When you meet up with your group at the beach, your friend tells a story of how you were almost attacked by a vicious dog, how the woman could barely hold the German Shepherd back, and how you were thankful that you escaped with your lives.

You stare at him, puzzled. That’s not at all how you saw it. You’re sure that his version of the story is colored by his deathly fear of dogs, but an attack? Really?

You call out your friend and tell the others that a woman was, in fact, walking a German Shepherd in the park. The dog did, in fact, bark at you, but she pulled him back. Then, after two barks, the dog stopped, and all of you continued on your way. This was nothing even close to an attack, and there was no reason to be in fear of anything.

This type of scenario, in which people view the same event differently, is at the heart of a historiographical essay as it examines how a subject or event is viewed differently by historians.

Looking for a little more clarification or feel like you don’t know what you’re doing when it comes to this type of essay? Keep reading to learn how to write a historiographical essay.

What Is a Historiographical Essay?

This type of essay is all about employing historiography, or the the study of how history has been written about. In the essay, you analyze a topic or subject in history to examine how it is discussed or argued by various authors.

The historiographical essay is not like the elementary school report in which you review a few sources and write everything you know about a topic like the Civil War or Christopher Columbus.

The historiographical essay is also not a comparison and contrast essay in which you only compare differing opinions.

Instead, the goal of the essay is to analyze the differences in how a historical topic or subject is treated and to discuss possible reasons for such differences (including the impact of such opinions).

An example to help define a historiographical essay

Let’s look at Christopher Columbus as an example.

Anyone writing about Christopher Columbus today obviously wasn’t alive during the 1400s when Columbus landed in the Americas. This means that historians must examine available information to draw conclusions about what occurred during this time period.

What happens, though, when historians reach different conclusions based on their respective research?

Historian A, for instance, might see Columbus as a heroic explorer, arguing that his journey to the Americas was difficult and harrowing and that he changed life forever by connecting the world.

Historians B and C, on the other hand, see Columbus as a brutal savage who enslaved indigenous people.

These differing conclusions between historians would become the core of your historiographical essay about Christopher Columbus.

In looking at the impact of the opinions about Columbus, you could consider what students have been taught about him.

Because Christopher Columbus was, for the most part, praised for “discovering” America, he was honored as a great explorer. His accomplishments were taught to almost every child in public schools, and he was even honored with a national holiday.

In recent years, however, historians’ views of Columbus have changed. Those changes have altered not only how his legacy is taught to children but, in some cases, have even resulted in renaming Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples Day.

In this case, it’s clear that historians’ views can impact entire generations as those views change what is taught to children and what society knows and believes about Columbus.

Okay, now that you have a better understanding of what a historiographical essay is, let’s get to the “how to” of writing this essay.

How to Write a Historiographical Essay

Follow these five steps to turn your ideas into a finished historiographical essay.

Step 1: Find (and narrow) a historical topic

If you haven’t already been assigned a topic, you’ll need to choose something to write about.

Remember, don’t choose something extremely broad like The Great Depression as your essay topic. While this works well as the general focus for your paper, you’ll want to narrow your discussion. You might, for example, focus on one or more causes or effects of the Depression and, of course, historians’ varying views on the events.

Need help with generating topic ideas? We’ve got you covered. Check out these posts for inspiration:

• 13 History Essay Topics That Will Bring Your Essay to Life
• 13 Sociology Research Topics That Won’t Bore You to Death
• 4 Ways to Mine Social Media for Better Topics to Write About
• 13 Surprising Sources of Inspiration for Writing

Step 2: Do the research

If your goal is to analyze how writers view a topic, it makes sense to research their opinions or arguments.

So where do you look for sources? There are tons of places to find credible sources—actual libraries, your textbooks, databases, interviews, and even some websites.

Here are two resources to get you started with your research:

• How to Find Primary Sources for Your History Paper
• 5 Best Sources to Help With Writing a Research Paper 

Remember, when you integrate information from sources, you’ll need to cite appropriately.

Check out these posts to help with proper citation:

• The Stress-Free Guide to APA Essay Format
• The Stress-Free Guide to MLA Essay Format (8th Edition)
• How to Put a Quote in Your Essay Like a Pro
• How to Paraphrase Anything (The Right Way)
• 10 Examples of Paraphrasing for a Smarter, Better Essay
• Q&A: What You Should Know About Avoiding Plagiarism

Step 3: Analyze your sources

When you analyze sources, you need to do more than just skim through the information.

