how to force myself to write an essay

Table of Contents

• 1. Don't Confuse Motivation with Passion

2. Outline First

3. create small, attainable goals, 4. make it a daily practice.

• 5. Don't Be Perfect—Vomit on the Page

6. Focus on the Reader

7. practice self-care, 8. announce the book, 9. recognize and face your fear, 9 ways to boost your writing motivation (that actually work).

No one wakes up every single day with the motivation to write —not even Authors with major bestsellers under their belt (like me).

There will be days when you simply don’t feel like staring at a blank page.

As someone who’s been there, here’s my writing advice : push through and do it anyway.

Even on the days when you don’t feel like it. Otherwise, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of procrastination.

One day of “not feeling like writing” can easily turn into 2, then 10…until eventually, you give up entirely.

I’ve seen so many Authors give up the first, second, or even third time they tried to write a book—mostly because they lost their motivation and gave in to procrastination or fear.

If you want to publish a book , you have to dig deep and find the motivation to write every single day. Even if it’s terrible. Even if you hate it.

The only way to become a better writer—and to finish your book—is to push through those hard moments.

Here are 9 proven ways to motivate yourself to write—even when you don’t want to.

9 Proven Ways to Motivate Yourself to Write

1. don’t confuse motivation with passion.

Forget everything you’ve ever learned about writing “out of passion.” If you wait to feel passionate about what you’re writing, you’ll never finish writing your book.

You can’t rely on passion. It comes and goes too easily. You’re not going to feel passionate every single day.

The same goes for writing inspiration. There’s rarely a bolt of lightning that makes the words flow.

Writing is hard. That’s why a lot of aspiring Authors give up before they’ve finished their first draft.

Motivation doesn’t always mean loving what you’re doing. Sometimes it means digging your heels in and just doing it.

For example, I don’t always love going to the gym, but I do it anyway. And in the end, I’m glad I did (after I’m done).

Don’t confuse passion for motivation.

It’s okay to write when you don’t “feel motivated” if what you really mean is, “I’m not stoked about doing this right now.”

You don’t have to be stoked about it. You just have to start writing.

If you feel passionate, that’s great. But don’t expect more of yourself than necessary.

If you’re writing, you’re motivated. Period. You’re doing it.

At its core, writing is just communicating ideas. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.

Of course, you want the ideas you capture to be relevant to your book. That’s why you should always outline first—so you can capture all your ideas about a specific section before you move on to the next one.

Then, when you do sit down to write, you’ll already have all the relevant ideas gathered. That makes things a lot easier.

An outline is also your greatest defense against fear and writers’ block . It’s a lot harder to get stuck when you’ve got a roadmap guiding the way.

Scribe’s suggested outline is different from the one you might have learned in school. It’s not a bullet point list of every step of the argument.

We’ve found that traditional outlines aren’t flexible enough for most Authors. Plus, sometimes, you can’t get to that level of detail until you’re actually in the middle of writing.

What makes our outline different is that it’s designed specifically to help you write your book.

In fact, our writing process has helped thousands of Authors write successful nonfiction books. It works.

All it takes is 3 simple steps:

• Brainstorm your chapters
• Make a table of contents
• Fill in the outline structure with your chapter’s hook, thesis, supporting content, stories and examples, key takeaways, and a callback to the hook.

If you want a template or more details, you can find them here .

Once you see your book in outline form, writing it will seem easier.

Conceptually, you’re not writing a whole book anymore. You’re looking at a clear collection of ideas and stories, most of which are already in your head.

You’ll be more motivated to write once you’ve broken your book into manageable pieces. It’s easier to climb a mountain when you take it one step at a time.

The reason an outline is so powerful is that it helps you see your book in terms of smaller, more attainable goals. You should do the same with all of your writing goals.

Many people start out thinking, “I have to write as much as possible.” Or, they set a high word count goal, like 1,000 words per day. And when they don’t reach those goals, they get disappointed. They feel like a failure.

That’s the worst way to motivate yourself to write.

With large goals, it’s easy to get intimidated (that’s usually when writer’s block sets in). But attainable goals make it easier to get over that hump.

Remember, motivation has nothing to do with passion. If you’re writing at all , you’re already motivated.

You don’t have to go overboard and shoot for the moon just to show you’re passionate about your book. When people do that, it’s usually because they’re trying to prove something to themselves.

You won’t prove anything by setting unattainable goals.

Rewire your brain and think small. Set goals that will set you up for success.

I recommend writing 250 words per day. That word count is low enough to be easily achievable. It leaves you with no excuses.

You could write 250 words on your phone between meetings. You could even dictate 250 words to your phone while you’re in the shower.

If you do end up writing more than 250 words, that’s great. Keep going as long as you want.

But if it’s one of those days where writing feels like a slog, you can still meet that word count and avoid being disappointed with yourself.

It’s more important to be consistent with writing than to have epic writing sessions.

When I was writing full-time, I blocked off 4 hours a day to write—but I rarely used that whole time to actually write. I read or did other things related to writing.

It’s hard to write for hours on end. And like most things in life, you’ll get diminishing returns.

Aim for 250 words every day, and stick with it. And remember, if you’re doing it, you’re motivated.

Notice that I said you need to write 250 words every single day . That’s because you’ll be much more motivated to write when it becomes a daily practice.

In addition to the 250 words per day, I recommend that you come up with a writing routine to help keep you on track.

Pick a designated writing time and stick to it every day. Are you better at writing in the morning, or do you like to write right before bed? Maybe it’s easier to squeeze 250 words in over your lunch break.

There’s no right or wrong answer. Just pick a time whenever you do your best writing and stick with it.

The same goes for your writing place. Maybe you write well in a quiet office. Or, maybe it’s easier for you to focus in a coffee shop.

We worked with one Author who wrote in his Tesla while it was charging in his garage. He put the same playlist on every day, turned up the volume, and spent the next 45 minutes writing.

The reason you need a writing routine is the same reason you teach your kids to brush their teeth every morning.

They may grumble or whine, but once they get into the habit, they do it anyway—no matter how much they don’t want to.

It works the same way when you’re writing a book. Writing habits keep you motivated to write and do it again the next day.

A writing routine gives you the fuel to keep going, even when you think your tank is running low. When writing becomes an automatic part of your day, it’s a lot harder to procrastinate.

5. Don’t Be Perfect—Vomit on the Page

Don’t intimidate yourself by trying to be a perfect writer.

First of all, there’s no such thing.

Second, if you do that, you’ll never finish your book because you’ll never live up to your own expectations.

I’m dead serious. I’ve seen countless Authors get stuck writing the first draft of their book. They’ll get off to a good start—but then they’ll re-read what they’ve written, delete it, and start over.

They do that 50 times and eventually give up (spoiler: they never finish their book).

Don’t fall into the same trap of unrealistic expectations . Just aim to get words on a page.

In fact, don’t even think of your writing as “writing a book.” You’re not writing a book. You’re just collecting your thoughts.

That’s why I call my first drafts “ vomit drafts .” I spew words and thoughts onto a page. I don’t stop to edit, re-read, or think about how the writing flows.

Like vomit, it’s not pretty. But after you’ve written all your ideas out, you’ll feel so much better.

Plus, it’s a lot easier to motivate yourself to write when you free yourself from the need to be perfect.

When you write a vomit draft, you don’t give yourself time to stare at a blank page. There’s no room for intimidation.

You just start writing and let whatever’s inside your brain come out. It’s not going to be perfect. In fact, it will probably be terrible.

But that’s okay. Most first drafts are terrible. Even books that go on to become bestsellers started as terrible first drafts.

Embrace it. Realize that bad writing is a natural part of the writing process.

A first draft is exactly what the name implies—a first step.

Your book will go through multiple drafts before anyone even sees it.

Of course, you’ll eventually have to wade through the vomit. You’ll have to trim, add, and edit . And you’ll probably have to move things around and rethink the structure of your chapters . That’s normal.

For now, stop worrying about how good or bad your writing is and start capturing your ideas. You can make them sound great later.

Don’t edit as you go. Just write. Vomit on the page.

It’s a lot easier to fix writing when you actually have writing to fix.

Many people find it easier to motivate themselves during the “vomit” phase. Once you get into the groove of spewing 250 words per day, it can be refreshing.

The part that’s harder is when you have to go back through all that writing to turn it into a coherent, well-written book.

Here’s my advice when you reach that phase: hold on to your motivation by keeping your focus on the reader.

You’re writing a nonfiction book for a reason. What made you want to do this in the first place?

At some level, it’s because you want to help your readers solve their problems.

If you’re writing a memoir , it’s because you want to share your story with people who can benefit from hearing it.

If you’re writing a knowledge-share nonfiction book , you’re trying to prove to your readers that you’re the person that can meet their needs.

Whatever kind of book you’re writing, your reader is at the heart of your motivation.

If you feel stuck or don’t feel like writing, remember that. Think about the people you’re going to help and how their lives will change because of your book.

When readers pick up a nonfiction book, they aren’t looking for perfection or a sublime writing style . They’re looking to learn information that’s going to make their lives better.

Here are 4 essential writing principles to help you deliver information in a way readers will appreciate:

• Keep your writing short. Readers tune out when you wander.
• Keep your writing simple. Readers want content they can easily understand, even if the ideas are complex.
• Keep your writing direct. Get to the point, and make each sentence a single, direct statement.
• Keep it about the reader. Ask yourself this question about everything you write: “Why does the reader care?”

Imagine having a conversation with a client or a close friend. What would you tell them, and how would you deliver the information?

Don’t make writing harder than it has to be. To stay motivated, imagine speaking directly to your reader and making an impact on their lives.

If you’re still unmotivated after all that, you might want to reconsider your intentions. If it’s that hard to motivate yourself, maybe writing a book isn’t something you really want to do.

This may seem odd to include in an article on motivational writing tips, but if you want to motivate yourself, you have to take care of yourself.

If you’re super stressed out or exhausted, you’re not going to function well. And you’re definitely not going to feel motivated to write.

I won’t lie. Writing can be a slog. And completing a book will take an emotional, mental, and sometimes physical toll on you. If you don’t take care of yourself, it’s easy to lose steam.

There are many ways you can take care of yourself. For example, you can:

• Get plenty of sleep
• Take nature walks
• Talk to a therapist
• Visit an energy healer or masseuse
• Try acupuncture
• Go for regular float sessions
• Sit in a sauna
• Take a bath with Epsom salts

Basically, take time to do things that will make your body and mind feel better. You want to develop good writing habits, not become a writing machine.

To do that, you need to check in with yourself from time to time to make sure you’re at the top of your game.

Being refreshed will make you a better writer. Self-care will revitalize you so you can come back the next day, ready to meet your writing goals.

While some people thrive on routines and self-care, others are more motivated by external accountability.

If you’re one of those people, I recommend announcing that you’re working on a book.

Tell people on social media. Write a guest post for your favorite blogger. Email your friends and family.

Whatever method works best for you, use it to announce your intention to the world.

And if you’re serious about writing, I recommend announcing your book on the platform that makes you the least comfortable.

Yes, that may seem like a lot of pressure. But it’s important to identify any points of resistance you have and push through them.

You’ll get a lot of positive feedback, which will help you become more motivated. And when your motivation wavers, you’ll be reminded that there are people eagerly awaiting your book.

I believe that every person has a book in them. But one of the major things that holds people back from writing those books is fear .

They’re afraid that their book won’t be good enough, original enough, or meaningful enough. They’re afraid of looking stupid or making people angry.

Those kinds of fears are normal, but you shouldn’t let them get in the way.

You have a story that’s worth telling. The only way to truly motivate yourself to tell it is to conquer your fear.

