Writing is bloated with choices. In academic writing, most of those choices are made by the instructor. The style, length, structure, and subject area to be covered by the essay are, in most cases, detailed in the assignment. It is typically up to the student to decide on a specific topic to write about within the subject area and to narrow that topic down so that it can be covered effectively in an essay paper.
Three tools that students can use to sharpen their essay skills and generate ideas are: brainstorming, asking questions, and building coherence.
Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a powerful way to develop essay topic ideas. An individual or group can brainstorm ideas by listing everything they know about their subject. It is critical for students to let their ideas flow freely; they should not pause to evaluate their ideas. When the list is complete, students should organize it by finding ideas that are similar or related to each other and putting them into categories.
Asking Questions
A student can find an ideal topic for an essay by asking questions about the general subject. He or she should begin by examining the specific wording of the question or assignment that the instructor provided. They should define all the important nouns and verbs and rephrase the question in their own words. Questions usually emerge during this process and, as the student answers them, the main idea of the essay will form. Questions may also arise during brainstorming that a student will want to explore for the essay.
Building Coherence
Students who seek essay writing help often struggle with generating ideas because they do not know when or if they have come up with an idea about which they can they can write a cohesive essay. Cohesion (or coherence) is achieved when the sentences in each paragraph are closely related to each other and when the ideas in the paragraphs are closely related to the essay’s main topic. The easiest way to create coherent writing is through the use of connecting words, or conjunctions.
Students can also use conjunctions to find strong essay topic ideas. To do this, students first make a list of conjunctions and divide them into categories. Then, they create sentences that combine the essay’s subject area with each conjunction. If students write a sentence or two relating each conjunction to the assigned subject, they will quickly have a list of well-focused ideas to write about.
For example, if the instructor has assigned an essay discussing Oedipus Rex as a tragic hero, the student would finish the sentence, “Oedipus Rex is a tragic hero because…”. This conjunction, because, requires that the student explore why or how Oedipus is a tragic hero.
All writers, at some point, have difficulty finding ideas to write about. By learning how to use tools such as brainstorming, asking questions, and building coherence, students will quickly overcome this difficulty and hone their essay skills.
References
Moore, Michael D. A Writer's Handbook of Current English. Gage Educational Publishing Company, 1988.
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