over to how I write.

These tips are ones to remember esp when we do start to ramble – resists the inviting temptation.

@SuzanneVara

April 7, 2010 at 12:08 pm

I’ve always been a believer in these suggestions. Always remembering to use them is another question…

April 7, 2010 at 12:13 pm

“Is passive voice must have to be avoided?” I think it shouldn’t, because it is the smartest way to keep long your article without adding some extra information.

April 7, 2010 at 12:18 pm

I disagree with #3. I think some well-placed “big words” beg the reader to grow instead of “talking down.” As mdb wrote in the first reply, it may ask them to learn something new. Maybe I write to stir people differently, as I’m sure personal style creates its own parameters. I feel it’s most important to string words together in your own voice.

Of course, I’ve yet to really go out and develop an audience. I may adapt my view when that time comes.

April 7, 2010 at 1:16 pm

Be succinct!

April 7, 2010 at 1:26 pm

I got a kick out of this: Mark Twain suggested that you should “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”

It’s damn good! [Edited: It’s good; hmm it doesn’t sound as good as it seems. This is the case where you gotta keep the ‘damn’! Of course it’s not professional, but you don’t have to be.]

One side thought: Although many Copyblogger posts are driving home the same messages, repetition is crucial in making the messages stick. Everytime I read a new post, I get some new ideas to work on. This always happens even if I’d already seen the tips/advices tens of times.

April 7, 2010 at 2:15 pm

After further consideration, I think the picture you’re trying to paint is the guiding principle.

You can say something “takes hard work” or be more descriptive and refer to “inglorious and unglamorous toil.”

Again, it comes down to style. Just a second though to share.

April 7, 2010 at 2:43 pm

Great list of tips to keep us all focused. For those of us that had to write huge papers in high school and college, writing so that most people can understand and enjoy does not come naturally.

We’ve been taught that you have to use flowery language and write above people’s heads.

Do that online and you’ll have a bunch of bored readers. Keep things short, interesting and to the point.

April 7, 2010 at 2:48 pm

Love this! Your first point is great. Have something worthwhile to say. When you do have meaning behind your words, it’s easy to write simply and specifically. You know your point. You get it across. Job well done.

April 7, 2010 at 3:04 pm

My favorite: “Shorten, delete, and rewrite anything that does not add to the meaning. It’s okay to write in a casual style, but don’t inject extra words without good reason.”

April 7, 2010 at 3:21 pm

I’m guilty of many of these, especially #s 5 and 7. But a bigger issue for me is trying to balance writing for attorneys with good blogging. I can see how #3 makes sense for content in general, but most of my clients prefer “commence” and similar words in legal docs. I guess it means I must juggle 2 writing styles to blog well and satisfy my clients. Thanks for the tips, timely as always!

April 7, 2010 at 3:24 pm

Great list 🙂 I am very new in the field of writing and I feel your post directly pointed out to me the areas I need to work on.

Thank you for sharing those strategies 🙂

April 7, 2010 at 4:34 pm

I’ve been thinking about this post all day. Every time I sat down to write something, I double checked to be sure I wasn’t using any $100 words. It’s unlikely that I would, but as a graduate student I have added a few “academic” terms to my vocabulary. I would hate for them to slip in to everyday conversation! 🙂

April 7, 2010 at 4:35 pm

Great stuff. Short and sweet. Thank you.

April 7, 2010 at 4:38 pm

Great tips Dean. I’ll keep an eye on my “very, little and rather” etc. I think I’m guilty. I’ve never given much thought to the active vs passive voicing before either. Thanks for posting.

April 7, 2010 at 4:51 pm

It is sometimes hard not to use big words to describe something… It can be quicker and more precise to use technical jargon and fancy words but you do have to get your message across to your reader, who may not have the depth of your vocabulary. Personally, I don’t know many big words… I think wordy is better than verbose anyway, which is what I am becoming here…

April 7, 2010 at 5:23 pm

@Dean – Thanks for the article, and especially the damn fine Mark Twain quote. I love it.

@WillieHewes – My gripe with passive voice is that it usually hurts clarity. I agree that “determining whether a sentence is in active or passive voice is a non-trivial task”, so I let Microsoft Word help. I swear that its grammar checker draws immense pleasure from harassing me about passive voice. I gripe, but my rewrite is usually much clearer. Maybe your word processing software has a similar torture-the-writer option. Word doesn’t have an option to flag writing that sounds-like-a-civil-servant-wrote-it though. Maybe in the next version 🙂

April 7, 2010 at 5:33 pm

Fantastic tips. It’s essential to strike a balance between writing detailed, specific points and eliminating grandiose phrasing.

Amen, Dean. Excellent post.

April 7, 2010 at 5:47 pm

There’s nothing worse than trying to eke out a post when you have nothing to say! I’ve been guilty of it several times, but my new technique is to plan out (bullet point) all my drafts on a Monday, then they simmer away in my mind and I fill in the gaps later in the week. It’s saving me a lot of time actually.

April 7, 2010 at 6:40 pm

I think that everyone who writes should read Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’, even if you’re not a fiction writer. He covers a lot of these tips, actually. I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says, like cutting all your adverbs (a well-placed one can be handy), but since I read it I can see where I’m going wrong and fix it – and see how much better it is afterwards.

April 7, 2010 at 7:18 pm

Thanks Dean, your words have ignited a spark of responses hungry for simplified expression. Me too as I struggle to find ways to describe the way something looks.. as in a product that effects a great look expressed as ‘gorgeous..’ Any thoughts as to expression of tired words so people don’t switch off ?

April 7, 2010 at 7:37 pm

Its an awesome article. I have been struggling to write these simple words and explain correctly. Now, I have some idea and hopefully I will use on my website. I have been writing a website on Nepal with lots of helpful informations. If you guys could help me how to simplify my writing visiting my website that would be awesome.

April 7, 2010 at 7:46 pm

Holy crap! Love the tips, but I am not reading all these comments. lol. I would be here for hours, and I’m sure I would run across a few redundant things.

I love number 7. Eliminate the fluff. Cut it out. Chop it up. Anything that can help us keep it simple, make it more readable and get our message across is a good lesson to learn. Damn good!

April 7, 2010 at 7:57 pm

Love the Mark Twain quote!

Simplicity is key.

April 7, 2010 at 10:17 pm

Thanks for the great post! K.I.S.S. when you communicate.

April 8, 2010 at 3:02 am

These Tips are very unique and easy to learn …. I like it, Thanks for sharing!! 🙂

April 8, 2010 at 5:33 am

“Word doesn’t have an option to flag writing that sounds-like-a-civil-servant-wrote-it though. Maybe in the next version.”

They should totally build that. I might even use the programme if they did.

April 8, 2010 at 7:15 am

I will never be able to write ‘very’ again without thinking about Mark Twain.

April 8, 2010 at 8:17 am

One of the other advantages of the Write – Wait – Edit approach is that you will discover words that have been left out and should be there to complete a sentence.

The missing words are in your head when you write the article and when you review it right after writing. The missing words are no longer in your head when you come back later to review and edit the article.

April 8, 2010 at 8:30 am

Leaving the text and coming back later is a trick that I swear by. I also read text out loud to spot errors.

Mark Twain cracks me up.

April 8, 2010 at 9:22 am

Good writing tips here. I do have a tendency of getting a little long winded some times. How do you like Thesis? I’m considering purchasing.

April 8, 2010 at 9:36 am

Luv 1 – 8 and 10

I guess having something to write SHOULD be your first step..lol

April 8, 2010 at 10:47 am

Thanks for firmly reminding me about what I know but tend to ignore!

Especially timely as I write monthly blogs and website articles for clients, as well as myself. This will help me give them better value.

April 8, 2010 at 10:50 am

Excellent post Dean. The idea is to welcome readers and let them know that we are just as ordinary as any other person. This keeps the readers coming back as having simple English laid out enables more understanding, instantly encouraging him/her to ENGAGE with the writer; which is important.

April 8, 2010 at 2:04 pm

This is an interesting study. However, this seems to be stating the obvious. Overusing complex terminology and vague adjectives definitely alienates the average reader. Technical vernacular is appropriate for trade journals and other professional publication but vague adjectives always make the writer seem less credible. I am a journalism student at the University of Kansas and these are the types writing guideline that were drilled into our brains during the first research and writing class we were required to take. All these guidelines are basic AP and inverted pyramid news writing styles. Nevertheless, it is nice to see one scientific field provide legitimacy to the practices of another.