If you allow those fears to stick around, they only lead to procrastination , frustration, and surrender.

If you want to overcome your fear, I recommend facing them head-on. Write down all your fears about the writing process, self-publishing, or fears about how people will react once they read the book.

Evaluate each fear and recognize what those fears mean. Fear has a point and a purpose. It’s an indicator of risk.

Every Author who writes a book worth reading is taking a risk. If you’re scared, congratulations. It means you have something worth saying.

Fear isn’t the problem. The problem is when you let fears take over.

Keep in mind what your book is going to do for you and what it’s going to do for your readers.

Then, make a plan for facing your fears. For example, if you’re afraid you’ll never finish writing your book, use that fear as motivation. Create a writing routine and resolve to stick with it through the whole writing process.

The Scribe Crew

Read this next.

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Authors Receive Authority – What does ‘The Medium Is the Message’ Really Mean?

Audiobooks: Who Benefits Most and Why Authors Should Consider Them

21 Best Ways To Write Essays When You Are Stuck [Examples]

Ever stared at a blank page and felt it stare back, mocking your essay-writing woes? Me, too.

Here is a quick summary of ways to write essays when you are stuck:

Write an essay when you are stuck by using techniques like mind mapping for ideas, freewriting to overcome writer’s block, starting with anecdotes or quotes for inspiration, reverse engineering from the conclusion, and breaking the task into manageable parts. Match solution to the sticking point.

Keep reading to learn all the best tips to turn these ways into a finished essay your teacher or professor loves.

21 Tips for Getting Unstuck When Writing An Essay

Table of Contents

Unleashing your creative flow might just be a few strategic steps away.

Whether it’s a college assignment or a personal project, these 21 techniques, peppered with personal insights and practical examples, will guide you through the maze of writer’s block.

1. Mind Map Magic

When words fail you, turn to visuals. Create a mind map, starting with your essay topic at the center.

Branch out with related ideas, themes, and arguments.

This visual brainstorming technique often unlocks new perspectives.

For instance, if you’re writing about climate change, start with that in the middle, and branch out to subtopics like “impact on wildlife,” “government policies,” and “green technology.”

Seeing the connections visually can spark new ideas.

2. Freewrite Frenzy

Set a timer for 10 minutes and just write.

No editing, no judging. Let your thoughts flow freely. This method helps in silencing the inner critic that often hampers creativity.

If your essay is about “Modern Art,” start by writing whatever comes to mind when you think about the topic.

It could be a mix of facts, personal opinions, or random thoughts.

The key is to keep the pen moving.

3. The Anecdote Anchor

Start your essay with a personal story or a relevant anecdote.

It not only grabs attention but also makes the writing process more relatable and less daunting.

For example, if you’re writing about “The Importance of Mental Health,” begin with a brief personal story about a time when mental health affected you or someone close to you.

This approach can set a strong foundation for your essay.

4. Quote Quest

Find a quote that resonates with your essay topic.

Use it as a launching pad for your ideas. A relevant quote can provide a fresh perspective and a solid starting point.

For an essay on “Leadership Qualities,” you might start with a quote from a renowned leader, and then expand on how it relates to your understanding of leadership.

5. The Dialogue Drill

Inject a hypothetical or real conversation into your essay.

This technique adds a lively, human touch to your writing. For instance, if you’re discussing “Technological Advancements,” include a dialogue between two tech experts debating the impacts of a new technology.

This not only makes your essay engaging but also helps in exploring different viewpoints.

6. Reverse Engineering

Start from the conclusion.

Write down what you want your reader to take away from your essay, and work backwards to build your arguments.

This method provides a clear direction for your essay.

If your conclusion is that “Education should be more accessible,” begin by outlining the reasons why it’s not currently accessible and how that can be changed.

7. The Question Cue

Pose a thought-provoking question related to your essay topic.

This approach can help in focusing your thoughts and engaging your readers.

For an essay on ‘Social Media Influence,’ you might start by asking, “How has social media reshaped our perception of reality?”

This sets a curious tone for the essay.

8. Sensory Detail Dive

Describe a scene or an object with rich sensory details to set the stage for your essay.

This method is particularly effective for descriptive essays.

If you’re writing about a place, like “The Amazon Rainforest,” start by vividly describing the sounds, sights, and smells of the forest.

This immersive technique draws readers into your essay.

9. The Historical Hook

Begin with a historical event or figure that relates to your essay topic.

This approach adds depth and context to your writing.

For an essay on “Women’s Rights,” you might start with a brief overview of a significant historical event in the women’s rights movement.

This not only grounds your essay in history but also shows its relevance.

10. The Opposite Opinion

Start by presenting a viewpoint opposite to the one you plan to argue.

This counterintuitive approach can make your essay more dynamic and thought-provoking.

For example, if you are writing in support of “Renewable Energy,” begin by explaining the arguments against it.

This sets the stage for you to counter these points with your own arguments.

11. The Future Forecast

Project your topic into the future.

Speculate on what might happen if current trends continue or if certain changes are implemented.

This forward-thinking approach can be a powerful tool for argumentative essays.

If you’re writing about “Climate Change,” begin by painting a picture of what the workplace might look like in 20 years.

12. The Personal Puzzle

Reflect on how the essay topic has personally impacted you or someone you know.

This introspective technique makes your writing more personal and relatable.

For instance, if your essay is about “Living with Diabetes,” share a personal account of the daily challenges faced by someone with diabetes.

This not only adds a human element to your essay but also provides a real-life context to the issue.

13. The Metaphor Method

Use a metaphor to frame your essay topic.

This creative approach can offer a unique perspective and make complex topics more accessible.

Writing about “Internet Privacy?” Compare it to a fortress, highlighting how our digital information needs strong defenses.

This metaphor can guide the structure of your essay, making it both engaging and insightful.

14. The Problem Solver

Identify a problem related to your topic and propose a solution in your essay.

This approach is particularly effective for persuasive essays.

For example, if your essay is about “Reducing Your Carbon Footprint,” start by outlining a specific environmental problem, like excessive use of plastic, and then propose practical solutions.

This method not only presents a clear thesis but also demonstrates critical thinking.

15. The Expert’s Echo

Reference the opinion or work of an expert in the field related to your essay topic.

This lends credibility and depth to your writing.

If your essay is on “Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare,” you might start by citing a leading AI researcher’s opinion or finding.

This not only shows thorough research but also frames your essay within current expert discourse.

16. The Contrasting Comparison

Draw a comparison between two contrasting ideas or phenomena related to your essay topic.

This method helps in highlighting the nuances of your topic.

In an essay about “Traditional vs. Modern Education Methods,” start by describing the key features of each approach.

This sets the stage for a deeper analysis of their impacts and effectiveness.

17. The Cultural Context

Examine how your topic is viewed or affected by different cultures.

This approach adds a global perspective to your essay.

Writing about “Food Security?” Discuss how different cultures tackle this issue. This not only broadens the scope of your essay but also encourages cultural understanding.

18. The Time Travel Technique

Take your readers back in time to understand the roots of your topic.

This historical approach provides context and depth.

For an essay on “The Evolution of Music Genres,” begin with a brief history of a specific genre.

This historical backdrop sets the stage for discussing its contemporary relevance and transformations.

19. The Future Flash

Imagine a future scenario related to your essay topic.

This speculative technique can be quite engaging. Writing about “Climate Change?” Start by depicting a future world affected by climate change.

This approach not only highlights the urgency of the issue but also encourages readers to think critically about future implications.

20. The Parallel Path

Draw parallels between your topic and an unrelated subject.

This technique can offer fresh insights.

For an essay on “Economic Inequality,” you might compare it to a game where the rules are skewed in favor of some players.

This analogy helps in explaining complex concepts in a more relatable manner.

21. The Challenge Challenge

Present a challenge related to your topic and explore ways to overcome it.

This method is great for problem-solution essays.

For example, if your essay is about “Overcoming Language Barriers in Communication,” start by presenting a specific communication challenge and then explore various solutions.

Watch this video about how to get unstuck when writing an essay:

Matching Stuck Points with Solutions

Here is how to match your specific sticking points with solutions:

Each of these techniques is designed to unlock your writing potential and guide you through the challenging process of essay writing.

Remember, the key to overcoming writer’s block is to approach it with a creative mindset and a willingness to experiment with different strategies.

How To Figure Out Why You Can’t Finish An Essay

Struggling to complete an essay is a common problem, often rooted in a few identifiable causes.

To figure out why you can’t finish an essay, start by examining your understanding of the topic. If it’s inadequate, dedicate time to more research.

Next, assess your essay plan.

A lack of a clear structure can leave you wandering in a forest of ideas. Create an outline with distinct sections: introduction, body, and conclusion. Also, consider your writing environment.

Distractions, whether physical or digital, can significantly hinder progress.

Create a workspace that’s conducive to concentration. Additionally, reflect on your personal connection to the topic.

Lack of interest can sap motivation, so find an angle that resonates with you personally.

Finally, be mindful of perfectionism.

The fear of not writing something outstanding can paralyze your progress.

Embrace the idea that a first draft doesn’t have to be perfect but just needs to be written.

How to Force Yourself To Write an Essay

Forcing yourself to write an essay, especially when motivation is low, requires a mix of discipline and strategy.

Set specific, achievable goals, like writing a certain number of words or for a specific time period each day.

Break down the essay into smaller, manageable sections and tackle them one at a time.

This reduces the feeling of being overwhelmed by the task as a whole.

A good way to work is the Pomodoro Technique : you work for 25 minutes and then rest for 5 minutes. This helps your brain stay sharp and stops you from getting too tired.

This keeps your mind fresh and prevents burnout.

Create a conducive writing environment, free from distractions, to maintain focus.

Sometimes, changing your environment can also stimulate creativity.

Additionally, commit to a reward system.

Treat yourself after reaching certain milestones, whether it’s a small treat or a short break.

Lastly, hold yourself accountable. Tell someone about your writing goal or partner with a peer who is also working on a project.

This external accountability can significantly boost your commitment to the task.

Final Thoughts: Ways to Write Essays When You Are Stuck

Just like a good book, every stuck essay has a plot twist waiting to unfold — you just need to keep writing the story.

For more writing tips, take a quick look at one of our other articles below.

Read This Next:

• How To Get Unstuck When Writing a Vision Statement [13 Ways]
• How To Overcome Writer’s Block (20 Tricks That Really Work)
• Best AI Essay Writer (With Examples)
• 50 Best Counterclaim Transition Words (+ Examples)

American Psychological Association (APA) – Research on the Science of Creativity

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How to Force Yourself to Finish Your Essay if You Get Stuck

• College Life
• Essay Writing

1. Set the Timer

The deadline that is coming up might be the best motivation for you to continue writing and finishing your essay. If you still have a few hours left until the time when you need to turn your paper in, you might be too relaxed and not motivated enough. So, think of how much time (realistically) you need to finish your essay and set your timer. You will be forced to complete your essay without saying to yourself that you still have plenty of time. By the way, do you know the easy ways of completing an essay ? Check out our tips on it.

2. Turn Your Inner Perfectionist Off

This tip might be tricky. It’s not about completing your essay in a rush and without proper effort, but about making the writing process continue instead of sticking in the middle of a sentence because you think that you can’t come up with, for example, a thesis statement idea that would be genius enough to receive a good grade.

Writing a good essay is a process that usually requires making edits to what you have already written or changing something in your drafts by slowly making it more polished. Never try to make it perfect on your first attempt. Keep writing just as it comes until you reach the needed word count, and look through it later. For now, you just need to complete your first draft. You might have some new ideas once you are looking it through.