Take time to critically read the information, and as you read, annotate your sources. Write notes in the margins, ask questions, and look for common (or differing) themes or arguments between sources.

I know analyzing and annotating takes time, but it’s worth it in the end. This type of deep reading enables you to fully understand the texts and helps you make the connections necessary in order to write a successful historiographical essay.

Step 4: Outline and organize your essay

After you’ve read, annotated, and analyzed your sources, it’s time to organize your ideas into an outline. (Not a fan of outlines? Try a graphic organizer.)

If you’ve never written a historiographical essay, you might be asking, “How exactly do I organize my ideas?” It’s a valid question.

Here are a few suggestions.

History of the topic/subject

You could organize information to illustrate the progression of thoughts on the topic/subject over time.

You might begin with one writer’s arguments and then examine works that followed the original publication. Trace the argument throughout the years to examine how it has evolved.

In the Christopher Columbus example, you might examine how historians’ conceptions of Columbus have evolved, in some senses, from “valiant explorer” to “brutal savage.”

Opposing viewpoints

You could also organize information to illustrate various arguments surrounding the topic/subject, sort of like a compare and contrast essay.

You might encounter arguments that directly oppose each other. But you might also find that arguments aren’t quite as black and white. They may share some common ideas but differ on only a few major (or minor) points.

If analyzing works written about Columbus, you might examine contrasting views of Columbus (either as a hero or as a villain).

Smaller components of a problem that lead to the larger argument

Consider examining sources that discuss the same topic but don’t necessarily treat them as opposing views. Analyze the sources to see how smaller groups, individuals, or studies view the same argument. Use this information to draw a larger picture of the argument.

In the case of Columbus, you might examine how various countries have viewed his voyages and role in the Americas. Do historians in Spain, for instance, view Columbus in the same way as those in the United States? How do these viewpoints help create a more complete picture of Columbus and his role in history?

Want to see a few historiographical essay examples before you start working on your own? 

Take a look at these essay examples:

• A Historiographical Essay About the Civil War in the United States
• A Historiography of the Ancient Israelites and the Ancient Near East

Step 5: Draft your historiographical essay

Once you’ve decided on a plan of attack (how you’ll organize the essay), start drafting.

If you can’t think of a killer opening, skip it for now, and start with the thesis statement. If you don’t have the wording perfect, relax.

The goal of the draft is to get your ideas in place. The goal is not perfection.

Once you have the basic ideas in place, you can revise and edit your draft as needed to perfect your ideas. (Need a refresher to help you revise? Read How to Revise an Essay and Make It Better Than Ever.)

The Finishing Touches

Have a completed draft of your historiographical essay but are looking for ways to make it even stronger?

Review the following posts to help you add the finishing touches to your essay:

• The Ultimate Guide to the Perfect Word Choice for Your Essay
• 3 Ways to Focus on Concrete Language in Your Next Essay
• How to Improve Sentence Variety in Your Essays (and Why You Should Care)

Still feel like you don’t quite know what you’re doing when it comes to writing a historiographical essay? Don’t worry, there’s plenty of help available at Kibin. We have expert editors available 24/7 to help you with your draft—whether it’s your first or your fifth.

Most of the time, the lost feeling comes from making the topic way too academic. It doesn’t have to be serious. In fact, satire is one of the most fun types of essays you can write because it explains or criticizes serious topics in a non-serious way.

There’s a difference between satire and outright criticism, however, and it’s important to find the right balance. I’m here to help you do just that. So if you’re stuck on your satirical essay or just want a few pointers to improve, read on.

What Is Satire, Anyway?

Put simply, satire is when someone uses sarcasm or wit to criticize or poke fun at something. But that definition is a bit broad, isn’t it? I like to think of it as long-form sarcasm, but there’s way more to satire than sarcasm.

Let’s get into the details a little more.

Elements of satire

There are several literary devices that can go into satire. You don’t have to use all of them in your essay. Just pick a few that work for your subject and writing style.

• Irony: Many times, using irony simply means saying the opposite of what is meant (verbal irony). In literature, authors may also make a character do or say something that’s understood by the audience but not the character (dramatic irony). And then there’s what Alanis Morissette was trying to get at—when actions have results that are the opposite of what is expected (situational irony).

• Sarcasm: Sarcasm often uses verbal irony in a biting or mocking comment. It’s a bit harsher than irony.

• Parody: Parody is when something is rewritten or refashioned in a more nonsensical way. Think Weird Al.

• Exaggeration: Exaggeration means making something seem bigger or more important than it actually is.