April 8, 2010 at 4:31 pm

I agree. Using complicated words only makes you sound like you’re trying to be smart as apposed to actually being smart. Got a chuckle out of “See?”

April 8, 2010 at 5:12 pm

Thanks for this article. I really need it today, and I have it bookmarked. Awesome tips.

April 8, 2010 at 8:42 pm

Agreed! I feel the most inspired and creative when I’m taking simple ideas and turning them into fresh, exciting, new insight. It’s the same with words. It’s how you use them together and develop the relationship between them. In a vaccum, words mean nothing. Delicately crafted, they’re powerful tools.

April 9, 2010 at 3:01 am

I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent and articulate person. But when I read academic articles and journals I typically find them full of words that seem designed to confuse. So a really useful application of these basic rules would be in academic papers. Encourage understanding rather than show how clever you are.

By the way, love the site.

April 9, 2010 at 3:27 pm

These are some very good tips. Especially #1 “Having Something To Say.” Because without this it’s a waste of time for you and your readers.

Kind regards,

April 11, 2010 at 11:08 am

Thank for the tips, there are many people like me who are not the best at writing but we still want to express ourselves.

To writers these are already embedded in them, but for those who aren’t, it is always great to see read them to start the process of having them naturally enforced in our writing.

April 11, 2010 at 7:24 pm

Simple, concise, brilliant.

April 12, 2010 at 8:15 am

I am going to print this and hang it by my computer to serve as a reminder.

An important trick I see some great writers use is rhythm. They use words like a paint brush and are able make something boring or difficult easier to read. I compare to a photograph of an ugly person wearing a nice shirt.

April 16, 2010 at 10:35 pm

Simply brilliant. A good reference would be “On Writing Well”, an excellent book which covers many of these topics in such simplicity that you wonder why you didn’t remember them from high school or grammar school …. (did they ever teach us that stuff?) Thank you!

April 17, 2010 at 9:06 pm

Reading this was so refreshing…Thanks for the great content. I’m going to print it and keep it handy it was so good!

April 19, 2010 at 11:11 am

July 29, 2010 at 2:36 pm

Well, I think it’s pretty clear from the subtitle of the study that the main title was a joke… And while a “conversational” style of copy is more effective in general, I think how far to go with that is dependent on the site that you are writing for. If I’m writing copy for a VoTech, I do not want to go overly verbose, but sounding like I’m a teenager texting my friends does not work either. And while I suppose it is ultimately true that you have to take into account smaller and smaller vocabularies, sometimes it is just easier and more efficient to use a “big word”.

April 23, 2011 at 3:10 pm

I try to use the simplest word that exactly fits the situation. Sometimes a ‘larger’, less familiar word is the correct match. “Dumbing down” is not the correct approach for everything.

If I were describing a General speaking to the Senate, at first I would have him use military gobbledygook to try to BS the Senators (a pre-emptive counter-strike against the counter-insurgents*, for instance). Then, when the bull stuff hit the PhD (Piled Higher & Deeper) levels, I’d have the Senators interrupt him for a definition in layman terms. The General might not even know the layman terms … so he/she would have to fumble in the simple-words backpack for something that might be useful.

Finally, the Senators might choose to express their frustration and say something to the effect of “General, let’s cut to the chase … when you aim the damned thing and pull the trigger, what in the hell is supposed to happen next?”

Is there a simpler term for “gobbledygook”? Definitely … but you’d have to string a bunch of those simpler terms together to express the same thought and that would NOT simplify either the writing or the reading.

There is concision in precision.

Use a large word when it suits the purpose better than a short word or a brief phrase. Use the larger word when it will be understood by your audience at least as readily as-a-bunch-of-small-words-piled-up-in-a-three-high-traffic-accident-just-before-the-full-stop.

Just my 2 cents worth.

*attacking the lawful government

July 31, 2010 at 9:31 am

Well I agree with this: Nobody can be perfect writers.

As time passes by we become aware of the mistakes what we do commonly and try to correct it to improvise ourselves.

August 17, 2010 at 12:51 am

The word fat is a perfectly good one, but when it is hijacked by neo-puritans, with the implication that slimness equates to virtue, we are on dangerous ground.

August 21, 2010 at 9:04 am

I endorse this completely. This stuff is what I teach my essay writing students. I wonder if all these are applicable to writing marketing copy.

August 31, 2010 at 2:59 am

Brilliant tips! These impart a lot of confidence into people like me, who would want to try a hand at writing a blog.

October 25, 2010 at 6:44 am

I love to write……simple. Earlier I used to feel I wasn’t good at writing for I couldn’t remember long words, however much I had tried. Really, I had given a lot to digest long dictionary word so that I could also write ‘good’. Somewhere inside I always hated looking into the dictionary while reading books. And that was probably the reason why I could never remember long words.

When I started with content writing job, I realized that: at least on the web, nobody is going to sit with a dictionary to understand my text. I only use longer synonyms of any simple word when the word itself has been already used. I, as a reader also, want to read and understand a sentence in an instant…. and want to build up a similar content for all readers……so now I love writing SIMPLE…..

April 23, 2011 at 3:43 pm

The way to read a sentence “in an instant” … ANY sentence … is to build up your vocabulary and grammar. The way to do that is to read material that is challenging: not material with all the life sucked out of it by the “keep it simple” police.

The way to limit your audience to those who can barely drool is to continually accommodate the least literate of them. As we have seen on the internet, that bar continually gets lower and lower. It’s a race to the bottom. All you have to do is find a line of fools, blow a whistle to get their attention, then walk away, dropping marshmallows behind you. In the end, your readers will not be able to understand you (in ANY language) and you will not be able to find simple enough words to actually communicate anything beyond “New!”, “Improved!”.

Don’t go there. Don’t lower your own command of the language and don’t talk down to your readers. Yes, you will gain the less literate … but it will come at the expense of the more literate (who generally have more disposable income).

Look at the ads for luxury automobiles. They generally have a few VERY well chosen words. They aren’t afraid of tossing in foreign terms or using unusual typefaces (which, I assure you, were as thoroughly tested as the words themselves).

You will not become a better writer by abandoning your craft and aiming for the bottom of the pile. You become a better writer by mastering your craft and aiming at any part of the pile you choose.

October 26, 2010 at 4:20 am

The tips above strike a chord. I love to read anything that neatly describes what I already believe, but failed to put into words myself.

October 27, 2010 at 12:10 am

All these rules basically work together – if you use one, often times, the rest will follow. For example, if you work on 4. “keeping it short,” you will also avoid 7-10, avoiding rambling, fluff, redundancy, and over writing. I agree that big words are not always best, but I’m not sure how I feel about steering clear of ‘longer’ words. Sometimes, I think “utilize” is an appropriate replacement for use. Use can sound bland whereas utilize, if you ask me, falls under step 2 of being specific – utilize paints a more descriptive image for the reader. Other than that, I think these 11 tips are simple and completely on target. It’s hard to disappoint when you follow guidelines as point-blank and directional as these. And better yet, they apply to all forms or writing: blogs, memos, letters, documents, anything.

October 28, 2010 at 12:03 pm

The ‘complex’ title that you described made me chuckle, and effectively got the point across. I have always struggled with keeping my writing concise and clear. Your post offers some great advice to students like me who are looking for ways to work on their writing. Thanks for these tips. I always try to remember to cut out ‘fat’ around my message – excess words that do not really add to the sentence. It’s painful at first, but I can notice the improvement after. Remembering these tips can really help writers stand out, as you have described. Thanks again!

October 28, 2010 at 2:14 pm

These tips go right along with our firm’s motto: “Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Thanks for the reminder.

Maureen Dudley of Dudley & Nunez Communications

November 11, 2010 at 11:39 am

Amazing tips that will give readers a more entertaining copy to read.

November 11, 2010 at 12:10 pm

Good tips. Now if I could just get my clients to read this and follow your advice. Keep it simple and edit, edit, edit. Well written. Thanks for the post!

November 13, 2010 at 3:21 am

Even though I know a lot of this stuff intuitively, I feel it’s really helpful to see it listed so clearly. This is a great article.

