How to Practice and Improve Your Essay Writing Skills

Like any other skill, writing demands some practice and perfecting if you want to escape mediocrity and become an exceptional writer. Don’t fall under a misconception that some students are born as great writers and others are not. Mastering this skill takes some time, persistence, and effort.
Whether you want to improve your writing skills for yourself or you wish to improve your grades, the following tips will help you to achieve that.

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This can go without saying but it is crucial to mention that without reading, it will be much harder to improve your writing skill. Consider reading as a practice for your future writing.

There are more to reading than just learning new vocabulary.

Reading different genres and styles of writing will introduce you to various methods of writing and allow you to uncover new ideas.

You will also realize with time how you will absorb a more refined writing style which will be influenced by the constant exposure of great literature.

Aim for Uniqueness

Really great writers always find a way to differentiate themselves from the masses. If you want to be noticed, you need to find a way to express your voice in an original way.

You can do this by trying out different techniques and applying them to your writing. Here are some suggestions on how you can modify your writing:

• Become more conversational by including questions in your writing
  
• Change punctuation and add a dynamic rhythm
  
• Focus on soundbites that will linger in the reader’s minds
  
• Cook up fresh metaphors to make abstract concepts concrete
  
• Play with mini-stories
  

Whatever you decide to do, just make it your own and don’t be afraid to experiment. However, keep in mind that you are writing an academic paper so you need to adapt your style accordingly.

Critically Analyze the Evidence

Academic writing usually revolves around the main thesis that needs credible evidence to support your claims.

It is crucial that you keep in mind the main argument so that you don’t go off course. It can be tempting to add some interesting information from a credible source that is not that related to the subject but you should always aim to strictly write about information that justifies your main argument.

You should always question the evidence you want to include. This will keep you in the right direction.

Ask yourself one repeating question, "Does this directly support my thesis?" If the answer is yes, you found your evidence, but if the answer is no, keep looking.

If you need some help with classifying your evidence, you can always search for some online writing service such as Get Academic Help to help you out.

Get a Second Pair of Eyes

While you may think that your essay is perfected after you have read it a few times and have finished with proofreading and editing, there is a better way to double check your writing.

It is hard to look at your own essay objectively. You will never be able to spot some weak spots in writing that you did.

That is why it would be of great help if you can get someone to quickly read through your essay and tell you what you need to change.

With each suggestion and correction, you’ll learn what you need to work on and which aspect of your writing needs improvement.

Do a Quick Exercise Before the Exam

Here is a five-minute exercise you can do right before the exam or at home before you start writing the essay.

Take a piece of paper and just write anything that comes to your mind for a few minutes. However, do try to form your thoughts so that it sounds like you are writing an essay.

The reason why this is a great trick is that you’ll get in the zone and prepare your mind for writing.

It has probably happened to you too that you have a hard time starting the essay but once you do, the thoughts just keep coming.

This simple exercise will help you to skip that part because you’ll already start with writing just before the exam and get that beginning block out of your system.

Over to You

There is no definition of what makes a great writer. However, what is certain is that high-quality writing demands hard work and a lot of practice.

Don’t be too critical and allow yourself to make mistakes.The important thing is that you keep trying and with these helpful tips you’ll have a direction in which your writing should go.