Sometimes You Just Need to Relax

Perfectionism is not always suitable. Sometimes, it can be your reason to stop trying because of the fear of not being perfect enough. However, in the case of school papers, sometimes turning in at least any paper is better than none. This is one of the tips that we came up with in our article on how you can stay on top of schoolwork , which you should totally check out.

3. Take a Little Break

Your concentration, productivity, and creativity are tricky and complicated brain processes. You can’t just switch them on like a light in your room. If you are too tired, sleepy, or have been studying for past couple hours, you need to let your brain rest for a while. Set your essay aside and try not to think of it for 15 minutes or so. Do your dishes, listen to music, or even watch an episode of your favorite TV show. Once you come back to your essay, you will be able to have a fresh look at it and see what you can do about it.

Breaks through your study sessions are necessary. As an individual can concentrate for only 45 minutes straight, it’s not productive to pull an all-nighter without giving yourself a little rest. Take a break every hour to keep your concentration up and be more creative with your essay.

4. Use Incentives

When it comes to motivation, incentives can be used in different spheres of life. If you remember your parents promising you a dessert after you finish your dinner, you understand how incentives work.

Now it’s time to become an adult and start working on your motivation yourself. You can think of any kind of reward that you will set for completing your task – finishing your essay. For example, buying clothes that you have seen in a shop, going to a movie theater, or even getting some extra time to sleep in the morning. This strategy will give you extra motivation to finish your essay faster.

5. Get Help

Sometimes you just need a little push or advice. For example, from your friend or a tutor. We are not talking about asking your friend to write an essay for you. But you can always get someone to look through your essay and give you some ideas or drive your attention to the mistakes that you have made.

If you don’t know who you can turn to for help, you can always count on a professional writing team. If you struggle with your deadlines or need assistance with your essay which you have already started, but don’t know how to finish, you can request writing assistance. Writing teams also provide editing and proofreading services to help you polish your essay or structure it better.

6. Distance Yourself from Your Work

A lot of students agree that rereading your essay while working on it makes the process of writing a great essay even more challenging. You might feel disappointed about the parts that you have already written, considering them too banal or rambling.

In this case, it would be better to avoid rereading your text until your draft is completed. Alternatively, try to think of your essay as the piece that was written by someone else. To help yourself do that you might ask your friend to read your essay out loud or use the feature that many text editing programs provide – converting text into speech. So, you can basically listen to your own essay that is read by a computer to help you perceive it more realistically. This will help you avoid being prejudiced or too picky. Moreover, it will give you an understanding of how else you can evaluate your thoughts in your work and how to finish it even if you have no ideas now.

One more tip that every big writer uses is to give yourself time after finishing your draft and coming back to it for editing. Having a fresh look is always useful.

7. Beat Procrastination Starting from the Cause

Understanding why you procrastinate is essential in order to find effective ways to boost your productivity. For example, the reasons might be:

• You have been studying for a while already. The cure: Take a break and let your brain rest for at least 15-20 minutes.
• You can’t come up with any great idea. The cure: read materials related to the topic or have a sweet snack as you might need some extra    sugar for your brainstorming and just start writing what comes to your mind.
• You are too tired or sleepy. The cure: turn music on, drink two glasses of cold water and open your window to get more fresh air. If it doesn’t help, just order an essay from our team and go to bed.
• You are bored. The cure: remind yourself about the importance of this assignment and promise yourself a reward for completing this task (for example, going to a party or having pizza for dinner).
• You can’t concentrate. The cure: avoid distractions; turn off your TV and your phone and find a quiet place for your studying if the atmosphere around you is noisy.

When you understand what gets in the way of your studying process, it’s much easier to eliminate these factors and improve your concentration. It’s not always easy if, for example, your roommate might be making too much noise and distracting you or you might have a headache that makes focusing so much harder. However, eliminating such distractions is the best way not only to complete your paper on time but also improve its quality.

Final Thoughts

We all sometimes get stuck with our work. It might happen because of procrastination, fatigue, or writer’s block, but for a student with tight deadlines, this obstacle might result in a real problem. So, we hope that our tips on how to force yourself to write will come in handy the next time you face such a problem. It’s time to write your essay and finish it on time! Don’t forget to let us know what you do to overcome writer’s block.

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The Beginner's Guide to Writing an Essay | Steps & Examples

An academic essay is a focused piece of writing that develops an idea or argument using evidence, analysis, and interpretation.

There are many types of essays you might write as a student. The content and length of an essay depends on your level, subject of study, and course requirements. However, most essays at university level are argumentative — they aim to persuade the reader of a particular position or perspective on a topic.

The essay writing process consists of three main stages:

• Preparation: Decide on your topic, do your research, and create an essay outline.
• Writing : Set out your argument in the introduction, develop it with evidence in the main body, and wrap it up with a conclusion.
• Revision:  Check your essay on the content, organization, grammar, spelling, and formatting of your essay.

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Table of contents

Essay writing process, preparation for writing an essay, writing the introduction, writing the main body, writing the conclusion, essay checklist, lecture slides, frequently asked questions about writing an essay.

The writing process of preparation, writing, and revisions applies to every essay or paper, but the time and effort spent on each stage depends on the type of essay .

For example, if you’ve been assigned a five-paragraph expository essay for a high school class, you’ll probably spend the most time on the writing stage; for a college-level argumentative essay , on the other hand, you’ll need to spend more time researching your topic and developing an original argument before you start writing.

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Before you start writing, you should make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to say and how you’re going to say it. There are a few key steps you can follow to make sure you’re prepared:

• Understand your assignment: What is the goal of this essay? What is the length and deadline of the assignment? Is there anything you need to clarify with your teacher or professor?
• Define a topic: If you’re allowed to choose your own topic , try to pick something that you already know a bit about and that will hold your interest.
• Do your research: Read  primary and secondary sources and take notes to help you work out your position and angle on the topic. You’ll use these as evidence for your points.
• Come up with a thesis:  The thesis is the central point or argument that you want to make. A clear thesis is essential for a focused essay—you should keep referring back to it as you write.
• Create an outline: Map out the rough structure of your essay in an outline . This makes it easier to start writing and keeps you on track as you go.

Once you’ve got a clear idea of what you want to discuss, in what order, and what evidence you’ll use, you’re ready to start writing.

The introduction sets the tone for your essay. It should grab the reader’s interest and inform them of what to expect. The introduction generally comprises 10–20% of the text.

1. Hook your reader

The first sentence of the introduction should pique your reader’s interest and curiosity. This sentence is sometimes called the hook. It might be an intriguing question, a surprising fact, or a bold statement emphasizing the relevance of the topic.

Let’s say we’re writing an essay about the development of Braille (the raised-dot reading and writing system used by visually impaired people). Our hook can make a strong statement about the topic:

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

2. Provide background on your topic

Next, it’s important to give context that will help your reader understand your argument. This might involve providing background information, giving an overview of important academic work or debates on the topic, and explaining difficult terms. Don’t provide too much detail in the introduction—you can elaborate in the body of your essay.

3. Present the thesis statement

Next, you should formulate your thesis statement— the central argument you’re going to make. The thesis statement provides focus and signals your position on the topic. It is usually one or two sentences long. The thesis statement for our essay on Braille could look like this:

As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness.

4. Map the structure

In longer essays, you can end the introduction by briefly describing what will be covered in each part of the essay. This guides the reader through your structure and gives a preview of how your argument will develop.

The invention of Braille marked a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by blind and visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

Write your essay introduction

The body of your essay is where you make arguments supporting your thesis, provide evidence, and develop your ideas. Its purpose is to present, interpret, and analyze the information and sources you have gathered to support your argument.

Length of the body text

The length of the body depends on the type of essay. On average, the body comprises 60–80% of your essay. For a high school essay, this could be just three paragraphs, but for a graduate school essay of 6,000 words, the body could take up 8–10 pages.

Paragraph structure

To give your essay a clear structure , it is important to organize it into paragraphs . Each paragraph should be centered around one main point or idea.

That idea is introduced in a  topic sentence . The topic sentence should generally lead on from the previous paragraph and introduce the point to be made in this paragraph. Transition words can be used to create clear connections between sentences.

After the topic sentence, present evidence such as data, examples, or quotes from relevant sources. Be sure to interpret and explain the evidence, and show how it helps develop your overall argument.

Lack of access to reading and writing put blind people at a serious disadvantage in nineteenth-century society. Text was one of the primary methods through which people engaged with culture, communicated with others, and accessed information; without a well-developed reading system that did not rely on sight, blind people were excluded from social participation (Weygand, 2009). While disabled people in general suffered from discrimination, blindness was widely viewed as the worst disability, and it was commonly believed that blind people were incapable of pursuing a profession or improving themselves through culture (Weygand, 2009). This demonstrates the importance of reading and writing to social status at the time: without access to text, it was considered impossible to fully participate in society. Blind people were excluded from the sighted world, but also entirely dependent on sighted people for information and education.

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The conclusion is the final paragraph of an essay. It should generally take up no more than 10–15% of the text . A strong essay conclusion :

• Returns to your thesis
• Ties together your main points
• Shows why your argument matters

A great conclusion should finish with a memorable or impactful sentence that leaves the reader with a strong final impression.

What not to include in a conclusion

To make your essay’s conclusion as strong as possible, there are a few things you should avoid. The most common mistakes are:

• Including new arguments or evidence
• Undermining your arguments (e.g. “This is just one approach of many”)
• Using concluding phrases like “To sum up…” or “In conclusion…”

Braille paved the way for dramatic cultural changes in the way blind people were treated and the opportunities available to them. Louis Braille’s innovation was to reimagine existing reading systems from a blind perspective, and the success of this invention required sighted teachers to adapt to their students’ reality instead of the other way around. In this sense, Braille helped drive broader social changes in the status of blindness. New accessibility tools provide practical advantages to those who need them, but they can also change the perspectives and attitudes of those who do not.

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Checklist: Essay

My essay follows the requirements of the assignment (topic and length ).

My introduction sparks the reader’s interest and provides any necessary background information on the topic.

My introduction contains a thesis statement that states the focus and position of the essay.

I use paragraphs to structure the essay.

I use topic sentences to introduce each paragraph.

Each paragraph has a single focus and a clear connection to the thesis statement.

I make clear transitions between paragraphs and ideas.

My conclusion doesn’t just repeat my points, but draws connections between arguments.

I don’t introduce new arguments or evidence in the conclusion.

I have given an in-text citation for every quote or piece of information I got from another source.

I have included a reference page at the end of my essay, listing full details of all my sources.

My citations and references are correctly formatted according to the required citation style .

My essay has an interesting and informative title.

I have followed all formatting guidelines (e.g. font, page numbers, line spacing).

Your essay meets all the most important requirements. Our editors can give it a final check to help you submit with confidence.

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An essay is a focused piece of writing that explains, argues, describes, or narrates.

In high school, you may have to write many different types of essays to develop your writing skills.

Academic essays at college level are usually argumentative : you develop a clear thesis about your topic and make a case for your position using evidence, analysis and interpretation.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

• An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
• Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
• A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

A topic sentence is a sentence that expresses the main point of a paragraph . Everything else in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, how do i write a good essay about myself.

I'm struggling with writing my college essay. How can I write a compelling and genuine essay about myself without it sounding boring or braggy? Any tips would really help!

First, I understand that writing a personal essay can be challenging, but with a little guidance and practice, you can create a compelling piece. Here are some steps to help you write a strong essay:

1. Choose a unique angle: Instead of providing a broad overview of your life, focus on a specific experience, interest, or aspect of your personality that has shaped who you are. This will make your essay more focused and memorable.