November 29, 2010 at 10:39 am

The overwriting part is helpful. I really like this blog. Excuse me I d@#$mn like this blog.

December 10, 2010 at 10:05 pm

I was taught English as a second language. And now I’m excising my writing skills working as an copywriter. These tips are really helpful. 🙂

March 1, 2011 at 10:11 am

That’s a great list. A useful read for anybody who wishes to write well!

April 16, 2011 at 10:20 pm

Dean, I am agree with all of your views. As non-native speaker, we sometimes tend to use some complex, unusual and metaphoric words to make our writing (so-called) standard…But simplicity is the most powerful way in every step of our life… A must-read post… Thanks!

April 23, 2011 at 4:03 pm

I’ve added a couple counter-points to earlier comments. Now I’d like to suggest a #12. Shoot it down if you can.

Of those portions of the world who speak English, many of them speak it only as a second tongue, a language of necessity. It has to do with English speaking people having money and guns and a willingness to use one whenever the other fails to achieve the desired results. Those who read your material in their native language will bring a sense of gratitude and pride to the reading. This can result in sales that would have otherwise been missed.

So, here’s the proposed rule:

Even if you also post in English, do not neglect to post in your native tongue.

April 26, 2011 at 6:09 am

I’ve always found that less is often more. Simple words, short sentences will keep the readers coming back. These are great tips 🙂

April 26, 2011 at 10:40 am

Keep it short. It’s much harder to write a little than a lot. Editing may be harder than writing. Read my blog, The Pragmatic Marketer for insights and tips.

April 27, 2011 at 2:11 am

Excellent tips to be mindful of. Sometimes I tend to write sentences too long. I can see the gist of writing small sentences. Choice.

May 14, 2011 at 10:12 am

I find your advice useful. The article itself followed the rules you outlined. Good articles don’t need to take forever to read.

May 17, 2011 at 4:11 pm

Some fantastic tips in this article especially the passive voice , this is a mistake I always make in writing ,Thank you for sharing.

June 6, 2011 at 9:58 pm

Amazing article, and the Tips are just so juicy and easy to understand.

Thank You very much!

July 26, 2011 at 5:03 pm

Fun fact of the day: ‘utilize’ doesn’t even mean ‘use.’ It means to use in a novel way. If you put cereal in a bowl, you’re not utilizing it. If you put the bowl on your head to use as a guide for cutting hair, you’re probably also not utilizing it – lots of people have done that before. If you put the bowl on your head and then dangle a chain from your ear and pretend to be a lamp, while someone takes a picture, maybe then you’re utilizing the bowl.

So – 90% of the time, if you’re using the word ‘utilize,’ you probably shouldn’t be.

Also – notice the single quotes around the words? Double quotes are for quotations, not emphasis. And, yeah, bold would be better still. Oh, gee! Look at the time!

I feel better now. 🙂

August 21, 2011 at 7:13 pm

I think it all depends on context, though. IMHO, big words can make you seem smarter, if you slip them in amidst a bunch of smaller ones. It’s overkill that murders your prose. Not the use of big words.

Anyway, thanks for this great article. Brevity is not my strong point. I like long sentences. A lot. I have to resist the urge to use them quite often. I fail more often than not, however, and that’s why I must humbly thank you for this perfect article on the subject. Maybe this time the advice will go to heart.

Probably not.

Have a great day, and happy writing!

September 20, 2011 at 7:26 pm

Simplicity is complicated.

October 28, 2011 at 1:39 am

A great post………… important thing is to apply it!

December 5, 2011 at 5:54 am

Rightly said all well put together,Great post.

December 13, 2011 at 12:42 pm

This was overall a very informative article, but I must disagree with you over the title of that study you cited. I believe the authors were using a little tongue-in-cheek humor to further emphasize what they found in their study – I’m surprised you didn’t pick up on that.

December 15, 2011 at 4:53 pm

I should have read this before I started writing and blogging. Now i know exactly what to do and forget about high sounding words that always make me freak out before I even go half way of my articles. I thought and many people think too that using big words is the way to effective writing. Thank you for a very informative article that writers could use to improve their writing.

February 13, 2012 at 5:47 am

I have always used simple words in my copy. But at times you risk being labelled as someone with a limited vocabulary. Cannot help but use some big words to make the seemingly mundane copy better.

February 19, 2012 at 7:50 pm

My argument has always been that even if you can understand all those big words, do you want to wade through them? Especially if you’re working to understand the message itself or follow some instructions. Simple writing is easiest to read and distracts less from the message so it’s great to see these tips available for people wanting to improve their writing.

May 2, 2012 at 11:54 am

Okay, time for a difference of opinion. I don’t agree with this article one-hundred percent. While it’s true that there are good books that are straight to the point, what’s wrong with novels with big words and loads of description? I ask you all to truly think about this. You say we should all use smaller words, less complex words. Well then, why even have those big words in the dictionary if no one uses them? We might as well make our dictionaries simpler if our vocabularies are going to be so. But in the process, I feel, something terrible happens, our lives become a little less rich. So what if novel makes use of big words? Reading words I’m unfamiliar with has done no harm to me, but encouraged me to look through a dictionary to find their meanings. This in turn has enlivened my vocabulary and made my life all the more richer and fulfilling. We should have the intelligence to learn new words, the mental comprehension to do so.

Next issue I have with this article, the need to always write short sentences and never to ramble. Again, why? Some of the greatest literature is incredibly wordy. Let’s take a look at Moby Dick. It rambles on and on. Some people hate, I admit it. But I found the book to be thought-provoking in it’s wordiness. The same goes for Great Expectations. These books, though wordy, allow to really reflect inner-thoughts in a way I have found very meaningful. Books with loads of description, like Lord of the Rings, with tons of sentences, going into detail descriptions on the lands alone, allow me immerse myself in the fantasy land that Tolkien has created, something I find fantasy books with shorter descriptions have not allowed me to do so. There is a poetry to some of these long-winded novels, a beauty.

As I said before, straight to the point novels with little description and smaller words are not bad novels. They can be very good novels. But wanting every novel to be written like that smacks of something the fast food generation wants, something called instant gratification. They want results now, they want their food now. Sometimes I wonder if there is a correlation to the fast food generation to people wanting their novels always simple and straight to the point. To say that novels should only be written one way, which this article seems to be saying, is a disservice to literature and it’s many diverse writers. I ask you all to think it over.

May 2, 2012 at 12:45 pm

Fair enough, Jonathan, except the article isn’t about writing novels — it’s about writing content in service to a business.

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How to Write Brilliant Psychology Essays

• Paul Dickerson - University of Roehampton, UK
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“This book is one I wish I had bought at the start of my Psychology degree.” – Five-star review Essay writing is a key part of the Psychology degree and knowing how to write effective and compelling academic essays is key to success.  Whether it's understanding how to implement feedback you receive on essays, how to stop procrastinating or what makes an effective introduction, this book covers it all. Drawing on insights derived from teaching thousands of students over a 25-year period How to Write Brilliant Psychology Essays provides the keys that will unlock your writing potential.

Ace your Assignment  provide practical tips to help succeed

Exercises  help try the theory out in practice

Take away  points highlight the key learnings from each chapter

Online resources  provide even more help and guidance.

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Paul Dickerson, Emma McDonald and Christian van Nieuwerburgh discuss  study skills, wellbeing and employability  and explore   how university lecturers and student welfare teams can better  support Psychology students  through their university journey.

Students enjoyed this text - they found it easy to read and the author's dry sense of humour appealed to many. Not just for psychologists!

A really useful guide for students, breaking down the components of what constitutes a good essay and written from a subject-specific view - highly recommend

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Writing Dazzlingly Brilliant Essays: Useful Tips for Ambitious Students

Writing essays is not only a challenging task but it also an important exercise in a student’s educational life since it brings forward the best in a student.

With regular practice of essay writing, students are often able to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses. But while you are already writing great essays, how do you write brilliant ones? You can make use of some practical tips and techniques which will help you write impressive essays always.

Read Essays Written By Others

Your writing style is subconsciously picked up from the books you have read. You can improve your essays consciously by reading well-written essays written by others including those written by academics experts and some well-known authors to develop and better your own style.

