Everyone can write the perfect essay.
The ideas are inside your child’s or student’s brain just waiting to be put on paper in a form that everyone can read.
The following is an excerpt from the book Instant Learning for Amazing Grades.
Schools and home-schools require essay writing, so do colleges and college entrance exams, so, why not learn a few simple tips to make essay writing easy?
Below is a template, followed by 8 additional easy steps on how to write the perfect essay in 8 easy steps, every time.
How to Write the Perfect Essay in 8 Easy Steps
1) The Topic
Write down the topic you are writing about – simple, straightforward
Example: Amazing Grades
2) Brainstorm
Brainstorm ideas that someone interested in your essay topic is also interested in.
This helps you think of related ideas.
Examples:
- Motivating yourself instantly
- Cut learning time in half; higher grades in 14 days
- High-Performance Memory Strategies
3) Title
Select a title for your essay – like, Tips for x, or Top 10 Things You Must Do If You Want Y, etc.
Example: How to Create Higher Grades in 14 Days Using Your Child’s Personal Learning Style
4) Grab the Reader’s Interest
Pretend your reader knows absolutely nothing about your topic.
What is the first sentence you would use to pique their interest?
Perhaps it might be a question or a simple statement.
Example: Would you like to have higher grades in 14 days?
5) Elaborate Your Point
Keeping in mind your title, explain why you are taking the position you did, or why you believe your claim to be valid.
This is the part where you use as many facts to support your idea as possible. Write several sentences using some of the brainstorms you had in step 2.
Example: Learning can be difficult, but you don’t have to do it alone.
Many learning experts say that learning is not about being smart – it’s about strategy.
These experts show you how with xxx…
6) Do You Need an Introduction?
After you’ve written your supporting ideas and facts, go back and ask yourself if you would like to write a short introductory paragraph.
7) What About a Conclusion?
Then ask yourself if you would like to write a conclusion tying everything together.
8) You Did It!
Congratulate yourself – you’ve just written an excellent essay!
Writing the perfect essay is a matter of building up your skill level a step at a time.
Once you have fallen into the rhythm of the template above, you can step up your essay game!
8 More Easy Steps to Write the Perfect Essay, Every Single Time
Step One – Picture Perfect Summary
First, create a Picture Perfect Summary.
Put your title/main idea in the center of the page, make a circle around it, and write down all the ideas and keywords about your topic that you can think of.
Use one branch off the circle for each main idea.
You’re brainstorming at this point, so just write down any ideas that come into your mind.
(That’s how I write magazine and news articles and books too)!
Step Two – Find Your Keywords
Look over your Summary of ideas and keywords.
Organize them into groups.
Make sure that each group reflects the topic or question that you’re writing about.
Step Three – The Beginning, Middle, and End
Divide your groups into the three main parts of the essay – the beginning, middle, and end. Your opening has to be snazzy to make your reader want to read more.
The middle develops and supports your main topic.
Back everything you say up with facts, quotations, evidence.
The end will give a clever answer or summary to the original question or idea that you started with and tie up those loose ends.
Step Four – Your First Draft!
Draft your essay – get on the computer and start in the middle.
That’s how I wrote this book!
Give each idea its own paragraph, don’t worry about style and spelling at this point.
You can check this later.
Your Picture Perfect Summary is your guide. Use all the ideas that you decided were important.
Step Five – Then the Ending
Now proceed to write the ending.
Make sure it sums up your answer/summary to the main topic/question. Look back at the draft of the middle.
Write down the 5 or 10 most important keywords.
Find the shortest way to link them together – this is your ending.
Step Six – Now the Beginning
Now, draft the beginning. It will be the overall big picture of what you’re going to say.
There’s an old saying from my college days English class: Tell ’em what you’re going to say, tell ’em, tell ’em what you said!
This beginning is essential to set the stage – make sure it’s catchy and makes the reader interested in what you have to say.
Once you have the body and conclusion of your essay completed, you already have the big picture in your mind.
This makes writing the introduction much easier because you know what you’re going to be talking about in the rest of the piece!
Step Seven – Get Some Rest!
Now, go to bed and get some rest. Give the ideas a chance to process in your brain. Tomorrow you’ll notice a few more points to talk about and think of additional ways to say things.
Step Eight – Edit
Author, Colin Rose, says, “EDIT – Excellent Draft, Inspirational Text”… read the whole essay aloud to yourself.
Audio record it if you can. Does it sound logical and convincing? You are on your way to understanding how to write the perfect essay.
Are your examples bringing your ideas to life? Check the beginning – is it awesome? Does it make sense?
Edit the beginning, middle, and end – check spelling and grammar. Have someone else proofread it too. Now check the middle. Did everything you said relate to the main topic or question? Is it convincing?
Go to your ending. Edit it – is it punchy? This is the place to really put on your thinking cap. Did you really convince your reader??
Polish up how the essay looks – Is it neat, organized, well written?
Are you satisfied that it does the job you started out to do?
Only you can be the judge of this.
Your essay reflects how you think – do you like the way it came out? If so, turn it in. Now you know how to write the perfect essay in just 8 easy steps.
Now I’d like to hear from you!
Did you find these steps helpful?
Do you think you can now write the perfect essay, every time?
Drop me a line and let me know!
Pat Wyman is the CEO of HowtoLearn.com and an internationally noted brain coach known as America’s Most Trusted Learning Expert. She has helped over half a million people in schools and corporations such as Microsoft, Intel and Google improve their lives with her learning strategies, learning styles inventory and courses, such as Total Recall Learning™.
Her superpower is helping people learn, read and remember everything faster. Pat is the best-selling author of more than 15 books and is also a university instructor, mom and golden retriever lover!
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