2. Show, don't tell: Instead of simply stating your qualities, provide concrete examples of how you've demonstrated those characteristics. Use vivid details, anecdotes, and sensory language to bring your story to life.

3. Be authentic: Be genuine in your writing and don't try to present yourself as someone you're not. Admissions officers want to get to know the real you, so let your personality shine through.

4. Reflect on your experiences: Point out the lessons you've learned and how those experiences have influenced your growth and decision-making. This will show maturity and self-awareness, which are traits that colleges value.

5. Avoid clichés: Steer clear of overused phrases, ideas, or experiences. Make sure your essay stands out by giving it a fresh and original perspective.

6. Edit and revise: Once you have a draft of your essay, review it for clarity, grammar, punctuation, and flow. Make sure that each paragraph supports the central theme of your essay and that your writing is concise and engaging.

7. Get feedback: Share your essay with teachers, family members, or friends to gain different perspectives. Incorporate their feedback to help refine your essay and ensure it's an accurate representation of yourself.

For example, if you have a passion for community service, you might write about a specific volunteer experience that had a significant impact on you. Talk about the challenges you faced, the people you helped, and the lessons you learned. Make sure to incorporate personal stories and reflections to give your essay depth and substance.

Remember, a good college essay showcases your personality, values, and growth. By following these steps, you can create a compelling and genuine essay that will leave a lasting impression on admissions officers. Good luck!

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Essay Papers Writing Online

Tips for crafting a compelling and authentic personal essay.

Writing an essay about yourself can be a daunting task, but when done right, it can be a powerful tool to showcase who you are and what makes you unique. Whether you’re applying for college, a scholarship, or a job, a well-crafted essay can help you stand out from the crowd and leave a lasting impression on the reader.

When writing a personal essay, it’s important to strike a balance between being informative and engaging. You want to provide the reader with insight into your background, experiences, and goals, while also keeping them interested and invested in your story. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of writing a compelling essay about yourself, from brainstorming ideas to polishing your final draft.

Essential Tips for Crafting

When crafting a compelling essay about yourself, it is important to think about your audience and what message you want to convey. Here are some essential tips to help you create an engaging and authentic essay:

A Powerful Personal Essay

Writing a powerful personal essay is a way to express your unique voice and share your personal experiences with the world. By weaving together your thoughts, emotions, and reflections, you can create a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience. To craft a powerful personal essay, start by reflecting on your own experiences and exploring the themes that matter to you. Pay attention to the details and emotions that make your story come alive. Be honest and vulnerable in your writing, as authenticity is key to connecting with your readers. Additionally, consider the structure of your essay and how you can effectively organize your thoughts to engage your audience from beginning to end. By following these tips and staying true to your voice, you can create a powerful personal essay that leaves a lasting impact on your readers.

Choose a Unique Aspect

When writing an essay about yourself, it’s important to focus on a unique aspect of your personality or experiences that sets you apart from others. This could be a specific skill, talent, or life experience that has had a significant impact on your life. By choosing a unique aspect to highlight, you can make your essay more compelling and memorable to the reader. It’s important to showcase what makes you different and showcase your individuality in a way that will capture the reader’s attention.

of Your Personality

When writing about your personality, it’s important to showcase your unique traits and qualities. Describe what sets you apart from others, whether it’s your creativity, resilience, sense of humor, or compassion. Use specific examples and anecdotes to illustrate these characteristics and provide insight into who you are as a person.

Highlight your strengths and acknowledge your weaknesses – this shows self-awareness and honesty. Discuss how your personality has evolved over time and mention any experiences that have had a significant impact on shaping who you are today. Remember to be authentic and genuine in your portrayal of yourself as this will make your essay more compelling and engaging to the reader.

Reflect Deeply on

When writing an essay about yourself, it is crucial to take the time to reflect deeply on your life experiences, values, beliefs, and goals. Consider the events that have shaped you into the person you are today, both positive and negative. Think about your strengths and weaknesses, your passions and interests, and how they have influenced your decisions and actions. Reflecting on your personal journey will help you uncover meaningful insights that can make your essay more compelling and authentic.

Your Life Experiences

When it comes to writing an essay about yourself, one of the most compelling aspects to focus on is your life experiences. These experiences shape who you are and provide unique insights into your character. Reflect on significant moments, challenges you’ve overcome, or memorable events that have had a lasting impact on your life.

• Consider discussing pivotal moments that have influenced your beliefs and values.
• Share personal anecdotes that highlight your strengths and resilience.
• Explore how your life experiences have shaped your goals, aspirations, and ambitions.

By sharing your life experiences in your essay, you can showcase your individuality and demonstrate what sets you apart from others. Be genuine, reflective, and honest in recounting the events that have shaped your journey and contributed to the person you are today.

Create a Compelling

When crafting an essay about yourself, it is essential to create a compelling narrative that captures the attention of the reader from the very beginning. Start by brainstorming unique and engaging personal experiences or qualities that you want to highlight in your essay. Consider including vivid anecdotes, insightful reflections, and impactful moments that showcase your character and achievements. Remember to be authentic and sincere in your writing, as this will resonate with your audience and make your essay more relatable. By creating a compelling narrative, you can effectively communicate your story and leave a lasting impression on the reader.

Narrative Structure

The narrative structure is crucial when writing an essay about yourself. It helps to create a compelling and engaging story that showcases your unique qualities and experiences. Start by introducing the main theme or message you want to convey in your essay. Then, build a coherent storyline that highlights significant events or moments in your life. Use descriptive language and vivid details to bring your story to life and make it more relatable to the readers. Include a clear beginning, middle, and end to ensure that your essay follows a logical progression and captivates the audience throughout.

Emphasize the lessons you’ve learned from your experiences and how they have shaped your character and outlook on life. Connect these insights to your personal growth and development, demonstrating your resilience, determination, and self-awareness. End your essay on a reflective note, highlighting the impact of your journey on who you are today and what you aspire to achieve in the future. By following a strong narrative structure, you can craft a captivating essay that showcases your authenticity and leaves a lasting impression on the readers.

Highlight Your

When writing an essay about yourself, it is essential to highlight your unique qualities and experiences that set you apart from others. Consider including personal anecdotes, achievements, strengths, and challenges that have shaped your identity. Focus on showcasing your authenticity and individuality to make your essay compelling and engaging.

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March 13, 2019, by Alina

Tips on writing an essay that you’re completely stuck on

Regardless of whether you’re a fresher who is stumped on an essay relating to a topic that you’ve never even though about, let alone know much about, or whether you’re a final year student that currently has mush for a brain due to processing endless information for your other modules, we can all get stuck on an essay but there are things that you can do to overcome that barrier! I’ve put together a few tips which should help you change the way you see your essay, and hopefully will aid you in graduating with that wonderful 2:1 that we all think about!

Try to enjoy it!

Don’t sigh at your screen at this one, it can actually help! I recently overcame a week-long slump relating to writing up my dissertation, and at the end of the week I was completely disheartened! However, I remembered that I had chosen my topic  for a reason.  That reason being that I enjoyed it and found it interesting! Try to find elements of the topic that interest you and engage your brain into thinking ‘how can I actually have fun with this?’. You’re much likely to be a little more proactive with the essay and it can help you come up with different ideas that you would never have originally thought of.

What does everyone else think of the topic?

Ask everyone! Ask your friends, family members, people on your course, your lecturers – anyone! Try to find out what other people have to say on your topic and start looking at where you stand amongst their opinions. Remember to use NUsearch (www.nusearch.nottingham.ac.uk) to find reliable sources for your essay, and start browsing at what academic literature exists surrounding your topic. It can be interesting to what many authors agree or disagree on, and you can then use these arguments to form your own argument. It also shows extensive reading which is likely to be outside of your original reading list which can help you grab those extra marks!

Little by little…

If you have a day where you have completely ran out of ideas and have no idea on how to approach the question, then come back to it the next day! During my crisis last week, I ended one day with tears after a sadly unproductive day at the library, but, the next day I somehow came up with a different approach and was able to be focused on completing another section of my dissertation! You cannot force your brain to come up with a new idea, however, with some rest and some time to reflect on it you’re more likely to have a better chance at achieving it the next day. This is also a reason to start working on your essay earlier, rather than later, as it gives you that extra time to reflect and come back to it if needs be!

Good luck with your essays – remember that all the stress of it will be over after the deadline date! 🙂

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15 Tips for Writing a College Essay About Yourself

What’s covered:.

• What is the Purpose of the College Essay?
• How to Stand Out Without Showing Off
• 15 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself
• Where to Get Free Feedback on Your Essay

Most students who apply to top-tier colleges have exceptional grades, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activities. How do admissions officers decide which applicants to choose among all these stellar students? One way is on the strength of their college essay .

This personal statement, along with other qualitative factors like teacher recommendations, helps the admissions committee see who you really are—the person behind the transcript. So, it’s obviously important to write a great one.

What Is the Purpose of the College Essay? 

Your college essay helps you stand out in a pool of qualified candidates. If effective, it will also show the admissions committee more of your personality and allow them to get a sense of how you’ll fit in with and contribute to the student body and institution. Additionally, it will show the school that you can express yourself persuasively and clearly in writing, which is an important part of most careers, no matter where you end up. 

Typically, students must submit a personal statement (usually the Common App essay ) along with school-specific supplements. Some students are surprised to learn that essays typically count for around 25% of your entire application at the top 250 schools. That’s an enormous chunk, especially considering that, unlike your transcript and extracurriculars, it isn’t an assessment of your entire high school career.  

The purpose of the college essay is to paint a complete picture of yourself, showing admissions committees the person behind the grades and test scores. A strong college essay shows your unique experiences, personality, perspective, interests, and values—ultimately, what makes you unique. After all, people attend college, not their grades or test scores. The college essay also provides students with a considerable amount of agency in their application, empowering them to share their own stories.

How to Stand Out Without Showing Off 

It’s important to strike a balance between exploring your achievements and demonstrating humility. Your aim should be to focus on the meaning behind the experience and how it changed your outlook, not the accomplishment itself. 

Confidence without cockiness is the key here. Don’t simply catalog your achievements, there are other areas on your application to share them. Rather, mention your achievements when they’re critical to the story you’re telling. It’s helpful to think of achievements as compliments, not highlights, of your college essay.  

Take this essay excerpt , for example:

My parents’ separation allowed me the space to explore my own strengths and interests as each of them became individually busier. As early as middle school, I was riding the light rail train by myself, reading maps to get myself home, and applying to special academic programs without urging from my parents. Even as I took more initiatives on my own, my parents both continued to see me as somewhat immature. All of that changed three years ago, when I applied and was accepted to the SNYI-L summer exchange program in Morocco. I would be studying Arabic and learning my way around the city of Marrakesh. Although I think my parents were a little surprised when I told them my news, the addition of a fully-funded scholarship convinced them to let me go. 

Instead of saying “ I received this scholarship and participated in this prestigious program, ” the author tells a story, demonstrating their growth and initiative through specific actions (riding the train alone, applying academic programs on her own, etc.)—effectively showing rather than telling.

15 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself 

1. start early .

Leave yourself plenty of time to write your college essay—it’s stressful enough to compose a compelling essay without putting yourself under a deadline. Starting early on your essay also leaves you time to edit and refine your work, have others read your work (for example, your parents or a teacher), and carefully proofread.

2. Choose a topic that’s meaningful to you 

The foundation of a great essay is selecting a topic that has real meaning for you. If you’re passionate about the subject, the reader will feel it. Alternatively, choosing a topic you think the admissions committee is looking for, but isn’t all that important to you, won’t make for a compelling essay; it will be obvious that you’re not very invested in it.