Don’t restrict yourself to the subjects you have to write in. Read essays on a wide variety of topics so that you will understand and learn about the different ways these are written in.

Different disciplines may use different ways in which arguments are stated and also the techniques which you could adopt to further develop your skills.

You should also be critical and ask yourself questions about how good you think these are if the arguments have been made well, if these are balanced and supported with evidence, if the writer has used some techniques you may never have thought of.

Once you try to incorporate all these points, you will be able to write better.

Words That Help Develop an Argument

You are counted among intelligent individuals when you do not repeat words and are able to use them effectively while making your arguments.

You need to avoid repeating words/using the same words like ‘also’. Use alternative words like ‘moreover’, ‘furthermore’, ‘however’, etc.

The reader will readily read your essay as he/she will be impressed with the wide and effective use of vocabulary.

Develop Your Vocabulary – Express Better

You need to have an understanding of how to play with words when you write. Once you become familiar with more words and their meanings, you will be able to express yourself much better.

You will be able to state your arguments in a much better manner. Your essays will have an economy of words which is a sign of good essays and make the job of your tutor easier.

A good and wide vocabulary will help you express yourself much more clearly, you will be more accurate as you state your arguments effectively.

You should never stop learning new words and the different ways you could express these. There are various ways in which you could increase your vocabulary.

• Subscribe to various services such as – ‘A.Word.A.Day’ or ‘word of the day’ on your email id.
• Keeping a dictionary comes in handy. You can refer to it for words you do not know the meanings of.
• Build your vocabulary by learning how to use prefixes, suffixes, and roots.
• Make use of the thesaurus
• Have your own vocabulary book

Syntax, Punctuation and the Tone of Voice

Sentence structure plays an important part in your writing. A sophisticated sentence structure is the best way to display your intelligence.

Use a range of interesting syntax and make sure that the reader will be able to understand the sentence you have written.

Sentences could be either too short or long, however, it should not be too long otherwise the reader could find these difficult to read.

Proper punctuation makes it easier for a user to read sentences and also helps in conveying your arguments effectively.

It is important to pay attention to grammar as well since poor grammar will affect the quality of your essay. Also, the reader should be able to understand the sentence when he/she reads it the first time.

The tone of voice should be related to the subject you are writing about. It should maintain an interest in the reader to continue reading the text further.

If the tone of voice is improper, the reader may be bored reading your essay. The formal and academic essay could be made interesting to read with a confident tone and it will also assure readers that you know what you are writing about.

It is also important that you always write in the active voice. This way your essay will be understood by the reader more effectively.

Go through your essay and make the changes from a passive to an active voice. You will yourself realize the difference it makes to your essay.

Include What Other Scholars and Writers Say

Many other scholars and writers would have already written on the subjects/topics you are going to write about. You can prepare a notebook wherein you can make a note of the views of such people. It will come in handy for you when you write your essay.

You could add your opinion when you quote and include what others have said. This way you will be able to exhibit your intelligence and reasoning skills, which are the hallmarks of brilliant students.

Using the Elevator Pitch

Salespersons often use the elevator pitch technique whereby they persuade people to buy the products they are selling.

They make the shortest possible summary which is an argument in favor of the product so that you could buy the product.

The salesperson has to state his/her argument within the time an elevator may take to reach a certain floor and it should either convince the customer to buy the product or at least want to know more about it.

The elevator pitch for your essay should be such that the readers should be convinced to read through the entire document.

Though it may be difficult, you can write this as a summary which could be the introduction to your essay. This will also help you when you write the essay as you have understood the subject well and know what you wish to say.

This will also help you when you write the essay as you have understood the subject well and know what you wish to say.

By following these tips and techniques, you will definitely be able to write brilliantly dazzling essays as well as improve your writing skills.

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• Writing Tips

How to Write an Excellent Essay Introduction

3-minute read

• 27th September 2022

Love it or hate it, essay writing is a big part of student life. Writing a great essay might seem like a daunting task, especially when you’re staring at a blank document, but there are formulas you can follow to make sure your paper hits the mark.

When you plan your essays , don’t neglect your introduction! It might seem like a trivial part of the paper, but it can make it or break it. A badly written introduction can leave your reader feeling confused about the topic and what to expect from your essay.

To help your writing reach its full potential, we’ve put together a guide to writing an excellent essay introduction.

How to Write an Essay Introduction

An essay introduction has four main steps:

●  Hook your reader

●  Provide context

●  Present your thesis statement

●  Map your essay

Hook Your Reader

The first part of your introduction should be the hook. This is where you introduce the reader to the topic of the essay. A great hook should be clear, concise, and catchy. It doesn’t need to be long; a hook can be just one sentence.

Provide Context

In this section, introduce your reader to key definitions, ideas, and background information to help them understand your argument.

Present Your Thesis Statement

A thesis statement tells the reader the main point or argument of the essay. This can be just one sentence, or it can be a few sentences.

Map Your Essay

Before you wrap up your essay introduction, map it! This means signposting sections of your essay. The key here is to be concise. The purpose of this part of the introduction is to give your reader a sense of direction.

Here’s an example of an essay introduction:

Hook: Suspense is key for dramatic stories, and Shakespeare is well-known and celebrated for writing suspenseful plays.

Context: While there are many ways in which Shakespeare created suspension for his viewers, two techniques he used effectively were foreshadowing and dramatic irony. Foreshadowing is a literary device that hints at an event or situation that is yet to happen. Dramatic irony is a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character’s words or actions is clear to the audience or reader, although it is unknown to the character.

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Thesis statement: Foreshadowing and dramatic irony are two powerful techniques that Shakespeare used to create suspense in literature. These methods have been used to keep the reader intrigued, excited, or nervous about what is to come in many of his celebrated works.

Essay mapping: In this essay, I will be detailing how Shakespeare uses foreshadowing and dramatic irony to create suspense, with examples from Romeo and Juliet and Othello.

Pro tip: Essays take twists and turns. We recommend changing your introduction as necessary while you write the main text to make sure it fully aligns with your final draft.

Proofread and Editing

Proofreading is an essential part of delivering a great essay. We offer a proofreading and editing service for students and academics that will provide you with expert editors to check your work for any issues with:

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• 9 Ways to Write a More Original Essay to Impress Your Teachers and Improve Your Marks

As a bright student who aspires to the upper echelons of the university league tables and the highest degree classification, you’re naturally going to want your essays to stand out from the crowd.

You should also read…

• How to Write Dazzlingly Brilliant Essays
• 9 Fun and Easy Ways to Improve Your Writing in Your Spare Time

Faced with the same essay question and reading material, it’s likely that there’s going to be a significant degree of conformity among the essays produced by your classmates. Having read the same literature or scholarship, everyone tends to end up writing much the same thing – which must get rather boring for the person marking it! If you want to reach the top marks and impress your teacher or lecturer, as well as developing your own knowledge of the subject and cultivating your capacity for original thinking, you need to start writing more original essays. So how do you make yours a bit different, so that it gets noticed? Here are a few tips to give you some inspiration.

1. Choose an obscure topic

2. Defend a minority opinion

If you can’t find a suitably obscure topic to write about that’s within the limits of the brief you’ve been set, your other option is to argue the case for an opinion that deviates from the standard accepted one. For extra brownie points this could even be your own theory, providing that you have a reasonable amount of evidence to support it, and providing that you also consider other opinions in your essay. Be careful with doing this, as you could risk making a fool of yourself if you choose to defend a widely discredited opinion with lots of evidence stacked against it. If you do choose this tactic, brainstorm all the possible objections or responses to it and pre-empt them in your essay. This way, as the person marking your essay reads through it and starts to think, “But what if…?” or “and how about…?”, you’ll have a response ready and waiting for them. This will show that you’ve thought about it in considerable depth, adding weight to your argument and proving that you’re someone with the intellectual curiosity to explore new ideas.

