Writing an essay is an art; it has some tips that help students write better. These tips are not just for the students but also can be used by professionals to write an essay. Writing a good essay requires research and practice. Before starting your essay, you must be clear about the topic. You should know everything about the topic to write an essay with perfection.
While writing an essay for your academic needs, it is essential to consider a few things. This not only helps you to stand out from the crowd but also helps you to write a good quality essay. Here are the top tips for perfecting your essay writing style.
How Do You Define Your Writing Style?
A writing style is a way of expressing yourself in writing. It includes how you write, your words, and your tone. A writing style is a distinctive manner in which someone writes, whether unique to an individual or common to a group of people.
8 Tips for Improving Your Writing Style
1. Be direct in your writing
When you write, keep your message simple. Avoid jargon and buzzwords, and be sure to use correct grammar. Focus on the most critical points of your content so readers don’t have to wade through many unnecessary verbiages.
To be direct is to be clear and concise in your writing. To achieve this, you need to understand what you are trying to write about and how you will present it.
2. Choose your words wisely
This is an important point when it comes to writing good content. Words are the building blocks of any document, so choosing them carefully will help you build a strong foundation. You must ensure that you write in an active voice instead of a passive voice because it gives more energy and emotion to the sentence. For example: “The writer wrote this article” versus “The writer wrote this article.” The former sounds much better than the latter because it is more direct and, therefore, more engaging for the reader. Also, try to avoid using unnecessary buzzwords and clichés as they may dilute the quality of your content.
3. Short sentences are more powerful than long sentences
Short sentences are key in online copywriting because they help readers navigate content quickly and easily. Writing in short sentences is a great way to keep your reader engaged and focused on what they’re reading. Short sentences also make it easier for readers to scan through content quickly for keywords or phrases that catch their interest.
Research shows that short words and short sentences work better in online marketing copy compared to long words and long sentences. Short sentences are more powerful than long sentences. This is because short words can be read faster than long words, which means your readers will get through your content quicker. Moreover, they will be able to comprehend it better, too.
4. Write short paragraphs
The main reason is that they are easier to read, understand and comprehend. In addition, they help you to get your point across and express yourself more clearly by limiting the number of words in each paragraph. No one likes to read a paragraph that is longer than five sentences, so keep it short and sweet, but ensure that you include all the necessary information you want your audience to know about.
Short paragraphs are easier to read and understand. They are more accessible for the reader to follow and understand and make your point clear. This makes it easier for people to read your writing and pick up on what you are saying.
5. Always use the active voice
The active voice is a more assertive, more direct style of writing than the passive voice. It makes your writing more concise and easier to read. When you write in the active voice, you don’t need to use new words or phrases to convey what your subject is doing — it simply reads like “a” did something.
In the active voice, the subject acts. In the passive voice, the subject is acted upon. For example, in the sentence “The boy was hit by a car,” it’s clear that the boy is being affected by something; in this case, a car is hitting him. However, if we write “A car hit the boy,” it’s less clear who or what is responsible for causing this action.
In addition to making your writing more precise and direct, active verbs help you avoid overusing nouns and pronouns. This can help you avoid repetition and keep your sentences from getting too long and convoluted.
6. Review and edit your work
The most important thing to remember when writing papers is to review and edit your work. Even if you think you have finished writing, it is essential to go back over it and make sure that you have not made any mistakes. A mistake in one part of the paper can affect how you express yourself in another part. For example, suppose you make a spelling or grammar error in your introduction paragraph. In that case, readers may assume that all of your content was written poorly because they see that even the introduction was not appropriately proofed. When proofreading, it is elementary to miss a mistake or two, so it is important to verify everything carefully.
7. Use a natural, conversational tone
If you’re writing a blog post, a book, or anything else with some narrative voice, you must consider what kind of voice you want to use.
In the case of the first two, using a conversational tone is prevalent. This makes it easier for your audience to relate to you and your content. It also makes your writing more accessible and easy to read.
However, if you’re writing something like an essay or a research paper, you should probably avoid using a conversational tone. Instead, focus on using simple language and clear sentences that are easy to understand.
This is because when writing something academic or professional (like an essay), there are specific rules about how to use language and how long your sentences should be. Your essay will likely sound awkward or confusing if you don’t follow these rules.
8. Read famous authors
The writing style of famous authors is very different from that of students. Writers such as Shakespeare, Dickens, and Tolstoy have a unique way of putting words together that can be learned only after reading them multiple times. The writing style in these novels is much more complex than any other type of literature. The best way to get good at writing is to read widely, write often, and write well.
The first thing people notice about your writing is the quality of your vocabulary. If you want to sound intelligent and have a wide range of words at your disposal, you need to read voraciously.
The second thing people notice is your writing style. What do I mean by that? If you write informally, people will think you are uneducated or lacking in social graces. If you write formally, they might think you are stiff and pretentious. So what is the solution? The answer lies somewhere between the two extremes—you must find a balance between natural and polished.
Types of Writing Styles
Expository writing
Expository writing is a type of writing that explains, describes, or explains. It is used to help the reader understand a topic in more detail. Expository writing can take many forms, including speeches and narratives.
Descriptive writing
Descriptive writing should be able to describe the subject in detail without relying on flowery language that does not contribute anything to the overall meaning. Accurate descriptions should be as detailed as possible, without exaggerating or describing anything that does not exist about the subject. A writer must choose words carefully when describing something accurately because too many adjectives can make it difficult for readers to understand precisely what you are trying to say about your subject.
In descriptive writing, you describe things in detail. This style of writing is used in literature and poetry. An excellent descriptive piece of writing will make the reader feel like he is there with the writer. To describe things, the writer should use sensory details such as sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.
Narrative writing
In narrative writing, you tell a story with a beginning, middle and end. There are two types of narratives: fiction and nonfiction. Fiction stories include characters that do not exist, while nonfiction narratives are true stories about real people or events. You can also find examples of narratives in newspapers and magazines written in a first-person point-of-view format where the author tells their own story.
Bottom Line
Having read through each of these points, you should now be equipped with the proper knowledge of how to set about choosing great information and writing it concisely that the examiner will appreciate. This applies to the IB in particular and to any of the numerous essays you may be asked to write during your time in school. You will see higher grades if you follow each of the above steps.