3. Show your personality 

One of the main points of your college essay is to convey your personality. Admissions officers will see your transcript and read about the awards you’ve won, but the essay will help them get to know you as a person. Make sure your personality is evident in each part—if you are a jokester, incorporate some humor. Your friends should be able to pick your essay from an anonymous pile, read it, and recognize it as yours. In that same vein, someone who doesn’t know you at all should feel like they understand your personality after reading your essay. 

4. Write in your own voice 

In order to bring authenticity to your essay, you’ll need to write in your own voice. Don’t be overly formal (but don’t be too casual, either). Remember: you want the reader to get to know the real you, not a version of you that comes across as overly stiff or stilted. You should feel free to use contractions, incorporate dialogue, and employ vocabulary that comes naturally to you. 

5. Use specific examples 

Real, concrete stories and examples will help your essay come to life. They’ll add color to your narrative and make it more compelling for the reader. The goal, after all, is to engage your audience—the admissions committee. 

For example, instead of stating that you care about animals, you should tell us a story about how you took care of an injured stray cat. 

Consider this side-by-side comparison:

Example 1: I care deeply about animals and even once rescued a stray cat. The cat had an injured leg, and I helped nurse it back to health.

Example 2: I lost many nights of sleep trying to nurse the stray cat back to health. Its leg infection was extremely painful, and it meowed in distress up until the wee hours of the morning. I didn’t mind it though; what mattered was that the cat regained its strength. So, I stayed awake to administer its medicine and soothe it with loving ear rubs.

The second example helps us visualize this situation and is more illustrative of the writer’s personality. Because she stayed awake to care for the cat, we can infer that she is a compassionate person who cares about animals. We don’t get the same depth with the first example. 

6. Don’t be afraid to show off… 

You should always put your best foot forward—the whole point of your essay is to market yourself to colleges. This isn’t the time to be shy about your accomplishments, skills, or qualities. 

7. …While also maintaining humility 

But don’t brag. Demonstrate humility when discussing your achievements. In the example above, for instance, the author discusses her accomplishments while noting that her parents thought of her as immature. This is a great way to show humility while still highlighting that she was able to prove her parents wrong.

8. Be vulnerable 

Vulnerability goes hand in hand with humility and authenticity. Don’t shy away from exploring how your experience affected you and the feelings you experienced. This, too, will help your story come to life. 

Here’s an excerpt from a Common App essay that demonstrates vulnerability and allows us to connect with the writer:  

“You ruined my life!” After months of quiet anger, my brother finally confronted me. To my shame, I had been appallingly ignorant of his pain. 

Despite being twins, Max and I are profoundly different. Having intellectual interests from a young age that, well, interested very few of my peers, I often felt out of step in comparison with my highly-social brother. Everything appeared to come effortlessly for Max and, while we share an extremely tight bond, his frequent time away with friends left me feeling more and more alone as we grew older.

In this essay, the writer isn’t afraid to share his insecurities and feelings with us. He states that he had been “ appallingly ignorant ” of his brother’s pain, that he “ often felt out of step ” compared to his brother, and that he had felt “ more and more alone ” over time. These are all emotions that you may not necessarily share with someone you just met, but it’s exactly this vulnerability that makes the essay more raw and relatable. 

9. Don’t lie or hyperbolize 

This essay is about the authentic you. Lying or hyperbolizing to make yourself sound better will not only make your essay—and entire application—less genuine, but it will also weaken it. More than likely, it will be obvious that you’re exaggerating. Plus, if colleges later find out that you haven’t been truthful in any part of your application, it’s grounds for revoking your acceptance or even expulsion if you’ve already matriculated. 

10. Avoid cliches 

How the COVID-19 pandemic changed your life. A sports victory as a metaphor for your journey. How a pet death altered your entire outlook. Admissions officers have seen more essays on these topics than they can possibly count. Unless you have a truly unique angle, then it’s in your best interest to avoid them. Learn which topics are cliche and how to fix them . 

11. Proofread 

This is a critical step. Even a small error can break your essay, however amazing it is otherwise. Make sure you read it over carefully, and get another set of eyes (or two or three other sets of eyes), just in case.

12. Abstain from using AI

There are a handful of good reasons to avoid using artificial intelligence (AI) to write your college essay. Most importantly, it’s dishonest and likely to be not very good; AI-generated essays are generally formulaic, generic, and boring—everything you’re trying to avoid being.   The purpose of the college essay is to share what makes you unique and highlight your personal experiences and perspectives, something that AI can’t capture.

13. Use parents as advisors, not editors

The voice of an adult is different from that of a high schooler and admissions committees are experts at spotting the writing of parents. Parents can play a valuable role in creating your college essay—advising, proofreading, and providing encouragement during those stressful moments. However, they should not write or edit your college essay with their words.

14. Have a hook

Admissions committees have a lot of essays to read and getting their attention is essential for standing out among a crowded field of applicants. A great hook captures your reader’s imagination and encourages them to keep reading your essay. Start strong, first impressions are everything!

15. Give them something to remember

The ending of your college essay is just as important as the beginning. Give your reader something to remember by composing an engaging and punchy paragraph or line—called a kicker in journalism—that ties everything you’ve written above together.

Where to Get Free Feedback on Your College Essay 

Before you send off your application, make sure you get feedback from a trusted source on your essay. CollegeVine’s free peer essay review will give you the support you need to ensure you’ve effectively presented your personality and accomplishments. Our expert essay review pairs you with an advisor to help you refine your writing, submit your best work, and boost your chances of getting into your dream school. Find the right advisor for you and get started on honing a winning essay.

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I Can’t Write Essays: Tips to Overcome Struggle Writing Essays

overcome Struggle Writing Essays

Picture this; you want to write an essay, and you switch your computer and hold your pen and paper. But wait a minute, you freeze in your tracks, you don’t know how and where to begin. Does this sound like you? If so, say, ‘I can’t write my essay’, then you are struggling writing essays, and you need to solve the situation fast.

Don’t worry yourself; it’s a struggle that many students face trying to write an essay. At Grade Bees, we have practical solutions for students with the problems of writing essays. Apart from offering you essay writing help , we have this guide to help you do it yourself.

Here are a number of tips and guides on how to overcome the common difficulties and struggles that students have when writing essays. You will learn how to write essays like a pro and sometimes force yourself into it.

Get an essay written by a Team

Our team avoids plagiarism and ensures checks to guarantee a quality and ORIGINAL paper

Problems Why you Can’t Write your Essay

If you are struggling to write an essay, chances are you are not having a problem with all aspects of essay writing but just a few of them. You cannot have issues with all the areas.

Most probably, you are struggling with either the structuring or the idea parts of the academic writing process. Below are some of the areas that students struggle with.

Fear of Failing the Essay

Success and failure are twins; missing that mark in your essay should not depress you and cause psychological tension. All you have to do is to relax, concentrate, put pen to paper, and focus on your writing.

Poor Punctuation of the Essay

Stuffing your essay with unnecessary commas, full stops in a sentence, and other grammatical errors, makes your article look unorganized.

Many students compromise the content and quality of their essays by making this mistake.

Being Unaware of your Targeted Audience

When writing your essay, focus on your target audience. Missing to understand your audience will give you more problems than you can imagine. You will not be able to achieve the quality you intend while writing your essay.

Unorganized Essay structure

Essay writing follows a specific structure, ranging from sentence structure, introduction, body of the essay, and the conclusion. Do you want your audience to read and understand your essay? Then follow the laid down structure when writing. You can check our guide on how to write good paragraphs and learn how to organize points for short essays.

Problems students have with writing their essays

Knowing the problems students face when writing an essay, why is it so hard to write an essay? 

1. Many Students Fail to Read Widely

Reading opens your mind, and a lot of information is gathered on a variety of topics when it comes to essay writing. It is no surprise that Stephen King was quoted saying that,

“You have to read widely, constantly refining your own work as you do so. It’s hard for me to believe that people who read very little should presume to write and expect people to like what they have written, but I know it’s true.” Stephen King

It’s the only way one can be able to sharpen the writing skills intended.

2. Lack of Focus

As much as you have read widely and want to show your professionalism when it comes to writing, you cannot write everything that comes into your mind. Focusing on the essay assigned is your ultimate goal.

3. Lack of Concentration when writing the essay

Many students are struggling to write essays because they handle several issues while writing. Being busy on the phone, listening to music, attending to a friend, and other distractions make writing difficult.

But here’s something exciting. Did you know you can force yourself to write an essay? Allow me to share these tips with you.

Also Read : Is Academic Ghostwriting Illegal? The Truth from the Myths

How to Write an Essay Like a Pro

Well, I’ll walk you through the whole process. Remember, each essay has its purpose, but they have a standard structure.

1. Decide on your Essay Topic

What do you intend to write? How well do you understand your topic? Can you write without getting stuck? Therefore, choose an item that you can quickly and comfortably handle.

2. Write Down your Thesis

Communicate to your readers what you intend to put forward, your points, and what you plan to argue about in your essay.

3. Outline your Essay

Always ensure you have an outline of your ideas. Put everything on paper, even if it means having diagrams to help you write efficiently, then do so. An overview of your work will help you remember everything when you get down to writing.

4. Have your Essay Structure

As mentioned earlier, essays have a standard structure, but it is crucial to put your structure down to make it easier to follow while writing. Usually, the structure of your essay should entail the following:

• An introduction, which makes your readers more encouraged and interested in reading your essay.
• The body of an essay; the shape of your piece should have main points and sub-points. This helps your readers follow a specific flow while reading your essay.
• Essay conclusion; always keep your readers glued to your essay by summing up all the points in your end. Give your essay a perfect closure.

What to do when Struggling to Write an Essay

Having known all the above information, and you still find yourself struggling? Here is what you should do:

• Always read and read a lot. You won’t improve unless you are reading what others have written. Don’t forget; the best writers are good readers.
• Share your work with other writers who have gone through the same. They will be able to correct your work and also offer encouragement.
• Practice a lot. You have heard people say practice makes perfect, and yes, this is the ideal time to apply that. Write as many essays as you can.

How to force yourself to write an essay

• Keep a tight timetable and schedule your writing time and ensure you stick to it. 
• Have a place set aside for writing. Establish your workstation or even an office where you can concentrate on your essay.
• Shut out the world from your working environment. If it means not having your phone around your place of work or even not having the internet, then so be it.
• Limit your movement during writing. In most cases, when you fear you are struggling writing essays, make sure that you remain seated and write.

Also Read : Are Essay Titles italicized: How to Italicize Words in essays

How do you Begin Writing an Essay?

Beginning an essay shouldn’t be a daunting task; you can always start by:

• Having a perfect introduction that captures readers’ attention. It builds the reader’s trust in your work, which translates into quality.
• That first paragraph that welcomes your reader is all you have to give a sneak preview of your essay.
• Draft a strong thesis statement. Communicate openly about what you are putting forward in your essay. Your thesis statement is your selling point and should convince your readers of what you are writing. 
• Never undermine the power of those catchy strong opening statements and sentences. These statements build the reader’s confidence in your work and you. Use these sentences as a hook that holds your readers to your work.
• Know about your topic of choice. How do you prove that you know about the topic? Support your work by quoting the points of reference and supporting your ideas.

Tips if you don’t know how to Write an Essay

• Decide on your essay topic. It’s a huddle that many faces when writing the essay, making an informed judgment on the item you are comfortable with, propels you quickly when you start writing.
• Have a proper understanding of your topic. Do proper research and try to know everything on the item you want to write on.
• Proper knowledge will enable you to have authority and enjoy your work.

