What you need to know about starting an essay

Starting an essay comes with its anxiety. Even the best writers try so hard to begin with the right words, so much so that before settling for the opening sentence, tons of crumpled paper containing drafts will be seen littered on the floor. 

With the decline in reading culture over the years, a book is now very often judged by its cover, especially when it comes to essay writing. If the opening paragraph does not interest the reader, all other content is discarded. 

Although the beginning sentence or paragraph is the first step in fascinating a reader, subsequent paragraphs also play a key role in maintaining the reader’s interest. In light of this, it is necessary to begin each paragraph with captivating words. 

Good starting words for an essay and its transitory body include: according to, considering, moreover, and furthermore. Other words for starting essay examples are: likewise, on the contrary, however, alternatively, conversely, notably, compelling, persuasive, and so on. These words and phrases could be used either in the opening sentence or in the body of the essay.

This article will outline tips you can use to keep your readers intrigued when starting an essay. The tips would help you grab the reader’s attention and keep them hooked on your article.

How to start your essay

Just as there are effective listening and communication skills, so too are effective writing skills. Knowing when and where to include certain words and phrases will guide you in making a magnificent opening paragraph.

• Begin with a fascinating fact

You might consider starting your essay with an interesting fact. This might come as statistical information, which would make readers interested enough to want to read further. If you are making a statement based on statistics, you could begin the sentence with “according to,” or you could directly state the statistics. 

Ensure that the statistical fact you choose is in-line with your topic to avoid confusing your readers.

• Begin with a question

Beginning by asking a question acts as an invitation to the reader. This allows the reader to ponder the question. In this way, you have effortlessly begun grounding their minds in the topic. 

When asking questions, it is advisable to ask only those to which the reader can directly relate. Doing this creates an engagement between you and your reader, where the reader is actively engaged in the reading process.

• Begin by creating a drama

A bit of drama is a great way to captivate your readers when starting an essay. Start by visualizing a scene, and effectively putting that visualization into writing, while simultaneously casting it into the minds of your readers. 

Dramatization is often used in creative essays or when you write for persuasion. Nevertheless, starting an essay with a dramatic scene that relates to the topic will certainly keep your readers hungry for more.

• Begin with a quote

One of the most powerful ways to begin an essay is to open the first paragraph with a quote. Look out for words of wisdom that directly relate to your essay topic.

The following tips might be helpful when choosing the perfect quote to begin your essay with: Avoid using frequently used quotes; quote someone saying something no one would expect; research the context of the quote to avoid misuse; appropriately introduce the quote; ensure that you use quotation marks for every quote; ensure that the quote is appropriately attributed; link the quote to your thesis; and finally, when using a long quote, use only a fragment, rather than the whole thing.

Conclusion

There are various ways to start an essay. However, writers often look for the most captivating ways. Some examples include starting an essay with a question, a story, an amusing fact, a joke, or even starting an essay with a quote. Irrespective of the starting style a writer picks, the ultimate goal is to deliver content that the reader enjoys.

A most common mistake, often made by applicants, is the shift in focus from simplicity to complexity. Instead of paying attention to simplifying your essay according to your reality or feelings, numerous candidates, in a bid to impress, make the mistake of choosing big words.

This article aims to provide you with scholarship essay tips and prompts to assist in your quest to gain the scholarship of your dreams. By implementing the above tips and prompts, you will become familiar with the right scholarship essay format, and also how to end a scholarship essay.

Scholarship essay writing prompts

Outlined below are the major scholarship essay prompts. They will act to assist you in drafting your essay.

1. How will getting this scholarship assist you?

Your response to this should be one of three things: professional assistance, academic assistance, or financial assistance.

If a scholarship will assist you financially, include this in your essay by stating the trials and difficulties you have encountered without adequate funding and how the scholarship will provide you with the capacity to purchase materials necessary for your development in school.

If it helps professionally, then state in your essay what your dream job has always been. You could as well highlight how important it is to you and your family that this dream is actualized.