3. Read obscure scholarship

If you read the same material as everyone else, the chances are fairly high that you’ll end up writing a very similar essay to everyone else. While you should certainly not disregard the material on your reading list – far from it – you can do a little extra reading outside the prescribed literature and impress your teacher or tutor with your additional knowledge. If you’re not sure where to start with finding other things to read, here are some good sources of information and advice: – Your teacher or tutor – the easiest way to get a few extra ideas for additional reading material is to ask your teacher or tutor. They should be willing to provide you with this, and you’ll also score some more brownie points upfront by asking in the first place. A word of warning, though: if you’ve asked for extra reading material, they’ll probably be expecting to see evidence in your essay that you’ve read it! So be careful you don’t shoot yourself in the foot. – Footnotes – these are a great place to look for additional (relevant) reading material by scholars or writers who’ve been cited somewhere in the text, but who may not have been on your original reading list. The author and title of the publication should be included in the footnote, with more details in the bibliography at the back. – Ask the librarian – though the librarian isn’t going to know every single piece of scholarship in the library like the back of their hand, they may be able to point you in the direction of some other publications that may contain relevant material. – Google search – though you should try to avoid using the internet for performing actual research , it could prove useful in locating some scholarship on the subject you’re writing about. If you read a Wikipedia article, the points made in the article should have clickable footnotes for supporting evidence; click on them, and you’ll jump to the bottom of the page for details of where this point came from. Then you just need to look up the book or article, either in the library or online (if you search the title of the publication, you might be able to find a digital version available to read online).

4. Try a different structure

If you’re struggling to find something original to say in the actual content of your essay, you could instead try experimenting with a different structure to the one you imagine your peers will be using. Particularly at A-level, you’ll find that what you’ve learned in class, and the way in which the questions are worded, makes a particular structure suggest itself straightaway. Rather than going with your first inclination, you could perhaps experiment with a different way of structuring it. That doesn’t mean you should dispense with the conventions of an introduction and conclusion, of course. Trying a new structure just means thinking outside the box when it comes to how you deal with the evidence you have available to discuss. Doing something different with the structure should capture the interest of the person marking it – but do make sure it’s for the right reasons, rather than because your argument is all over the place!

5. In English Literature, compare your set text with others

If you’re asked to write an essay about the set text you’re working on, it can be difficult to come up with something original. You and your classmates will probably be regurgitating the same interpretations given to you by your English teacher, and although this is an opportunity to come up with your own original interpretations, it’s not always possible to think of something that hasn’t already been thought of. A possible avenue for writing something a bit more original in this situation is to add in some comparisons with between the set text and other literature of the same author or period, or upon which your set text may have had an influence. For example, say you’re studying Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Unless they’ve been instructed otherwise, your classmates are probably going to stick exclusively to talking about this specific book. So, to be more original, you could bring in other works by Orwell, as well as other dystopian fiction  likely to have been influenced by Orwell. An example of a phrase you might use could be, “This is an idea Orwell had touched on four years previously in Animal Farm …”. Or, “This idea was to have a profound influence on Margaret Atwood, who developed the idea decades later in The Handmaid’s Tale ”. Try not to shoehorn references to other works into your essay just for the sake of it; only include them where it would develop your argument further, or add some context. Done properly, referring to other texts in this way helps make your essay more original at the same time as impressing the person marking it with the breadth of your knowledge.

6. Include photographs, charts and other illustrations

Provided they don’t detract from the words, visual illustrations could be another way to add originality to your essay. While you’ll need to be careful that they don’t come across as trying to divert attention away from an ill-formed argument in the writing itself, illustrations – such as charts, graphs, tables, photographs, diagrams and so on – can be a great way to support the text and make the overall essay more rich and interesting. Carefully thought-out visual features such as these can be an extremely effective way of conveying information, and, if nothing else, will certainly give your teacher or lecturer something of a break in the monotony of essay-marking!

7. Use more advanced language and syntax

Making use of a good vocabulary and employing advanced sentence structures are ways in which you can make your essay more linguistically original. What’s more, rather than aping the written style of whichever author or scholar you happen to be reading at the time, make sure you write in your own voice. That doesn’t mean you should write conversational English; it simply means that you need to find your own tone of voice and communicate confidently in it. The reader needs to feel that you know what you’re talking about, so confident use of language, in particular the effective use of sophisticated words and more advanced syntax, are crucial. Your essay shouldn’t read as though you’ve had a thesaurus next to you while you were writing it and replaced all the simpler words with more complicated ones; but a cleverly delivered under-used word will give a good impression.

8. Use an analogy

This tip may not be applicable to all essays, but one way of making your essay more original is to explain a complex concept using an analogy. An analogy, simply put, is when you compare one thing with another to help explain something. Most students will battle on with trying to explain something with a straightforward definition. However, if you can find a simpler way of explaining it using an analogy, then you may be able to summarise the concept far more effectively. For example, the pressure with which water escapes from a bucket with a hole in it can be used to explain exponential decay in radioactive substances. In both cases, the rate of a consumptive process depends on how much there is left of whatever is being depleted, which results in an exponential rate of decay. Drawing comparisons in this way takes advantage of the reader’s existing knowledge of something else to explain something new to them. Providing your analogy doesn’t become too tenuous, this is a sure-fire way to deliver greater originality in your essay.

9. Give your own opinion

Many students are so absorbed in writing about the opinions of other people that they forget to include anything of their own. This gives you an easy way of making your essay more original than theirs, by including your own opinion. You should avoid using the pronoun “I” too much (the received wisdom is that you should never say it, but there is a time and a place in my view), and your essay shouldn’t revolve around it; but there’s certainly nothing wrong with giving your own intelligent responses to the things you’ve read. Doing so shows a genuine interest in the subject, and it’s unlikely that your classmates will have made such an effort as this. With a little extra effort and thought, it’s relatively easy to make your essay stand out from the crowd. Is it worth putting in this extra elbow grease? Absolutely. You’ll be rewarded with good academic references, a deeper knowledge and, ultimately, better grades.

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From Boring to Brilliant: How to Write Original and Unique College Essays

Table of contents

How often do you find yourself stuck in a creative rut trying to come up with interesting and unique college essays? Your essays might be a dull read, lack inspiration, or fail to make a memorable impact.

There could be several reasons behind this, such as struggling with writer's block, feeling rushed to meet deadlines, or simply not being confident in your writing abilities.

Whatever the reason, college professors go through thousands of essays, and the last thing they want is to read the same old thing over and over again.

What does originality mean in an essay?

Originality means coming up with a fresh perspective on a well-known topic. It’s about presenting your ideas in a unique way that captures the reader's attention. It’s not about reinventing the wheel. Instead, it's about finding a new angle to approach a topic that has already been discussed.

Why is originality important?

Originality is important because it sets you apart from other students and showcases your creativity. College professors read several essays, and having one that stands out and sticks in their minds can make a big difference. Additionally, originality can demonstrate your ability to think outside the box, which is valuable in any field.

Now that it has been established why originality is important, the question is: How can you infuse originality in your college essays? In this blog post, we'll explore how to write original and unique college essays that will leave a lasting impression on your readers.

1. Brainstorm on how to approach it differently

A common mistake that many students make is fixating on what they believe is the standard approach. This results in generic essays that fail to stand out.

To make your essay unique, brainstorm ideas on how to approach it from a different perspective. Think creatively, draw from your personal interests, and share your distinct experiences to make your essay stand out.

For example, instead of writing about a common topic like climate change, you could focus on how climate change affects something important to you, like the coral reefs in your hometown.

By exploring your own interests and using your unique experiences, you can bring a genuine sense of passion and authenticity to your essay. This will make it different from what other students are writing and will grab the attention of your readers.

2. Deviate from the standard accepted opinions

College professors value students who can think critically and express their own opinions. Therefore, when writing essays, don’t be afraid to deviate from the standard opinions and take a different stance on a topic.

One way to make your essay stand out is by challenging the conventional beliefs that most people share. For instance, let's say the majority of people believe that technology has negatively impacted social interactions.

Instead of following the crowd, you could choose to argue that technology has actually enhanced communication and fostered new forms of connection in our modern society. By challenging conventional beliefs and presenting a fresh perspective, your essay would undoubtedly stand out from the crowd and captivate the attention of your readers.

Always ask yourself: Can I offer a fresh perspective? Can I approach the same topic from a unique angle?

3. Generate new, creative ideas

Originality is key when writing college essays. Try to generate new ideas that have not been written about before.

To produce original ideas, you can get inspiration from literature, historical events, or current events. Read widely and research extensively to find new, innovative ideas on the topic.