Parts of an Essay and their Meaning

• Have an outline of your essay. As mentioned earlier, an essay follows a specific structure. Therefore, putting down the framework basing on the fabric will make your work easier. Put the following structure in mind:
• Have an introduction paragraph. Invite your readers with a persuasive introduction that will automatically keep them glued to your work.
• Have the body of your essay. Your essay body should have information on the topic, research about the problem, and also give statistics, if any.
• Have a conclusion on your subject. Like the introduction, the end provides a summary of your essay and must be given a perfect touch as the introduction.
• Write a thesis statement. Tell your readers why you are writing your essay. Stating your topic and proving your argument is what you include in your thesis. For instance, when writing an essay on animal testing thesis , you will need to take a stand on the ethics of animal testing.
• Get down to work and start writing. Remember to follow the outline structure that you have drafted.

Also Read : The 5 Best Essay Writing Services as per Reddit reviews

Where to get help Writing an Essay

But again, if you are struggling to write essays, then look for help. Some sites are resourceful when it comes to essay writing. Here at Grade Bees, we have proven essay writing services that will help you earn that grade if you cannot write your essays for one reason or another. Take advantage of the resources in such sites.

Order an Excellent Essay today!

Let us help you get that A in your next assignment. Place your order today, and you will enjoy the benefits.

With over 10 years in academia and academic assistance, Alicia Smart is the epitome of excellence in the writing industry. She is our managing editor and is in charge of the writing operations at Grade Bees.

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9 Ways to Force Yourself to Write When You Don’t Want To

Amateur  writers think that if they don’t want to write, they shouldn’t; you can’t force inspiration, right?

I like people like that. While they’re busy struggling, I’m busy soaring.

Of course, I’m just kidding. I want to help writers like that. That’s why I’m writing this post!

No, you can’t force inspiration. But you can channel and encourage inspiration , and drop the belief that you  need to feel inspired every time you write .

Professional writers don’t wait for inspiration to compel them to the keyboard. They discipline themselves to write even when they don’t have those creative blasts of writing utopia.

For the first two months of this year, I actually dreaded writing.

I’ll talk more about that in another post about the importance of parental support in your writing, but during that time, I did learn some valuable tips about disciplining myself to write anyway.

Following are the tips I put into practice to help me crank out words even when I was hating it, and thus came out a better, stronger writer.

1. Are You Taking Your Writing Seriously?

If writing is just a fun hobby for you, don’t worry about writing when you don’t feel like it! You can throw discipline and motivation out the window.

During my writing-for-fun stage, I started hundreds of stories, but only finished five first drafts. ? And boy, was it ever fun.

But what if writing is your calling in life? I know it’s mine. God said it is.

When the going gets tough, do you keep going? How seriously do you take your writing? Are you committed to it enough that you’ll sit down and write even through the hard days?

2. Create a Consistent Writing Schedule

To avoid schedule conflicts, you need to create a consistent writing schedule.

Even if it’s only 15 minutes a day, be consistent with it. This will:

• instill an everyday writing habit in you
• train your brain to say “okay, it’s writing time now!”
• make you feel less guilty about taking time to write

This will blow a lot of your problems out of the water. The only reason I struggled so much about forcing myself to write during the first two months of 2018 was because I didn’t have a writing schedule.

Talk to your parents about a realistic writing schedule that works for both of you. Be sure to pray about it, too; my parents would  never let me stay up during the night to write if God hadn’t assured them that it was best!

3. Snippet War

And even after I had my dream writing schedule, sometimes it was hard to make those words come.

That’s where writing buddies come in! Since Josie and I were both writing our WIPs at the time, we conducted snippet wars.

What’s a snippet war?

A snippet war is when you and a writing buddy (or buddies) comment snippets from your stories back and forth. This is extremely motivating.

She comments the newest line of her WIP; you are quickly forced to write one to respond with. And while you’ve been writing that one, she’s been writing another snippet to respond back with!

Here’s an example of a snippet in action (at the time of this screenshot, I was writing a short story, not my WIP):

(Ignore the “Xander: Then it’s not fun.” We were roleplaying at the same time. XD)

It’s super fun to force yourself to write with a buddy like this, and to comment on each other’s snippets.

However, some writers aren’t comfortable with people seeing their brand-new work without editing it first. In that case…

4. Word Sprint

Word spriiints !

Those timed, adrenaline-laced and competition-fueled moments where you do nothing but barf on the page for as fast as you can in hopes of grinding your fellow sprinters’ word counts in the dirt. MWAHAHAHA!

Ahem. I wrote all about word sprints here .

Even though I don’t word sprint anymore for quality’s sake, there were a few times where I just had to stop worrying about how things sounded and get the stinking scene on the page.

I did sacrifice a little quality, but it actually wasn’t as bad as I thought.

When you’re really stuck, get competitive, get going, and get fast with word sprints!

5. Word Crawl

And if sprinting’s not your thing? Taken from TobyMac’s awesome “‘Til the Day I Die (feat. NF)”…

Blood, sweat, tears, it’s a calling. And if I can’t walk, then I’m crawling…

Can’t sprint? Don’t stop. Crawl!

The NaNoWriMo forum has these cool things called word crawls. You go about your day and, according to the circumstances, write a certain amount of words.

Here’s a quick example based off one I saw last year.

• You wake up. For each pillow on your bed, write 10 words.
• You get dressed. If you take a shower, write 100 words.
• You eat breakfast. For each item (toast, egg, milk, etc.), write 20 words.
• If you did school, write 100 words for each subject.

I tried this last year, actually, and while it didn’t work for me too well, I know a lot of people love them.

There are a ton of different word crawls out there. Here’s an extremely cool Cinderella choose-your-own adventure word crawl (for each choice you make in the story, you have to write a certain amount of words). Bonus points if you can find my comment on there.

Check all of them out here ! (You have to log into your NaNoWriMo account to view it.)

(I don’t go on the NaNo forum often, so when I logged in, I had 26 private messages. ? To everyone who added me to their buddy list, sorry for the delay! I added you back.)

6. Turn the Faucet On

The following is a Camp Care Package I wrote for my cabin last April:

I hate trying to build my consistency.

It’s hard. It requires a lot of effort and discipline.

But as any successful author will tell you, consistency is the key to their success.

During Camp, we’re building our consistency by aiming to finish our goals in 30 days. That requires us to be consistent (or procrastinating and then cramming the final week, which isn’t any fun!).

But when our goals seem daunting and other parts of life call for our attention, how do we tackle our goals day by day?

My biggest tip: “Turn the faucet on” by just committing to a bite-sized fraction of your goal.

Take a minute to stop and think about the next teeny-tiny chunk you can take out of your project.

Commit to just a few words, 1/8 of a page, or a couple minutes of your goal. Make it a small commitment. It won’t be that much.

Then sit down, read what you’ve previously written or turn on some inspiring music, and get ready to do that small thing you committed to do.

It’s small, right? It’s easy.

But oh… you’re already immersed in your story world now. You’re already sitting down at your desk. And you just wrote a sentence or a section of a page or put in a couple minutes. Might as well do a few more.

The ball is rolling now! The faucet is turned on. Now that you’ve gotten started, it’s harder to stop. So you keep going.

Before you know it, you’ll be knocking out today’s goal.

It can be daunting to sit down and work when you’ve got so much else going on and so much to write. I know the feeling. I hate it.

But if you commit to a bite-sized fraction of your goal, you’ll be more motivated to get started on it. It won’t take that long, and once you’ve gotten started… it’s all downhill from there!

So don’t sweat it! Get started with something tiny and watch yourself put out more work than you thought.

7. List Reasons & Debunk Excuses

I haven’t been able to get enough sleep for the past few months (even when not doing nightly writing) and my body is fighting an autoimmune disorder. So the last thing I wanted to do this afternoon was write this post and the first thing I wanted to do was lie down on the couch and take a never-ending nap.

Instead, I listed all the reasons I needed to finish this post, and—the funnest part, in my opinion—debunked all the excuses with epic quotes and strategies!

Reasons I Need to Write This Post:

• If I don’t, I won’t have anything to post on Wednesday.
• If you’re not consistent, you’re nonexistent.
• If I don’t, I won’t be able to check it off my to-do list.
• I’m too epic and committed to be lazy.
• Training myself to finish things will make finishing the next project easier.

Excuses Debunked:

• My back hurts. I want to lie down. // I’m trained to work with the pressure of pain. >:D
• I’m tired. // Another round of green tea. It’s all mental; start thinking and declaring you have energy. Your brain’ll believe you eventually.
• I don’t wannaaa // But I wanna make my post more awesome than my rival’s. I don’t play this game to lose; I like to win! Success in every breath as I proceed. >:)

(Ideally, you want to be less arrogant, but if it’s how you motivate yourself… go for it! ? Just keep the arrogance hush-hush. ?)

Can you believe I almost always forget this tip?

I am here to help you. – God, Isaiah 41:13

God is very much interested in your writing.

Whether it’s a hobby or a calling, as long as you’re not writing when you’re supposed to be doing something for your parents or writing something full of trash, He wants to help you succeed!

God jumps at the chance to help someone honoring Him with their gifts and talents. Don’t hesitate to ask Him for help! That’s what He’s here for.

(Uninitiated? Get full access to this tip and a lot of other things like eternal salvation by clicking here .)

9. Just Do It

I just adore Nike’s slogan. (And then Under Armour’s comeback “I will.”).

Grit your teeth, gather up your resolve and determination, and grind those words out (or outline/edit/read; whatever your writing session may include today).

Serious writing isn’t for the lazy. Get out there and rip procrastination to shreds!

Am I helpful? Hover over me to pin!

Click on the image to enlarge it so you can read it better.

I Challenge You

Have you written yet today? No? Take a few minutes, pick one of these tips, and write. Just write. Then tell me how it went in the comments below. If a sleep-deprived, sickness-battling-but-winning teenager can do it, so can you!

Expert challenge: Can you beat me? This post has 1,772 words, all written today. ?

About the Author: Madison Grace

Related posts, 54 comments.

Madi. You just saved my life. I wasn’t feeling like writing so I stalled by checking my email. Then I saw your post, and now I’m going to go write. THANK YOU!

YAYYY EMMIE! I hope you have an awesome time writing!

Eek, I have written in like a week. Ugh. Well I’ll TRY to write on the way to the grocery store. XD

You can do it! Sometimes I have to write in the car, too.

XD XD I actually did, I only got like one paragraph written though. My dad was trying to talk to me. XD

Trying to write and have a conversation is all new amounts of difficult. XD

Great post! At this point in my life, I’m not writing seriously (though I hope to someday), so I don’t force myself through dry spells of inspiration. But, I wanted to comment anyway cause I thought this post was great and can help other people out a lot! 🙂

Thanks, Olivia! For sure; writing for just fun should be 100% fun. (And I didn’t mean to imply that you’re amateur/don’t have discipline; I meant writers who want to be serious but don’t want to do the work ?) Thanks for commenting!

Yes! And oh no, I didn’t mean to imply that you implied that, haha. 😉

Oh, phew! ?

I’m not keeping track of my writing from today, but I did a bunch of writing on paper. ? I want to work on The Storm Inside though, so we’ll see about that.

Writing on paper is very freeing! Good luck on TSI; it’ll be great.

AWESOME, GIRL!!! I started writing a crossover fanfic today, lemme check how many words… 299?!? NOOO. But I also wrote some of my Fanfiction series, but I actually wrote it on paper and I don’t want to have to count the words myself. ???? As for my novel, I’m still outlining. (BTW, I UNDERSTAND SCENES A LOT BETTER NOW AND WAS ABLE TO LECTURE MY LITTLE BROTHER ON IT! ???? HE DIDN’T REALLY CARE BUT OH WELL IT WAS GREAT!!! THANKS AGIAN, MADI!!)

