Writing an essay is a tough thing to do. It involves a lot of brainpower, especially if it’s a research-heavy one that requires a lot of reading and analysis. Like all non-fiction writing, there are methods and styles you can use to accomplish what you’re setting out to do.
Essays don’t have to be brain-burning mega tasks. Knowing how to approach each kind of essay is the key to writing coherent and consistent essays.
Read on to learn about 4 types of essays, and how to go about writing them.
1. Narrative
A narrative essay, also called a personal or reflective essay, is a narrated account of an event or incident. It can be autobiographical or from another perspective, first-person or second or third.
Usually, they are written in the first-person perspective and autobiographical. This helps to immediately engage with the reader.
When writing narrative essays, a creative approach will help flesh out the story and make it interesting. Be as descriptive and artistic as you like. There is no need for external sources in this type of writing, keep it experiential.
The essay should still have a clear structure and build towards making a personal statement or drawing a particular conclusion.
2. Analytical
This type of essay is a much more methodical and researched kind of academic writing.
An analytical essay requires a systematic approach. Take a topic and analyze each aspect of it individually before offering an objective discussion.
You’re not trying to convince the reader of a particular viewpoint, rather, you are conveying all the relevant information about a topic and presenting a clear argument.
Keep the structure of the essay straightforward and know which parts of a paragraph to put emphasis on.
3. Persuasive
A persuasive essay aims to convince the reader of a particular point of view.
All sides of the argument should be thoroughly researched before deciding on the stance you’re going to take.
Build a case for this point of view using researched information and logically drawn conclusions. Present all the pertinent information from all sides of an argument or topic and explain how and why one position is correct.
4. Expository
These essays are simple in concept but can be quite difficult. They are written using only facts, with no subjective commentary from the writer.
To write an expository essay, the topic should be well-researched and the pertinent points conveyed objectively. It should be a balanced analysis of the subject, cited with expert sources, and backed up by qualitative and quantitative data.
It should follow the basic structure: an introduction where the topic is explained, body paragraphs that address each relevant aspect, and a conclusion that summarizes all points and loops back to the original subject.
Master All Types of Essays
When thinking about how to write an essay, knowledge is power. All types of essays have a basic formula that, if you use them as a guide, will help you on your way to creating engaging and informative content.
If you found this article helpful, check out our other content on writing and education.
