Writing your first essay can be as stressful as preparing for your first kiss, don’t you think? In fact, everything is not so difficult. The main thing is to understand what an essay is and to learn the steps to writing one yourself. DuoKnows Homework Helper is ready to share some handy tips to make this task a bit easier for you. 

What is an Essay? 

Imagine that an essay is a sandwich. It looks like a simple dish, but in reality, not everyone can make it tasty. This is a text that includes your thoughts on a certain topic. The bread is an introduction and a conclusion. Your juicy arguments and facts are the fillings in the middle of a sandwich. Don’t forget about seasoning your dish; add the research part to your essay. Also, always keep it organized, or your teacher might not give you a good grade!

What are the Main Components of an Essay?

The main parts of any essay are the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. 

➡️ The introduction grabs the reader’s attention. It should be interesting and give the teacher an idea of what the text is about. It’s like a movie trailer; it should make people want to read the whole essay.

➡️ The body explains your points. You provide examples and explanations for each of your key points. Think of each paragraph as a mini-essay.

➡️ The conclusion wraps everything up. This part of the essay summarizes your main points and explains why they are important. It’s perfect when it leaves the reader with something to think about. 

Essay-Writing Checklist: From Topic to Final Draft

What Types of Essays Exist? 

• Narrative essay: tells the story of your personal experience. 
• Compare or contrast essay: looks at the similarities and differences between two things.
• Argumentative essay: tries to persuade a reader to agree with some arguments.
• Persuasive essay: tries to convince a reader of something.
• Descriptive essay: describes an object, a place, or an experience.
• Cause essay: explains why some events took place and what comes next.
• Critical essay: interprets a piece of literature, a work of art, or a situation.
• Analytical essay: proves the author’s theories and explains some facts.

Three Things Not to Do While Writing an Essay 

1. Don’t start your paper with a cliché quote that everyone knows. 
2. Don’t start with complicated language and purple prose. Don’t use too many adjectives, adverbs, or metaphors.
3. Don’t reference yourself in the third person as if you’re someone else.

Three Things You Should Do While Writing an Essay:

1. Make the reader intrigued in a good way. 
2. Use your real voice, like you normally talk.  
3. If you’re stuck, go to a different part and come back later.

Things to Pay Attention to in the Instructions from the Professor

• Make sure you understand the prompts and the main question of an essay.
• Formatting guidelines: citation styles, headers, and the type of font.
• Word count: minimum and maximum word count. 
• Deadlines and time for revision.
• Additional sources: your professor may provide extra resources to use. 

So, writing your first essay isn’t too hard. It’s like making a sandwich, you just need to know what goes where. Need more help? Ask DuoKnows experts. 

And hey, tell us how your first essay went on our Reddit page. We can’t wait to read your story!