• Understatement: The opposite of exaggeration—understatement means making something seem smaller or less important than it actually is.

I know—all these definitions can get a little confusing, especially when there’s no real context for them. So let’s get more specific and talk about your satirical essay.

Selecting a Subject That Sticks

Your satirical essay isn’t going to be as straightforward as the rest of the essays you write in class. There are a lot of different paths you can take, and there’s no one way to write it.

Because satire is subverting a topic by using the elements I talked about above, you don’t even need a thesis statement or the other traditional structural elements of analytical and argumentative essays.

But you do need to make it interesting and entertaining. So the first thing you need for an interesting essay is an interesting topic.

The first thing you need for an interesting essay is an interesting topic.
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Sometimes teachers give students a topic, and sometimes they don’t. Even if you’re provided with a topic, however, it’s usually pretty general—something like “education” or “capitalism.”

Whether you’re given a general topic or no topic at all, you’ll need to get a bit more specific.

For instance, if you’re writing your satirical essay about education, you may write about social cliques that you see in your school.

Whatever you choose, make sure it’s something that’s important to you. Satire is a great way to vent your frustrations without it coming across as angry rantings.

Finding the Balance: Too Far or Not Far Enough?

Writing a satirical essay, especially the first time around, isn’t easy. You feel passionate about the subject you’re writing about, but you can’t write about it in a straightforward way with statistics, anecdotes, or support from literature.

For some students, this makes taking it too far very easy. Other students can’t seem to take it far enough. Finding the balance is the key to making your satire resonate with your readers.

If you don’t take it far enough, your satirical essay may read just like a short story. But if you take it too far, you will turn off your readers.

How to avoid taking it too far

One thing that beginning satire writers often get wrong is that they go past witty satire into outright criticism, which can just come off as being mean or ranting. But if you look at some examples of great satire, you can figure out how to dial it back a bit.

When you’re writing a satirical essay, it might be tempting to call out authoritative figures, the government, or “the man” in general. And that’s completely fine to do.

However, you have to be delicate in your approach. One way to do this is to use symbolism.

George Orwell, for example, uses a ton of symbolism in his satirical work Animal Farm. The pigs symbolize Russia’s elite class, while hardworking Boxer and Clover represent the working class. Napoleon symbolizes Stalin, while Old Major symbolizes Marx.

Orwell uses the ideologies and characteristics of Stalin, Marx, and the different social classes in Russia as a basis for the personalities of his characters.

It’s a smart move because it gives readers the opportunity to figure out the symbolism for themselves and makes the satire a little subtler.

When you read any of Orwell’s stuff, you’ll probably notice how drab it is. While this makes sense for the topics he writes about and the time in which he was writing, you might want your satirical essay to be a little more humorous.

And there are plenty of sources you can draw on for inspiration here.

The Daily Show, for example, is a fantastic form of satire. It uses a couple of techniques to throw some hard (but not too hard) punches. Take this clip for example:

It’s a serious topic that Jon Stewart still manages to bring humor to by using satire. He does this using several methods you can incorporate into your satirical essay:

• Jon uses some claims that the Fox News anchors make—”Who wants to go shopping at Macy’s while this is going on?”—and shows us how ridiculous they are when put in context.

• He draws comparisons to show how some criticisms are biased, such as pointing out all the parades that block traffic.

• He uses sarcasm to imitate the news anchors and point out the strangeness of their argument that football players shouldn’t have opinions.

How to take it past “not far enough”

You might be on the other end of the spectrum where you don’t take your satire far enough. Typically, this happens for one of two reasons: not being assertive enough or trying to please everyone.

When you write a satirical essay, you have to take a stand on some sort of issue. This is no time to flip flop on your decisions about whether there should be tighter gun control laws or less standardized testing.

While you might want to add symbolism or exaggeration to help make your point more palatable to your readers, you need to have a point (and stick to it) in the first place.

Since you’re taking a possibly controversial position about a topic, there will be other people who have a different opinion than you. Some of those people won’t like what you have to say no matter how much symbolism or humor you use

And that’s okay.

Trying to please everyone will make your writing look weak and may confuse your readers about what you’re trying to say.

Tackling Your Own Satirical Essay

If you need inspiration while writing your satirical essay, there are many examples out there you can use to help you shape your own ideas. Here are a few:

• A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
• The Daily Show and SNL’s “Weekend Update”
• The Onion
• The music of Tom Lehrer

And if you still feel lost or don’t know whether your essay goes too far (or not far enough), you can always reach out to the Kibin editors. They’ll make sure your satirical essay lands with your readers, as well as clean up errors in grammar and flow.

