How to Write a Better Essay

Writing is a central aspect of every-day life. You can barely go a day without reading something: a textbook, a street sign, an advertisement. Making this everyday part of life into a work of art isn’t easy; it takes practice and development. Authors can improve their writing by focusing on clarity, concision, and -- in analytical writing -- relating the actions of the characters back to the intentions of the author.

1: Clarity

One of the most important aspects of good writing is clarity. Writers should search for the words and phrases that most clearly convey the intended message. For example, take the following sentence: “She degrades the other half of the relationship” (Hummel, “Macbeth Essay”).  The phrase, “The other half of the relationship,” is awkward and confusing to the reader-- it’s not a commonly used term. To improve clarity, the author could use “her partner” or, in this case, “her boyfriend.” Small changes like this, formed by reorganizing sentences and paying close attention to diction, help drastically improve an author’s writing.

2: Concision

Keeping sentences concise is another easy way to improve writing. Diction comes into play here, because it’s important for authors to use the words that best fit their needs. In other words, authors should convey their messages in the shortest way possible; don’t use a three syllable word if a one syllable one works just as well, and don’t use three words when you could use only one. An easy way to improve concision is by reducing “to be” verbs. In the sentence, “The story is centered around a young man” (Hummel, “Short Story Essay”), “is centered” could be replaced with simply “centers.” This change makes the sentence less wordy, and therefore easier for the reader to digest. The “to be” verb doesn’t offer any additional meaning to the writing, se we can just get rid of it. Another example of poor concision is displayed in the following sentence: “This powerful novel compels the readers to examine the repercussions that our actions cause” (Hummel, "Station Eleven"). The phrase, “the repercussions that our actions cause” is far more wordy than is necessary. It could be replaced with, “the repercussions of our actions,” which makes the sentence not only more concise, but it improves clarity as well. Concision is an important aspect to keep in mind while writing, as it decreases wordiness and allows for the writer’s point to get across more easily.

3: Blame the Author

This is a less commonly addressed way of improving your writing, but it goes a long way. Especially when writing analytical pieces, try to attribute the author, rather than the writing itself. Avoid “victim blaming.” As in gender violence cases, it’s easy to blame an assault on the victim, because of how she was acting or what she was wearing. But really, violence is at the fault of the aggressor, not the victim. This idea can connect to writing, as well. As a writer, try to  connect aspects of the writing-- both good and bad-- to the author. This concept is shown correctly in the following sentence: “Through Hawkins, O’Connor  explores the role of politics in the destruction of individual identities” (Hummel, “Short Story Essay” ). The short story “Guests of the Nation” is written by Frank O’Connor, and one of the characters is named Hawkins. Hawkins is not necessarily exploring anything, and neither is “The Guests of the Nation.” By attributing the action to the author, the writer makes the author’s actions seem intended and forces the reader to look at the work in a different way. The choices that the author makes are purposeful, and it is up the reader to find the author’s intention.

It is not easy to suddenly improve writing. It takes time, persistence, and attention to detail, but improving clarity, increasing concision, and attributing actions and ideas of characters to their authors are all beneficial ways for a developing writer to improve. These three tips help writers get their messages across to a wider audience, so that their thoughts, views, and opinions can be widely heard and understood. These tools are useful inside and outside of English class, from personal writing to everyday conversations and interactions with others.