If it assists you academically, explain that the capacity to pay your fees would allow you to focus completely on improving your performance at school and enable you to get the highest grading level possible.

2. In what ways have you positively impacted your community?

Your level of commitment to social service is a very serious deal when applying for scholarships. The organizations or NGOs who organize the scholarship program expect that you respect people and service. This should therefore be reflected in your writing.

Begin by mentioning the projects you have actively engaged in, together with the activities you volunteered for. Briefly expand on your experience while sharing your involvement process.

Furthermore, explain how the scholarship will enable you as a professional (mention your field of study) to contribute to society.

3. Talk about yourself

Due to the open-ended nature of this prompt, you might get stuck and confused about what to say. Try your very best to write accurate information about yourself, which gives just enough to pique the interest of the scholarship board members.

Write about things you find interesting, things that motivate you, your passions, ambitions, academic and personal goals, and the reason you chose to pursue that particular career. Describe your positive traits, soft skills, and “people skills.” Furthermore, include your accomplishments and failures so far, and what each of these high and low stages of your life taught you.

4. Talk about why you think you deserve the scholarship

There are probably a thousand candidates registering for the same scholarship, so why pick you? At this point, make a strong case stating why you believe that you deserve the scholarship. 

Provide a summary of your passions, goals, response to challenges, background, traits, and accomplishments, and end by linking them all up to why you believe you should be granted the scholarship.

Tips for writing essays for scholarships

• It should be double-spaced.
• Stay away from fancy font styles and large font sizes.
• Rather than using indents, leave a space before beginning a paragraph.
• Consider including an intriguing title to pique your reader’s interest.
• Before writing, carefully read the rules and requirements.

Conclusion

When thinking of how to start a scholarship essay, remember that simplicity and honesty are two key factors that will make you be distinguished and create a story that is uniquely yours. Rather than search for already existing essays you can rewrite, knowing the right scholarship essay prompts and using them as a guideline to write yours will assist you in successfully writing your scholarship essay.

Over the years, it has been discovered that this decline is neither as a result of a sudden lack of skills nor of commitment issues. It can be measured in two ways: the first being by the amount of time that has passed without writing, and the second being the amount of time that has passed without progress on a current task.

Why can’t I write anymore?

For some writers, writer’s block manifests as an impediment to finishing a book or an article; for others, it manifests as a lack of motivation to write anything at all. Just as it is with workers who experience burnout, this condition can last from a few days to many years if left unattended.

Some causes of this condition might include: a fear of failure, a need for perfection in all things, excessive criticism, extreme pressure from fans or acquaintances, other medical conditions, and unrealistic expectations. One or more of these causes is the reason you find yourself dealing with writer’s block. 

Although this condition cannot be medically diagnosed, it must be treated to prevent future mental health challenges. This article attempts to offer valuable tips on how to get rid of writer’s block.

Tips to help you write again

Overcoming creative block requires energy, time, and patience. The same way people exercise to maintain health, all writers, both those suffering from this condition and those who aren’t, are expected to engage in wholesome writer’s block exercises to prevent the occurrence of the condition and cure those already suffering from it. 

Below are some ideas for writer’s block. They would help you in your quest to write again and guide you in learning how to write when you have no ideas.

• Improve your workspace

Your environment has a significant impact on your mental well-being. Enhance your workspace with a bit of decoration or an acquisition of gadgets that make your writing easier. 

Many writers work from the comfort of their homes. This makes renovation and enhancement easy. The right atmosphere might be all you need to resume writing again.

• Set a writing time

Very often, burnout occurs as a result of stress and fatigue, which comes from engaging in multiple activities. As much as you are a writer, there are other things which might keep you busy. 

In a bid to regulate your daily activities and consciously manage your time, it is necessary that you set a specific time dedicated only to writing. Consistently develop the habit of doing this according to your schedule.

• Read

Reading is a conscious act that increases focus and keeps you inspired. Read up on whatever genre you find interesting. It could be a poem, or a brief essay.