Thanks so much, Hope! OOH YAY! 299 words is 299x better than 0 words. ? And oh my goodness, YAAAY! Isn’t scene structure so fascinating? You are so welcome!

Gosh Madi, you’re so optimistic! I’M SO JEALOUS.

I challenge myself to be optimistic in every case! It’s serious fun.

This was a great post! I loved it and it really helped me because often I don’t feel like writing, even though I really should. Also, I love the song “Till the Day I Die” It is so wonderful and really speaks the truth.

Thanks, Carlye! Same here. It’s always a discipline to write when I don’t feel like it. Me too! It’s such an epic song.

Great post, Madi! I like all the tips! ??

Thanks so much, Caleb!

“But what if writing is your calling in life? I know it’s mine. God said it is.”

I’d really like to believe God called me to write too! I’m almost sure I was given this gift for a reason, since nobody in my classes could ever write as well as me…lol.

I didn’t pin your photo (sorries ?) but I did save it to my laptop, and when I get home from my vacation, I’ll print it and hang it on my desk. I’ve been watching way more YouTube then writing and I’m ashamed of it ?

Thanks again Madi!

I’ll totally bet you are! You’ve published books before, right?

WHY U NOT PIN MY PHOTO. Just kidding ?? Awww, that means so much! I hope it’s a helpful reminder! Oh my goodness, yeah, distractions are everywhere. I text more than write. ?

Also, I’m pretty sure I can beat you! During Camp NaNo, at least. ?

Ooh, competition! Bring it on! ?

So rude. I’m being sent to bed and you challenge me to beat you in writing. ? *sigh* it’ll have to wait until tomorrow…. (I had to give myself the ‘you’re too epic to give up now’ pep talk this afternoon when I started having a breakdown doing algebra today…it kinda worked??? I finished it without crying TOO much) Most crazily, ~Olive

HEHE IT’S TOMORROW. ARE YOU GOING TO BEAT ME.

Pep talks are so helpful! Awww, I hope you’re feeling better now. Math doesn’t make me feel so good, either.

This was such a great post, Madi!!!! Thank you!! <3 Also I'm praying for you, being sick is no fun 🙁

Aww, thank you so much, Liz! I’m so glad you liked it And thank you so much for praying. ❤️

Also, I got your email! I can’t reply to it today, but I’ll reply ASAP.

I needed to read this. Thank you!!

Thank you so much for reading, Laura!

You’re welcome!

awesome post madi!! I’ll definitely have to try some of these tactics sometime. 😉

Thanks so much, Carol! If you ever try them, let me know how it goes.

This is SUPER helpful!

Yay, I’m so glad!

This is exactly the predicament I’ve been in. I haven’t felt like writing, so I haven’t. Thank you so much for reminding me that I should, even on the days when my mind is uninspired. And I LOVE that TobyMac song!! *has a fan-girl moment* XD

Aww, yay! I hope you get tons of writing done! Thank you so much, Kendra. (Me too! His stuff is awesome. XD)

OM me too Kendra!

[…] blog. At all. In fact Madi just made a post about this, that you should totally go check out here. It’s meant for writing novel’s, but honestly I think it applies to blogging a little […]

Thank you for this! This is a problem with me often, but at the current stage of my life, I simply have no time. I am hoping Camp NaNo will help me swing back in, if only for a month. 🙂

It’s always tough to try to write when life takes up all your time! But yes, Camp NaNo is super great for getting back into it.

HELPFULNESS IS THY NAME, MADI.

WAIT… I THOUGHT MADI WAS MY NAME. ?

OH, YEAH, THAT TOO.

Wow, this is a great post! Definitely helpful. 🙂

Thanks so much, Anastasia!

This is so inspiring, Madi!

Thanks for reading, Victoria!

Your welcome!

Thanks for the tips, Madison!

You bet, Abigail! Sorry for my late reply.

1772 words? I wrote 2134. Draft 1 of my second book is almost over! (It’s around 92,000 words right now.) 🙂

CONGRATULATIONS, you beat me! And good luck with finishing your first draft of your second book — that’s amazing!

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What to Do When You Have to “Force” Yourself to Write

As the nike slogan says, “just do it”.

Lindsey (Lazarte) Carson

The Writing Cooperative

I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t necessarily love writing every day. Sometimes, I simply just don’t feel like it. Like today. At this very moment. Where it’s currently a beautiful 88-degree summer day in New York City. Yet, here I am sitting at my kitchen table writing this article when I could be doing a million other things.

Don’t get me wrong though, I always love writing once I’m actually doing it. It’s just the whole “getting into the groove” part that can be daunting at times.

And sometimes, it becomes some sort of a love-hate relationship where I truly do love it and I know I have to do it, but I’m really dreading the idea of physically sitting down and creating words when the words just aren’t readily there.

I’m sure (or at least, I hope) that most Writers can relate to this feeling —And, if not, well then I guess I’m not a very good Writer.

Like anything in life, the surefire way to get good at something is by doing it often and doing it consistently. Repetition creates habit and habit becomes a lifestyle. And as we all know, practice makes perfect.

With writing, it’s one in the same.

Written by Lindsey (Lazarte) Carson

Writer, Runner, Mother. I write about work, relationships, culture, and life in general.

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Growth: 5 Tips for Writing a Stand-Out College Essay

Here's a helping hand from an essay coach.

In addition to becoming ever-more competitive, applying to college has recently changed in ways that give college essays more weight in the admissions process. 

First, most schools have opted to remain test-optional even now that pandemic quarantines are a thing of the past. Lifting that requirement has opened the field to any student who cannot either score high on their own or with the aid of expensive test prep. That means students with good grades and extracurriculars but low test scores have a greater chance of admission to selective and highly selective (so-called “elite”) schools, particularly if they are strong writers.

Second, in June of 2023, a  Supreme Court ruling ended affirmative action in higher education, leaving students without a means of disclosing their race and ethnicity unless they write about it in their essays. Since most campuses still wish for greater diversity, many schools’ admissions officers wrote new supplemental essay prompts following the ruling, asking students to describe their  identity or community . 

And finally, Chat-GPT has changed the way we look at student writing. A perfectly composed essay with generic observations and stock emotional reactions will seem robotic to some admissions readers. Readers are now looking for students who write with their unique voice, giving an edge to creative students who may not necessarily be the best on paper but can employ strong critical thinking skills and experiment with form.

In this article, I will draw from my personal experience as an essay coach to give you some tips for writing a stand-out college essay. I will also demystify the process and let you know what kind of help is available for you or your child. 

A Brief Overview of What to Expect This Admissions Season

The Common Application , or “Common App,” is the portal where students submit the majority of their college application essays. In addition to hosting the prompts for the personal statement — that all-important 650-word essay required by most schools — the Common App has sections where students submit their test scores, official transcripts, and extracurricular activities. There is also an optional essay in the  “Additional Information” section for students adversely affected by community disruptions. This could be a place to address the Covid lockdowns or other natural disasters that impacted school performance. When students download their list of schools into the Common App portal, the supplemental essays for each individual school will automatically appear as fields in the Common App as well. Not all schools have supplemental essays, making it all the more important that you write an amazing personal statement. 

Not every school uses the Common App. The University of California system, for instance, has its own portal and set of four 350-word “personal insight questions” for students to complete.

Application season officially opens on August 1, when the Common App opens the portal for students to begin submitting applications.  Prompts for the season’s personal statement have already been posted and are available to the public. 

The next big deadline is November 1 (though this deadline varies by school and can be as early as October 15). This is when students need to submit applications for their early decision (ED) and early action (EA) schools. 

Early decision is usually a binding decision — if the student is accepted, they must go to that school — so families should make sure they can afford or are eligible for enough financial aid to attend. Early action, on the other hand, is non-binding. Many students apply to EA when pursuing a competitive major, like computer science, because it conveys a small advantage. 

Unless your school has a rolling deadline, most regular deadlines are in late December or early January; some fall as late as February. Regular admission deadlines are designed to give students enough time to recoup and reevaluate their college list should they be rejected from their ED and/or EA schools. 

Do You (or Your Child) Need Professional Help Writing Your College Essays?

If a student is confident about their ideas and has strong writing and time management skills, writing the essays solo is totally doable. There is a wealth of free information online to help students brainstorm, draft, and write. 

Students who benefit from hiring an essay coach are those who have difficulty making deadlines, have a low opinion of their writing, or want professional advice when applying to elite schools such as U of Chicago, Princeton, and Rice. Neurodivergent students may also benefit from the stability of having someone help chart their progress forward with patience and a lack of judgment. 

Parents who can afford to hire a coach — or whose child qualifies for pro bono coaching — often tell me they enjoy the peace of mind that comes from not spending the fall semester of their child’s senior year nagging them about college applications. 

Essay Specialist vs. College Counselor

Although there is some overlap, there are two areas where students typically seek help when applying to college. An essay coach, or essay specialist, is precisely that — someone with an advanced degree and/or professional background in writing, teaching, or editing who can help students produce strong essays. Essay specialists often assist students with other areas of the Common App, strategizing to make the best use of every section without unnecessary overlap.

A college counselor, whether they work for your school or have an independent practice, is usually a certified or degreed professional with a background in college admissions. They understand the needs of various schools and may have developed relationships with some admissions officers. Thus, they are able to build college lists based on statistical and insider information about the schools, finding a range of good, plausible matches for the student.  

Tips for Writing a Stand-Out Personal Statement 

1. be yourself.

This is by far the most important thing. Admissions readers don’t want to read perfect essays written by model students. Such essays tell them very little about the person who will attend their school. Instead, they are looking to see who you are as a person. Whether you compare your life to Don Quixote's quest or Disney’s Tarzan movie, talk about baking macarons, recount the outfits you’ve sewn, or conceive your essay in the style of an interview set in the future — all actual topics students used effectively — your personal statement should be authentic and written in your own voice.  

While you don’t want to divulge personal information that could make schools nervous about your ability to succeed in college, you should be vulnerable and honest in this essay. It is a place for analyzing motives and reflecting on challenges.  

It can help to brainstorm before sitting down to write. College Essay Guy teaches you how to find symbols in your everyday life with this useful “essence objects” exercise. Finding big meaning through small concrete objects gives you a good place to start. Another good source of inspiration is reading successful college essays written by other students. 

2. Lean into Values

Are you honest to a fault? Does family matter more to you than success? Both of these questions can lead to an essay grounded in values, provided that you find concrete examples to show when honesty got you in trouble, or you chose to put family over personal advancement. Awareness of values not only as a motivating force but also as part of your cultural heritage or social class can give you an interesting angle on viewing your place in the world.

The VIA character survey is a good place to see what you value most.

3. Find a Unique Angle

One of my daughter’s classmates wrote a personal statement that earned him acceptance to Stanford — the admissions officer wrote to tell him — by showing how the lyrics of Taylor Swift songs influenced his development from boy to man. The reason his essay was successful isn’t because he wrote about Taylor Swift. It was successful because he wrote about using a woman’s take on the world to develop his own brand of masculinity and social consciousness.

The more unusual and specific both your topic and your perspective on your topic are, the more effective your essay will be. 

4. Document a Human  Being , Not a Human Doing

Your activities and awards list is where you get to show schools that you were class president or led your team to victory. So don’t make the mistake of recounting your achievements one more time in the personal statement. It’s not a place to showcase what you’ve done but to showcase who you are. This is one of the hardest sells for my high-achieving students, who are so wrapped up in their extracurriculars that they don’t know what else to write about. 