For instance, let's say you're asked to write an essay on the effects of social media on society. Instead of rehashing the commonly discussed points, you could explore how social media has influenced political movements throughout history by examining cases such as the Arab Spring or the Black Lives Matter movement.

By delving into these real-life examples and drawing connections to the broader impact of social media, you can provide a unique and thought-provoking analysis that sets your essay apart.

Having trouble coming up with creative angles or ideas? This is where our expert essay writers can help . In addition to writing, citing, and proofreading essays, they are also involved in the research and brainstorming process, helping you take your essays from boring to brilliant.

4. Use metaphors and analogies to make it vivid

Figurative languages like metaphors and analogies are powerful tools that can make your essay stand out from the crowd.

They breathe life into your essay and make it engaging and memorable for the reader. You can always use them to make your essays interesting and capture the attention of readers.

For instance, instead of simply stating that you are interested in pursuing a career in medicine, you can make it memorable by using a metaphor to describe your passion: " My desire to become a doctor is like a flame that never dies out, constantly fueled by the joy of healing and helping others. "

However, be sure to use metaphors and analogies sparingly so they don't overshadow the main message of your essay.

5. Incorporate personal experiences

Personal experiences are a great way to illustrate your points and make your essay more relatable. They add depth and credibility to your writing and are an excellent tool for conveying your message.

To make your essays unique, use personal anecdotes to show how you felt and what you learned from the experience. When you share your feelings, challenges, and eventual success, it not only makes your essay more interesting but also offers real proof of the ideas you're supporting.

For example, let's say you're writing an essay about the importance of perseverance. Instead of relying solely on general statements, you can share a personal anecdote about a time when you faced a significant challenge and overcame it through sheer determination.

Remember: Your personal experiences are special to you, and when you present them in a compelling way, they can create a bond with your readers and make your essay stand out from the rest. This is another reason why it’s a bad idea to use AI for writing essays.

6. Get creative with storytelling

Storytelling is the essence of creative and original writing.

Your essay should highlight your experiences, and what better way to showcase that than through storytelling?

Make it stand out by telling a personal story that shows your unique perspective. You can also use vivid imagery, anecdotes, and descriptive language that engages the reader more.

Personal stories could include how you overcame a difficult obstacle, a significant moment in your life that shaped you, or a turning point that led you to where you are now. Your story should reflect who you are and what you value in life.

How do you fix dry writing?

One way to fix dry writing is to start by conducting thorough research on the topic and gathering relevant and interesting facts. Once you’ve gathered your information, you can use creative writing techniques, like metaphors, similes, or other literary devices, to make your writing more engaging.

7. Add humor to make it interesting

An essay that can make people laugh is an essay that captures attention and leaves a lasting impression.

When writing, try to add humor whenever possible to make the essay interesting to read . It also shows that you aren't afraid to be vulnerable.

For instance, let's say you're writing a personal narrative about a funny mishap you experienced while traveling. By sharing humorous details and showcasing your ability to laugh at yourself, you not only bring entertainment to your readers but also reveal your willingness to embrace moments of vulnerability.

However, be careful to use wit and humor wisely while ensuring it aligns with the overall tone and purpose of your essay. It needs to enhance the essay and not detract from the main message.

8. Do not plagiarize

One of the best ways to ensure your essay is unique is to write it from your perspective. Avoid copying and pasting other people’s work, and don’t steal ideas because they’ll be easily recognizable by the professor.

If you use sources for research or inspiration, ensure you cite them properly. Also, cite direct quotes, and if you’re unsure of a particular phrase’s origin, it's best to rephrase it.

Plagiarism in any form — whether from websites, books, or other students— is a serious offense that can lead to dire consequences, including expulsion from the college. That’s why your essays should always be completely original and authentic.

9. Ask for feedback

Before submitting your essay, ask someone else to review it to get a fresh perspective. 

This person could be a teacher, friend, or parent. Choose someone you trust who will keep your best interest in mind and give constructive feedback.

Listening to someone else’s input can help you identify areas that need improvement, and you can make the necessary changes for your essay to stand out.

How do I make my writing not cringe?

Your writing can make you cringe if you lack confidence in your writing or lack understanding of your audience. It might be helpful to read your essay aloud, and if something makes you cringe, change it.

Additionally, always consider your audience when you write. Use a formal tone and avoid slang or overly casual language. Lastly, be sure to edit and proofread your work thoroughly to avoid any embarrassing mistakes.

Writing a unique college essay requires time, effort, and dedication. However, it always pays to be creative and unique rather than lost in the large pool of similar essays. With the right approach and mindset, you can easily transform your boring writing into something brilliant and engaging.

Always strive for originality and make an effort to write in a distinct manner that sets you apart from your classmates. Additionally, infusing your essays with your unique personality can make them truly outstanding and earn you high scores!

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How to Write Brilliant Psychology Essays

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How to Write Brilliant Psychology Essays

• Paul Dickerson - University of Roehampton, UK
• Description

“This book is one I wish I had bought at the start of my Psychology degree.” – Five-star review Essay writing is a key part of the Psychology degree and knowing how to write effective and compelling academic essays is key to success.  Whether it's understanding how to implement feedback you receive on essays, how to stop procrastinating or what makes an effective introduction, this book covers it all. Drawing on insights derived from teaching thousands of students over a 25-year period How to Write Brilliant Psychology Essays provides the keys that will unlock your writing potential.

Ace your Assignment  provide practical tips to help succeed

Exercises  help try the theory out in practice

Take away  points highlight the key learnings from each chapter

Online resources  provide even more help and guidance.

Should you need additional information or have questions regarding the HEOA information provided for this title, including what is new to this edition, please email  [email protected] . Please include your name, contact information, and the name of the title for which you would like more information. For information on the HEOA, please go to  http://ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html .

We hope you'll consider this SAGE text. Email us at  [email protected] , or click here to find your  SAGE rep .

SAGE 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, CA 91320 www.sagepub.com

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Paul Dickerson, Emma McDonald and Christian van Nieuwerburgh discuss  study skills, wellbeing and employability  and explore   how university lecturers and student welfare teams can better  support Psychology students  through their university journey.

Students enjoyed this text - they found it easy to read and the author's dry sense of humour appealed to many. Not just for psychologists!

A really useful guide for students, breaking down the components of what constitutes a good essay and written from a subject-specific view - highly recommend

I have recommended this to my first year tutorial groups as it provides them with everything they need to know about producing an excellent psychology essay.

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How to Write Brilliant Psychology Essays 1st Edition

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"This book is one I wish I had bought at the start of my Psychology degree." – Five-star review Essay writing is a key part of the Psychology degree and knowing how to write effective and compelling academic essays is key to success.  Whether it′s understanding how to implement feedback you receive on essays, how to stop procrastinating or what makes an effective introduction, this book covers it all. Drawing on insights derived from teaching thousands of students over a 25-year period How to Write Brilliant Psychology Essays provides the keys that will unlock your writing potential.

Ace your Assignment  provide practical tips to help succeed

Exercises  help try the theory out in practice

Take away  points highlight the key learnings from each chapter

Online resources  provide even more help and guidance.

• ISBN-10 152649731X
• ISBN-13 978-1526497314
• Edition 1st
• Publisher SAGE Publications Ltd
• Publication date January 21, 2021
• Language English
• Dimensions 7.5 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
• Print length 328 pages
• See all details

Editorial Reviews

About the author.

Paul Dickerson is Associate Professor at the University of Roehampton where he has taught for more than 25 years. His research has predominantly adopted a qualitative approach and has largely focused on issues of talk and interaction. He has previously written How to Write Brilliant Psychology Essays  also published by Sage. Paul has written this book to enable you to immerse yourself in the exciting world of social psychology, to see its relevance in everyday life - as well as to support you in questioning its findings.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ SAGE Publications Ltd; 1st edition (January 21, 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 328 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 152649731X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1526497314
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.71 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches

About the author

Paul dickerson.

Don't read this if you prefer mediocre essays and uninspired psychology.

If you are still reading thank you!

The Social Psychology: Traditional and Critical Perspectives book aims to bring social psychology alive for you. How?

*By applying it to our world of AI, pandemics, troll farms and emojis.

*By evaluating the ideas that are covered - and supporting you in your evaluative writing.

*By including the broadest range of different perspectives - without losing depth of engagement.

