Essay writing takes time, planning, editing, proofreading and when a writer does all of these things the majority of what they write will be easy to understand. The sentences will flow together and the reader will not be left with unnecessary questions or feel confused after they finish reading what has been written.

The first thing a writer needs to do is to focus on the thesis sentence and focus on what it is that the paper will be about. The thesis sentence should be at least three to four sentences and must be concise so the rest of the paper can be expanded on the thesis sentence. Without a thesis sentence the paper will end up being random sentences that go nowhere and will make no sense.

The second thing to do before writing the paper is to make an outline. There should be research on the subject that is being written about. Write down questions to be answered in the paper and make sure that everything that is put in the paper is referenced. It is not right to use another person’s words without referencing them. Once the outline is complete the next step is to write the paper.

The third step in writing is to stay focused and follow the outline step by step as the paper is written. Answer all of the questions on the outline. If a writer finds themselves going away from the outline this will make the paper unclear. The grammar and sentences will not flow and soon the whole idea of what the paper is to be about is lost in the confusion.

The fourth step when the paper is completed, the writer has now come to the conclusion of the paper and it is now time to bring everything together. To be able to summarize in three to four sentences of what the paper is actually about.

The fifth and last essay writing step is for the writer to proofread the whole paper out loud without stopping. In a day or two read the paper again out loud and check for any grammar errors, sentence fragments and any place where the structure of the sentences do not flow. Be sure to check for spelling errors. Once the writer is completely satisfied with the paper, check it one more time and turn in the paper. This might feel like a boring process but it is essential for two reasons: first, there are usually marks awarded just for presentation and these can be as much as 5% of the total marks available for the assignment. Second, proofreading and editing is an important skill that you will need throughout your career, and it won't be long before you use it again - when you come to write your CV!

Follow these five easy steps and the dreaded essay writing process will become a lot easier over time!