Whichever material you choose to read, your mind will certainly be consciously or unconsciously prepared, as you pen down your own words and gain inspiration.

• Don’t be afraid to take a break

It is okay to take a break for a while, to visit your favorite country, go on tours, take long strolls, explore cities and simply just breathe. Make an effort to engage in relaxing activities that will help you to relax and focus.

Conclusion

How do writers come up with ideas? This question is frequently asked by fans of famous novelists and writers. The truth is, they get their ideas from anything and everything. Inspiration could come from a TV series, dreams, music, nature, acquaintances, and families. 

The process of regularly converting these inspirations into soul-touching words requires expert mental articulation, which can sometimes become straining. When faced with these strains, the above steps can help writers tackle this problem.

Informative essays integrate other essay types; they could be descriptive, narrative, expository, or argumentative, depending on the contexts of informative essay topics provided. Because this kind of essay is not subjective, some people find it a bit difficult to write without including persuasiveness. 

Some informative essay examples include:

• writing to provide information on how to choose the best fishing destinations in a particular country;
• writing about the effects of procrastination;
• writing to inform your readers about current stock market prices; and so on. 

Because most people do not know how to write an informative essay, the need to provide guidelines has become necessary. Before diving into the basic tips for writing an informative essay, it is important to outline the basic writing steps for this type of writing.

Steps to writing an informative essay

The pattern for writing various essays differs according to context. While some may argue that an outline is unimportant, on the contrary, an informative essay outline provides you with step-by-step guidelines on how to start an informative essay and develop your paragraphs. Below are the outlined steps:

1. Begin with a paragraph of the introduction.
2. Prepare your background information.
3. Write an informative essay thesis to describe your aim.
4. Write a transitory sentence soon after to begin the body.
5. Start the first body with a topic sentence with your first major idea.
6. Include statistical data.
7. Insert a transitional sentence.
8. Begin your second point with an introductory topic sentence.
9. Provide information.
10. Repeat for the third and fourth (if any) paragraphs.
11. Write a transitory paragraph leading to the conclusion.
12. In the final paragraph, summarize the body of your essay.
13. The thesis statement for an informative essay is a vital part of the essay and should be rewritten.
14. Include your closing remarks.

Tips for writing an accurate informative essay

When writing an informative essay, three basic steps are essential. These steps include: selecting your topic, researching, and brainstorming. The tips needed to complete these steps are explained below.

1. Gain an understanding of your assignment

The first step to writing anything accurately is to understand the requirements. Following or refusing to follow instructions plays a major role in your grades. If it is an assignment, it is expected that you read through the instructions and understand the parameters. 

Keep an eye out for formatting techniques. These include font size and style, number of subheadings, and citation method, amongst other requirements. Furthermore, it is important to keep in mind the deadline for submission.

2. Select a topic

For some students, a topic is provided. For others, it is expected that you generate your topic about a theme or requirement. Selecting a topic can be a bit tricky if you have a wide range of options to choose from.

When selecting a topic, ensure that it aligns with the audience you intend to target. Pick a topic that will neither be too broad nor too narrow. If you have been asked to select a topic, consider it an opportunity to choose that which interests you the most.

3. Conduct your research

An integral part of an informative essay is information, and this comes from research. Making thorough research can be difficult. However, selecting a topic that interests you would help you in the area of research. 

Filter out irrelevant, unreliable, and repetitive content, as this would only reduce your grades. To keep in mind all your research, you might also want to take notes. While doing your research, remember to keep track of your sources for reference purposes.

4. Brainstorm

Mull over your ideas to gain more perspective. Look out for missing pieces, take out your notes, and brainstorm. This will help you find connections you probably never saw while doing your research, thus assisting you in generating your ideas.

Conclusion

An informative essay is one written to either describe a term, make comparisons, evaluate information, or offer guidelines. Generally, this type of essay aims to answer the 5 W’s: Who, When, Why, Where, and What. In addition to this, it also answers the question of ‘how’.