Hooking Your Reader From Start to Finish

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The term academic writing may conjure up thoughts of serious sentences and dull essays.  Writing an essay doesn’t need to be thought of as dull an uninteresting. By hooking your reader, you draw them into your work.  Here are a few ways to engage you readers.

Selecting a topic that you are passionate about will help sharpen your voice as a writer. Your voice is a reader’s window into who you are. By developing your voice as a writer, you draw readers in, making them feel a sense of camaraderie with you through your words.  Developing your voice as a writer comes with routine. A good way to hone your voice is by finding and applying writing exercises designed to increase your skill.  The more you write, the better you get, and the sharper your voice becomes.

Finding a topic to write about may seem like a Herculean task. Topics seem endless. Whenever an idea strikes you, it’s a good idea to write it down. Brainstorm a subject that interests you and select the topics that are appealing and contain enough information to fuel your work.

Start your essay with an opening that will immediately grab their attention. Whether you are writing on the subject of primate behavior, the effects of music in the workplace, or math philosophy, an intriguing beginning will help readers invest themselves to move on further. The first few lines should grab the reader’s attention. If they feel you are invested in the topic, and it is worth knowing about, they will read on.

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Creating an Outline

Sometimes it helps to create an outline before you attempt to write as a template to your completed project. Resumes often work in that manner, and that method could very well help you with your writing needs.

One thing to consider is to look from the perspective of a finished project like what the teacher or editor would expect out of your work. Include anything defined by the assignment, and any expectations you have for yourself. You may be in the position to plan basic context (or answers to basic questions) and play around with how you intend on introducing the concepts.

The Beginning

The beginning of academic papers should have some eye catching, attention grabbing first line. It should then summarize the paper asking the research question(s) your paper intends to answer. In addition, this is a great place to include the relevance of the topic, the scope of your research, and any introductory information the reader should know before reading your paper.

For articles such as news articles and blogs, the beginning should answer all the questions of who, what, when, where, why, etc., in the first paragraph. In addition, the most important information should go first. Try to make it eye catching, awesome, fun read to engage interest, but that’s more important to do in the headline than your first paragraph.

The Middle

Information has to be organized in a way the reader can quickly, easily comprehend. Headings are a great way to organize information so that readers can find specifically what they are looking for, and it helps focus their mind on what to expect. In addition, paragraphs should be thought of as “Main Topic” followed by “Supporting Details.” You are free to decide where the main topic goes in the paragraph.

The End

Academic papers generally require a summary answering whatever research question was found in your introduction. Articles and blogs usually end with places to find more information.

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Structured Essays Fair Better Than the Rest

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Writing an essay is one of the traditions of being a student, but the truth is not, everyone knows how to structure a traditional essay. According to a group of teachers, students who structure their essays according to the traditional format receive higher marks than essays without an organized structure. The process is quite simple, as an essay must contain an introduction, supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion. The substantive content, the text in between the introduction and conclusion, varies based on the prompt or assignment.

The Introduction

The introduction is where you should introduce the reader to your topic. Never assume he or she knows or understands what you are going to write. Introduce each of your topics (supporting paragraphs), dedicating a sentence per topic. The final part of your introduction should summarize your claims or assertions, which you will document throughout your paper. Consider the introduction the quintessential component of your paper. For maximum results, revise your introduction after you write the rest of the essay.

Supporting Paragraphs

The “meat” or “body” of your paper lies in the next three to five paragraphs, perhaps more for longer papers. Each paragraph should cover one of the topics you mentioned in the introduction. As a rule, each supporting paragraph should make the necessary claims or assertions, then provide adequate evidential support to support and/or reject your claim. In your commentary, you may inject personal bias, opinions, and other subjective material.

When providing evidence, use a mixture of direct quotations, paraphrasing, and summarizing to help your reader understand the topic. The evidence section should be as objective as possible, referencing the source as needed throughout. Avoid simply rephrasing what the author said, because if the reader wants to read the source, they refer to your bibliography.

Conclusion

Summarize the main points of your paper and make any departing claims based on your findings. Does the evidence support or reject the claims made in the introduction? Discuss the research in relation to your original accusations. The conclusion should not be the same as your introduction, so avoid repetition whenever possible.

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Dissection of a Well-Written Paragraph

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Writing a well thought out paragraph is harder than you may think. A paragraph in itself is a miniature essay, and needs several components to flow cohesively. Regardless of the type of paper, each paragraph should contain an introductory sentence, commentary (two or three sentences), evidence (three or four sentences), and a transitory statement. Using this basic template, you can save considerable time on your next paper while ensuring each paragraph is complete.

According to recent writing news, teachers and professors note that even the brightest students often forget to provide cohesive papers. Unorganized documents, whether persuasive essays or graduate theses, stand out from the crowd. Organization shows that you are dedicated to the work, took the time to complete it thoroughly, and practice elements of good writing.

In the introduction sentence, provide a somewhat thorough overview of the commentary and evidence you are going to present. Avoid inserting your opinion here – simply summarize the points you are going to make and provide appropriate background information. The sentence should not be too long, but jogs the reader’s memory.

The commentary clauses are where you should inject your opinion (if appropriate), make any claims or judgments, and provide your readers a bit of perspective on the issue. Allocate one sentence for each piece of commentary. Avoid using the first person tense and try to keep the paper as objective as possible. For example, rather than saying “I think …” try rephrasing the text to sound authoritative, such as “Based on research thus far, one may conclude …” when appropriate.

In the evidence portion of the paragraph, introduce your findings to the reader. Document your research and literature by referring to the author of the publication. For websites or other non-traditional forms of writing, use the name of the source. Keep your evidence succinct and to the point. Avoid direct quotations and opt for paraphrasing or summaries whenever possible. The evidence you provide is essential for a reader to validate your claims. Following the evidence, include a leading sentence that prepares the reader for the next paragraph.

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