How to plan out writing of an essay?

University courses English & Journalism
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Starting an essay can be daunting for English literature students, with numerous ideas swirling around. Not to mention, that we tend to write way more essays than students of other majors. Planning is key to success, ensuring all essential points are covered.

  1. Creating a Structure: Before writing, establish a basic structure outlining what the essay will cover. Determine the number of body paragraphs needed to support the argument, typically 5-6 for a 1500-word essay.

  2. Brainstorming or Freewriting: Write down ideas and questions, organizing them into a rough outline. Review lecture notes and readings to identify main ideas.

  3. Constructing a Detailed Outline: Transform messy brainstorming into a neat outline, focusing on the introduction, topic sentences, evidence, and conclusion. Ensure alignment with the essay prompt provided by the instructor.

  4. Example Essay Plan: Create a linear plan tailored to the essay question, such as analyzing the role of citizen diplomacy in mitigating interstate relations.

  5. Correct Order: Begin writing body paragraphs first, leaving the introduction and conclusion for later stages. Utilize university resources like writing centers for assistance.

  6. Breakdown the Essay: It’s way easier to focus on writing just 375 words than a full 1500-word essay, right? So whenever you’re tasked with writing an essay of any length, break it down in!

So, remember, essay planning streamlines the writing process, making it more manageable for English literature students. If you have a plan that you follow when approaching writing any essay, it makes it easier for you to finish your essays way before the deadlines. So, no stress, and great productivity guaranteed!

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i always brainstorm, it gets the ideas flowing! i also recommend doing practice essays and getting them marked by a professor if possible. its great practice

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i always struggle with breaking down essays because i feel like it has to all be one continuous flow if that makes sense but then i procrastinate doing the whole thing :joy:

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All great advice and very helpful for anyone stuck when writing an essay. For me the starting point has usually been brainstorming I pretty much always used mindmaps and then place these points into a structured list for each essay section :smile:

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I’ve got a nanomaterials essay due in two weeks, I might take you up on these tips!!

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Thanks for this advice, Kat. Even in final year I really struggle with essay writing!

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Speaking from experience, having a notebook to write down a plan for each essay section was a game-changer for me. It’s like putting your ideas in order, following the structure, and making the whole process way smoother

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This is so helpful because for some reason my university at least expects us to be able to write an essay without any help on how to structure it or go about writing it in case of them providing extra imformation and adding bias. Will definitely be using this if I have to do another essay!

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