The How to write Brilliant Psychology Essays book supports you in writing brilliant essays and doing brilliantly in your exams. How?

*By showing you what makes a brilliant essay.

*By showing you how to upgrade your writing in detailed steps.

*By tackling procrastination, critical evaluation, conclusion writing, unseen and seen exams and much more.

I have been teaching psychology to undergraduates and postgraduates for more or less, well, forever and I think these books can really help you to reach your full and amazing potential. BUT - if you prefer mediocrity please do not go any further, put the books down and step away carefully - they're not quite right for you.

Wishing you all success and joy

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What I’ve Learned From My Students’ College Essays

The genre is often maligned for being formulaic and melodramatic, but it’s more important than you think.

By Nell Freudenberger

Most high school seniors approach the college essay with dread. Either their upbringing hasn’t supplied them with several hundred words of adversity, or worse, they’re afraid that packaging the genuine trauma they’ve experienced is the only way to secure their future. The college counselor at the Brooklyn high school where I’m a writing tutor advises against trauma porn. “Keep it brief , ” she says, “and show how you rose above it.”

I started volunteering in New York City schools in my 20s, before I had kids of my own. At the time, I liked hanging out with teenagers, whom I sometimes had more interesting conversations with than I did my peers. Often I worked with students who spoke English as a second language or who used slang in their writing, and at first I was hung up on grammar. Should I correct any deviation from “standard English” to appeal to some Wizard of Oz behind the curtains of a college admissions office? Or should I encourage students to write the way they speak, in pursuit of an authentic voice, that most elusive of literary qualities?

In fact, I was missing the point. One of many lessons the students have taught me is to let the story dictate the voice of the essay. A few years ago, I worked with a boy who claimed to have nothing to write about. His life had been ordinary, he said; nothing had happened to him. I asked if he wanted to try writing about a family member, his favorite school subject, a summer job? He glanced at his phone, his posture and expression suggesting that he’d rather be anywhere but in front of a computer with me. “Hobbies?” I suggested, without much hope. He gave me a shy glance. “I like to box,” he said.

I’ve had this experience with reluctant writers again and again — when a topic clicks with a student, an essay can unfurl spontaneously. Of course the primary goal of a college essay is to help its author get an education that leads to a career. Changes in testing policies and financial aid have made applying to college more confusing than ever, but essays have remained basically the same. I would argue that they’re much more than an onerous task or rote exercise, and that unlike standardized tests they are infinitely variable and sometimes beautiful. College essays also provide an opportunity to learn precision, clarity and the process of working toward the truth through multiple revisions.

When a topic clicks with a student, an essay can unfurl spontaneously.

Even if writing doesn’t end up being fundamental to their future professions, students learn to choose language carefully and to be suspicious of the first words that come to mind. Especially now, as college students shoulder so much of the country’s ethical responsibility for war with their protest movement, essay writing teaches prospective students an increasingly urgent lesson: that choosing their own words over ready-made phrases is the only reliable way to ensure they’re thinking for themselves.

Teenagers are ideal writers for several reasons. They’re usually free of preconceptions about writing, and they tend not to use self-consciously ‘‘literary’’ language. They’re allergic to hypocrisy and are generally unfiltered: They overshare, ask personal questions and call you out for microaggressions as well as less egregious (but still mortifying) verbal errors, such as referring to weed as ‘‘pot.’’ Most important, they have yet to put down their best stories in a finished form.

I can imagine an essay taking a risk and distinguishing itself formally — a poem or a one-act play — but most kids use a more straightforward model: a hook followed by a narrative built around “small moments” that lead to a concluding lesson or aspiration for the future. I never get tired of working with students on these essays because each one is different, and the short, rigid form sometimes makes an emotional story even more powerful. Before I read Javier Zamora’s wrenching “Solito,” I worked with a student who had been transported by a coyote into the U.S. and was reunited with his mother in the parking lot of a big-box store. I don’t remember whether this essay focused on specific skills or coping mechanisms that he gained from his ordeal. I remember only the bliss of the parent-and-child reunion in that uninspiring setting. If I were making a case to an admissions officer, I would suggest that simply being able to convey that experience demonstrates the kind of resilience that any college should admire.

The essays that have stayed with me over the years don’t follow a pattern. There are some narratives on very predictable topics — living up to the expectations of immigrant parents, or suffering from depression in 2020 — that are moving because of the attention with which the student describes the experience. One girl determined to become an engineer while watching her father build furniture from scraps after work; a boy, grieving for his mother during lockdown, began taking pictures of the sky.

If, as Lorrie Moore said, “a short story is a love affair; a novel is a marriage,” what is a college essay? Every once in a while I sit down next to a student and start reading, and I have to suppress my excitement, because there on the Google Doc in front of me is a real writer’s voice. One of the first students I ever worked with wrote about falling in love with another girl in dance class, the absolute magic of watching her move and the terror in the conflict between her feelings and the instruction of her religious middle school. She made me think that college essays are less like love than limerence: one-sided, obsessive, idiosyncratic but profound, the first draft of the most personal story their writers will ever tell.

Nell Freudenberger’s novel “The Limits” was published by Knopf last month. She volunteers through the PEN America Writers in the Schools program.

What to Write Memoirs About: Uncovering Your Most Compelling Stories

By: Author Valerie Forgeard

Posted on May 13, 2024

Categories Writing

Deciding what to write about in a memoir involves a deep and reflective process.

A memoir provides a canvas for individuals to weave the tapestry of their lives into a narrative that resonates with universal truths and personal wisdom. It differs from an autobiography in that it generally focuses on a specific theme, period, or series of events within one’s life, encapsulating not just what happened, but the introspection and growth resulting from those experiences.

Effective memoirs often home in on transformative moments that have shaped the author’s identity, beliefs, or life trajectory.

The journey of writing a memoir can be as cathartic as it is daunting. It requires the author to sift through the myriad of memories, selecting those that contribute most profoundly to the story they wish to tell.

Topics can range from overcoming adversity, to personal triumphs, to the simple yet profound tales of everyday life. The magic of memoirs is not found solely in the exceptional nature of an author’s experiences but in the honesty, vulnerability, and authenticity with which they share their story.

Anyone can write a memoir; it does not necessitate fame or extraordinary circumstances. The key is to unearth the core lesson of one’s experiences and to reveal how they have come to understand their place in the world.

By focusing on truthful self-expression and learning, memoirs become significant not just to the author, but also to readers who may find aspects of their own lives echoed in someone else’s story.

Understanding the Memoir Genre

The memoir genre invites readers into the intimate life experiences of the writer. Here, truth and theme interlace to unveil a personal journey.

Defining a Memoir

A memoir is a non-fictional narrative that reflects on the experiences of the author. It’s often characterized by its focus on personal memories, emotions, and insights, rather than a chronological account of the author’s life. This genre hinges on the veracity of the recounted events and the thematic coherence that ties individual stories into a larger narrative. Memoirs aim to share more than just facts; they seek to convey deeper truths about the human experience.

Memoir vs. Autobiography

While often used interchangeably, memoirs and autobiographies are distinct genres.

An autobiography typically covers the author’s entire life, from birth to the present in a sequential manner. In contrast, a memoir usually zooms in on specific aspects or periods, offering a more introspective look.

Memoirs often centralize around a particular theme or series of related events, focusing on the emotional truth and the lessons learned, rather than the broad sweep of a life.

Ultimate Objectives of Memoir Writing

The goal of writing a memoir is two-fold: to share one’s life stories through the lens of personal experience and to resonate with readers on a universal level. They often explore themes that are relatable to a broader audience, such as identity, love, loss, or growth.

Memoirs provide insight into the human condition, emphasizing emotional honesty and a search for deeper meaning. Authors of memoirs distill their life’s complexities into narratives that not only document facts but also articulate the underlying human truths they represent.

Planning Your Memoir

When writing a memoir, effective planning is crucial to establish a clear path from memories to manuscript. This process involves careful contemplation of theme , focus, and structure to ensure that the narrative resonates with readers and faithfully represents the author’s experiences.

Selecting a Central Theme

The central theme acts as the memoir’s backbone, providing coherence and depth to the story.

One must identify a theme that not only captures the essence of their experiences but also engages and offers value to the reader. It might reflect a significant life lesson or a transformational journey — a common thread that binds the narrative into a compelling read.