Last season, students who admitted failure, talked about work-life balance , and openly stated that they were undecided outperformed students who were more achievement-focused. 

5. Read Your Essay Aloud and Have Other Readers Look at It

I tell my students they will probably go through 3-5 drafts of the personal statement before they realize their best work. Revising draft after draft can be harder than brainstorming the initial great idea, however, and it is much more frustrating. 

One way to make the revision process easier is to read your own work aloud. You will catch awkward phrases and sentences that don’t make sense more readily this way. By the same token, having other people read the essay and provide feedback is a good way to see if the points you are trying to get across are clear and effective.  

Final Thought

I can’t promise that, if you follow these tips, you will get into the school of your dreams. But you will be better prepared to take on the personal statement, and that’s some of the battle right there. 

Was this article helpful?

Valerie is a freelance writer who specializes in real estate, finance, and business formation. When not writing, she can be found renovating her 200-year-old rental property on the coast of Maine.

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9 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself

You know yourself better than anyone else, but writing about yourself can still be tough! When applying for scholarships or to college, essay prompts  can feel so general (and yet so specific!) that they leave us stumped.  So we’ll show you 8 tips to write an essay about yourself, so that you can land more scholarships. (Psst – Going Merry makes applying easy .)

1. Create a List of Questions

2. brainstorm and outline, 3. be vulnerable, 4. use personal examples, 5. write in the first person, 6. don’t be afraid to show off…but stay on topic, 7. show personality , 8. know your audience, 9. proofread and edit.

Let’s start with some examples of personal essay prompts:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Describe a challenge or event that made you who you are today.
• What are your short and long-term goals, and how do you plan to achieve them?
• Write about a time you failed at something. How did it affect you?

These are just a few of many scholarship essay prompts that require you to look internally, to answer a question, solve a problem, or explain a scenario in your life.  

We get it. You might not be a big fan of bragging about yourself, or you might want to keep your personal stories to yourself. But by opening up and sharing your story, you can show scholarship providers, colleges and universities who you are, and why you’re deserving of their scholarship.

(Don’t just take our word for it – check out our scholarship winners page full of students like you who were brave enough to share their stories with us).

To get started, check out these 9 tips on how to write an essay about yourself:

After reading through the scholarship essay prompt, breathe, and make a list of smaller questions you can answer, which relate to the big essay prompt question. 

Let’s say the main essay prompt question asks you, “What were challenges or barriers you had to work to overcome?” Then the smaller questions might be something like:

• What is your background? Family, finances, school.
• What was challenging about that background?
• What’s your greatest accomplishment? How did you get there? How have previous challenges influenced your goals?

Think of these questions as mini-prompts. They explain your story and help you answer the main essay prompt with more details than if you just answered it without a plan in place.

After considering smaller questions, it’s time to brainstorm your answers.  Take out a pen and paper – or open up a document on a computer – and take your time in answering each mini-prompt. Organize your responses in order:

• Intro to main essay prompt.
• Answer about 3 mini-prompt questions.
• Conclude by rewriting the answer to the main essay prompt with a summary of your mini-prompt answers.

This organization will help you stay on topic and answer the prompt directly. (Or check out these 6 scholarship essay examples for alternative essay structures.)

Don’t be afraid to let your strengths, challenges, and personal stories shine through in your essay! Scholarship and admissions committees love to see that you’re self-aware how you can improve as a person, or how you’ve grown because of your experiences. Honest writing can help tell the best stories (in this case, YOUR story).

Since this essay is all about you , you should make your answer as specific as possible! Avoid using generalizations (e.g., “I’m really good at music). Instead, go for more personalized statements (e.g., “My fourth-grade teacher Ms. Matay really inspired me to pursue my interest in the clarinet”). Your personal examples are what will help your scholarship essay stand out among the thousands of applicants..

 You’re telling your story, so write from your perspective! You can narrate your story. You can provide an overview of what you learned from your experiences. However you choose to answer the prompt, we recommend writing in an active tone, and using “I” and “me” throughout your essay.

Most students worry about bragging in their essay, but we say go for it! This is your time to shine, so highlight your accomplishments and strengths.  Review your essay to make sure that you’re keeping the tone informative and that you’re still on topic. (Brag while answering the essay prompt; don’t just mention random, unrelated but impressive facts about yourself!)You can use this brag sheet where you can brainstorm your accomplishments. While the worksheet is geared toward requesting letters of recommendation , you can still use it to write out your hobbies, interests, college list , and strengths to help you answer your scholarship essay prompt.

Just because it’s an essay doesn’t mean it has to be dry and boring. This essay is all about you, so let your personality shine through. If you’re the class clown, you can use a bit of humor. If you wear your heart on your sleeve, don’t be afraid to show emotion. Trying your best to express who you are as a person will have a huge effect on the admissions or scholarship committee!

If you’re applying for a scholarship, research the scholarship provider. If you’re applying to college, research the school. Understanding what makes the provider/college unique and what their motivations are, will allow you to incorporate that information in your essay. For example, many scholarships are funded by private companies that sell products. You might want to reference those products in your essay. A good example of this is Emily Trader’s essay for the Life Happens organization , where she uses her personal narrative to explain the importance of insurance planning, since that is the mission of the organization (which is funded by insurance companies).

The last step in answering your essay prompt is to double-check your work! One typo can be distracting and cause scholarship providers to scratch their head while reading the essay. ( Psst, humble brag: Going Merry’s application platform includes spellcheck because we’ve got your back .) In addition to proofreading for typos and grammatical errors, also consider whether the sentence or paragraph structure makes sense. Are you breaking paragraphs in the right place? Are you using topic sentences well to signpost your main ideas? Does the essay flow? Consider these “bigger” structural questions too.  You might also want to ask a friend, family member, teacher, or guidance counselor to review your essay. They might catch something you didn’t see the first time around, and that can really help your essay! In fact, that is scholarship winner Daniel Gill ’s #1 tip. (Another tip is to apply for scholarships using Going Merry !)

Also, check out this helpful list of the 10 most common scholarship essay topics while you’re brainstorming!

Now that you know how to write an essay about yourself, it’s time to start applying for scholarships! Remember: You’ve got this. 

Sign up for your free Going Merry profile . From there, you can easily upload and submit your essay for thousands of scholarships. We make it easy so you’ll only need to enter your profile information once! And then, you can apply away. In fact, we even have some bundled scholarships so that you only enter your essay once, to apply for multiple scholarships at the same time.

Or if you’re not ready to register, simply sign up to receive an email with 20 new scholarship opportunities each week. Just enter your email address below:

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How to Motivate Yourself to Write a College Essay

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Discovering my passion for writing, overcoming failure and resilience, embracing diversity and cultural understanding.

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What is love? A philosopher explains it’s not a choice or a feeling − it’s a practice

Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Missouri-Kansas City

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Edith Gwendolyn Nally does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected] .

How do you define love? Is it a choice or a feeling? – Izzy, age 11, Golden, Colorado

Love is confusing. People in the U.S. Google the word “love” about 1.2 million times a month . Roughly a quarter of those searches ask “ what is love ” or request a “ definition of love .”

What is all this confusion about?

Neuroscience tells us that love is caused by certain chemicals in the brain . For example, when you meet someone special, the hormones dopamine and norepinephrine can trigger a reward response that makes you want to see this person again. Like tasting chocolate, you want more.

Your feelings are the result of these chemical reactions. Around a crush or best friend, you probably feel something like excitement, attraction, joy and affection. You light up when they walk into the room. Over time, you might feel comfort and trust. Love between a parent and child feels different, often some combination of affection and care.

But are these feelings, caused by chemical reactions in your brain, all that love is? If so, then love seems to be something that largely happens to you. You’d have as much control over falling in love as you’d have over accidentally falling in a hole – not much.

As a philosopher who studies love , I’m interested in the different ways people have understood love throughout history. Many thinkers have believed that love is more than a feeling.

More than a feeling

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato thought that love might cause feelings like attraction and pleasure, which are out of your control. But these feelings are less important than the loving relationships you choose to form as a result: lifelong bonds between people who help one another change and grow into their best selves.

Similarly, Plato’s student Aristotle claimed that, while relationships built on feelings like pleasure are common, they’re less good for humankind than relationships built on goodwill and shared virtues . This is because Aristotle thought relationships built on feelings last only as long as the feelings last.

Imagine you start a relationship with someone you have little in common with other than you both enjoy playing video games. Should either of you no longer enjoy gaming, nothing would hold the relationship together. Because the relationship is built on pleasure, it will fade once the pleasure is gone.

Compare this with a relationship where you want to be together not because of a shared pleasure but because you admire one another for who you are. You want what is best for one another. This kind of friendship built on shared virtue and goodwill will be much longer lasting. These kinds of friends will support each other as they change and grow.

Plato and Aristotle both thought that love is more than a feeling. It’s a bond between people who admire one another and therefore choose to support one another over time.

Maybe, then, love isn’t totally out of your control.

Celebrating individuality and ‘standing in love’

Contemporary philosopher J. David Velleman also thinks that love can be disentangled from “ the likings and longings ” that come with it – those butterflies in your stomach. This is because love isn’t just a feeling. It’s a special kind of paying attention, which celebrates a person’s individuality.

Velleman says Dr. Seuss did a good job describing what it means to celebrate a person’s individuality when he wrote: “Come on! Open your mouth and sound off at the sky! Shout loud at the top of your voice, ‘I AM I! ME! I am I!’” When you love someone, you celebrate them because you value the “I AM I” that they are.

You can also get better at love. Social psychologist Erich Fromm thinks that loving is a skill that takes practice : what he calls “standing in love.” When you stand in love, you act in certain ways toward a person.

Just like learning to play an instrument, you can also get better at loving with patience, concentration and discipline. This is because standing in love is made up of other skills such as listening carefully and being present. If you get better at these skills, you can get better at loving.

If this is the case, then love and friendship are distinct from the feelings that accompany them. Love and friendship are bonds formed by skills you choose to practice and improve.

Does this mean you could stand in love with someone you hate, or force yourself to stand in love with someone you have no feelings for whatsoever?

Probably not. Philosopher Virginia Held explains the difference between doing an activity and participating in a practice as simply doing some labor versus doing some labor while also enacting values and standards.

Compare a math teacher who mechanically solves a problem at the board versus a teacher who provides students a detailed explanation of the solution. The mechanical teacher is doing the activity – presenting the solution – whereas the engaged teacher is participating in the practice of teaching. The engaged teacher is enacting good teaching values and standards, such as creating a fun learning environment.

Standing in love is a practice in the same sense. It’s not just a bunch of activities you perform. To really stand in love is to do these activities while enacting loving values and standards, such as empathy, respect, vulnerability, honesty and, if Velleman is right, celebrating a person for who they truly are.

How much control do you have over love?

Is it best to understand love as a feeling or a choice?

Think about what happens when you break up with someone or lose a friend. If you understand love purely in terms of the feelings it stirs up, the love is over once these feelings disappear, change or get put on hold by something like a move or a new school.

On the other hand, if love is a bond you choose and practice, it will take much more than the disappearance of feelings or life changes to end it. You or your friend might not hang out for a few days, or you might move to a new city, but the love can persist.

If this understanding is right, then love is something you have more control over than it may seem. Loving is a practice. And, like any practice, it involves activities you can choose to do – or not do – such as hanging out, listening and being present. In addition, practicing love will involve enacting the right values, such as respect and empathy.

While the feelings that accompany love might be out of your control, how you love someone is very much in your control.

Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to [email protected] . Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

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