Narrowing Your Focus

To narrow the focus, writers must sift through their life experiences to find moments that best illustrate their theme. This often involves a rigorous process of selection, ensuring that each anecdote or detail directly contributes to the theme and overall narrative. Focusing too broadly can dilute the memoir’s impact, while a well-honed focus can offer intense insights into a specific aspect of one’s life.

Structuring Your Narrative

The narrative structure dictates how the memoir unfolds for the reader. Chronological order is one common approach, inviting readers to journey through the author’s life as events occurred. However, alternating timelines, framed narratives, or thematic structures can be equally effective.

The chosen structure should serve the theme, facilitate the desired pacing, and make it easier for readers to follow the memoir’s progression. Writers should consider how different structures might enhance or detract from their story’s central message and reader engagement.

Developing the Content

When creating a memoir, the author must focus on integrating their backstory with a unique perspective, maintaining a balance between honesty and elements of fiction, and chronicling their personal journey of growth.

Incorporating Backstory and Perspective

The writer’s backstory sets the stage for the memoir, providing context and depth to their narrative. One should select pivotal events that shaped their character and perspective, ensuring these moments are intertwined with their current outlook . It’s important to establish how past experiences influence present decisions and perceptions.

Balancing Honesty and Fiction

A memoir should be anchored in truth , yet the use of fiction techniques can enhance its readability. Writers need to balance being honest about their experiences with crafting a compelling story. This might involve reimagining dialogues or condensing timelines while staying true to the essence of real events.

Detailing the Journey of Personal Growth

The memoir must capture the author’s personal growth , mapping how they have evolved over time.

Readers should see clear transformation points that indicate the protagonist’s development. Sequences of challenges and triumphs, failures, and lessons learned should be illustrated to portray an authentic journey.

Crafting a Compelling Story

In the construction of memoirs, the essence lies in the balance between recounting life events and weaving a narrative that captivates from start to finish. A memoir must transcend the bounds of a simple retelling of facts to offer readers an evocative journey through vivid characters, emotional depth , and perpetual engagement .

Creating Vivid Details and Characters

A compelling story thrives on vivid details that breathe life into the narrative. Writers should employ specific descriptions and use rich, sensory language to paint a thorough picture of both settings and characters.

By doing so, they build a tangible world that readers can visualize and characters they can relate to. Through character development the writer imparts not only the characteristics and quirks of the individuals but also their growth over time, which adds a layer of authenticity and humanity to the memoir.

Building Emotional Journey and Conflict

At the heart of a memoir is the emotional journey ; without it, the story risks falling flat. Readers are drawn to the emotional experiences of the author, from triumphs to failures. Introducing conflict , both internal and external, adds tension and drives the narrative forward. The writer’s job is to carefully map this journey, exploring the intricate interplay of emotions and the conflicts that necessitate personal growth or change. This process involves identifying critical life events and relaying how these experiences shaped the author’s emotions and outlook.

Maintaining Reader Engagement

To keep readers invested, a memoir must continually maintain engagement . This is achieved by pacing the story well, using elements of foreshadowing, and weaving in thematic elements that resonate with the reader’s own experiences.

Strategic placement of hooks at the end of chapters can compel readers to turn the page, and ensuring that the stakes are clear can heighten investment in the story’s outcome.

In the writing process , authors must be ruthless editors, cutting superfluous material that could detract from the narrative thrust. Maintaining a clear and focused theme throughout can also help to keep the reader engaged, drawing them deeper into the layers of the story being told.

Influential Memoir Examples

In examining influential memoirs , one can explore powerful narratives of personal discovery and resilience. These works stand as testaments to the indomitable human spirit in facing life’s adversities.

Cheryl Strayed’s ‘Wild’

Cheryl Strayed’s memoir, ‘ Wild ‘, is a raw and honest tale of a woman on the brink of a life unraveled. After losing her mother and her marriage, Strayed tackles the Pacific Crest Trail, a journey that is as much about healing her broken spirit as it is about conquering the wilderness .

Joan Didion’s ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’

In ‘ The Year of Magical Thinking ‘, Joan Didion addresses the sudden passing of her husband and the critical illness of her daughter. Her narrative is a powerful chronicle of grief and a poignant examination of the human capacity to make sense of tragedy.

Paul Kalanithi’s ‘When Breath Becomes Air’

‘ When Breath Becomes Air ‘ is the profound memoir of Paul Kalanithi , a neurosurgeon faced with terminal lung cancer. Reflecting on his journey from doctor to patient, he offers an evocative look at what makes life worth living in the face of death.

Overcoming Writing Challenges

In memoir writing, the journey from a concept to a completed book is often fraught with emotional and cognitive hurdles. The challenges of addressing sensitive topics and sustaining the momentum through the writing process are especially pronounced.

Handling Sensitive Subjects with Care

When dealing with grief or other delicate subjects, a writer must tread lightly but with purpose. They should aim to capture the essence of their experience while respecting the feelings of those involved. Using empathetic language and seeking consent from others who are part of the story can be integral for maintaining honesty and integrity in their narrative.

Staying Motivated and Overcoming Writer’s Block

Consistency is key in the writing process . Writers commonly hit snags, losing the drive to continue or encountering writer’s block. To overcome these moments, setting daily writing goals or engaging in prompts found on resources like Authority Self-Publishing can spark creativity.

Additionally, joining a writing group may provide the support and accountability needed to push through these challenges.

Writers should remember that these hurdles are a natural part of crafting a meaningful memoir and can often lead to deeper insights and a stronger connection with their audience.

The Publishing Process

After crafting a memoir , an author must navigate the intricate publishing process to ensure their story reaches the shelves. This involves selecting a suitable publisher , utilizing strategic marketing, and potentially engaging with literary agents .

Finding the Right Publisher for Your Memoir

Finding a publisher that aligns with the author’s vision and audience is crucial. Authors should research to identify publishers with a history of memoirs that resonated with readers and offered supportive editing and distribution services. For those interested in traditional publishing routes, understanding the preferences of publishing houses can be vital. Meanwhile, independent writers may consider self-publishing as a viable alternative, granting them more control over the publishing process.

Marketing Your Work to Reach a Wider Audience

Effective marketing is essential for memoirs to sell and garner public attention. Authors might strategize by crafting compelling book descriptions , organizing book tours, and engaging with audiences on social media platforms. The importance of having other people read and review the work before its final release cannot be understated, as early feedback can enhance the final product and spark word-of-mouth promotions.

The Role of Literary Agents in Memoir Publishing

Literary agents act as intermediaries between authors and publishers. They can be instrumental in negotiating contracts, selling the book to publishing houses, and providing industry insights for authors writing a memoir . While not mandatory, having a literary agent is particularly beneficial in traditional publishing, where their network and expertise may increase the chances of a successful memoir sale.

Learning from the Masters

In the pursuit of writing memoirs, aspiring authors can gain invaluable insights by studying the works and advice of veteran memoirists. These experienced writers showcase techniques for effectively conveying personal stories that resonate with readers .

Insights from Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’

Stephen King’s “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” serves as a seminal book for anyone looking to master the art of writing .

King emphasizes the importance of honesty in memoir writing, advocating for a straightforward approach that presents life events without embellishment. He also touches upon the handling of grief in literature, illustrating how personal losses can deeply influence narrative voice and thematic depth.

Tara Westover’s Reflections in ‘Educated’

Tara Westover’s “Educated” is a stirring account of self-transformation against all odds, providing a powerful narrative on the pursuit of knowledge and identity. Westover’s reflective prose underscores the necessity of rigorous self-examination in memoirs.

She presents a template on how writers can dissect their past, even when it is fraught with tumultuous relationships and harrowing experiences, to share profound lessons learned.

Roxane Gay’s Contributions to the Memoir Field

Roxane Gay has become a pivotal figure in contemporary memoir writing with works like “Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body.”

Gay’s approach to memoir encompasses a raw exploration of personal trauma and body image . Her contribution lies in candidly portraying personal experiences, encouraging writers to face uncomfortable truths and confront societal taboos with courage and clarity.

Through examining the methodologies of these powerful writers, one can learn to craft a memoir that not only tells a story, but also leaves a lasting impact on its readers.