Good luck with your satire!

While critics often get a bad rap, they have the important task of taking information from movies and literature, analyzing the information, and breaking it down for their readers, viewers, or listeners.

When you write your critical lens essay, you have to put on your critic hat—except you won’t be analyzing a specific piece of literature in the same way you would for an analytical essay.

Instead, you’re using literature as a way to deepen your analysis of a particular quote.

Don’t worry—by the time you finish reading through this post, you’ll be able to better focus that critical lens so that you can write a stellar essay.

What Is a Critical Lens Essay?

Before we get into how to write your critical lens essay, we should first talk a little more about what it is.

It’s not an essay type that’s extremely common in most English or literature classes. That just means that if you do run into one, it can be more intimidating.

I’m here to explain the process of writing a critical lens essay that takes away the uncertainty so that you can tackle your topic with confidence.

A critical lens essay is one in which you analyze a quote using one, and often two or more, pieces of literature. It’s considered an analytical essay because you’re still analyzing literature in the process, but just under a more specific critical lens.

There are a few elements that are critical (pun intended) to your essay’s success:

• Stating the quote verbatim
• Rephrasing the quote in your own words to show that you understand it
• Stating whether the quote is true/valid
• Supporting your position with one or more pieces of literature

Of course, you’ll need the basic elements of any great essay—an introduction, body, and conclusion—which is where your outline comes in.

Starting Strong: Writing a Great Thesis

Your thesis statement is what tells the reader exactly what your critical lens essay is about. Not only that—you can also use it as a way to stay focused on the topic at hand.

Everything that you write in your body paragraphs should relate back to your thesis statement.

Everything that you write in your body paragraphs should relate back to your thesis statement.
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Thesis statements for critical lens essays are a little different from those of other types of analyses, which makes sense because the whole essay takes a slightly different approach.

In your introduction, you should include the quote and your interpretation (rewording/explanation) of the quote.

Your thesis statement comes directly after the interpretation and should include whether you agree or disagree with the quote and a brief explanation of why, drawing evidence from literature.

You can’t disagree with a quote because of your own personal experiences—at least not in your critical lens essay. In fact, you may even end up taking a different position than the one you actually believe to be true. That’s okay.

The important thing is that you can support your claim with evidence.

Setting Up Your Critical Lens Essay

As with any essay, writing a critical lens essay requires some planning—and an outline is the best way to do that. Before you start writing your outline, however, you’ll need to figure out a few details.

Choosing a quotation and literary support

First, what quote will you use?

This will be decided in large part by the assignment itself. Many times, teachers will give you the quote. But if you have to choose one yourself, choose a quote that you know you can write about.

It doesn’t have to be one you agree with. In fact, the critical lens essay allows you to disagree with the quote if you have the right literary support for that assertion.

Once you know which quote you want to use, you’ll have to decide which pieces of literature you want to support your quote.

Again, your teacher might have already picked these out for you, but if not, you should choose pieces of literature that aren’t ambiguous in their themes, symbolism, motifs, and so on.

Remember, you’re analyzing the quote using evidence from literature. Spending too much time explaining different elements of the literature will distract from the point of the essay.

To see the quotations and support some other students have chosen, check out these critical lens essay examples:

• The Miracle Worker and The Pearl Seen Through a Critical Lens
• A Critical Lens Paper About the Novel Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
• A Critical Lens Paper About J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men

Outlining the critical lens essay

Now, on to the outline.

To give it a little more context, we’ll be using the anonymous quote, “All conflict in literature is, in its simplest form, a struggle between good and evil.”

There are so many pieces of literature you can draw from here, but I’m going to use The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

My outline would look like this:

1. Introduction
   1. Quote: “All conflict in literature is, in its simplest form, a struggle between good and evil.”
   2. Explanation of quote.
   3. Thesis: This quote is untrue because it does not take into account that the conflict in some literature, such as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz or Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, is about a journey rather than a clash between good and evil.
2. Wizard of Oz
   1. There is an evil character (the Wicked Witch), but the conflict doesn’t center around her.
   2. Dorothy just wants to go back home, and overcoming obstacles in her way is how she does it.
      1. Some of the obstacles are put in Dorothy’s way by the witch, but others aren’t.
3. Alice in Wonderland
   1. Who’s the villain?
      1. The Red Queen may be evil, but again, the main conflicts Alice faces are related to her journey rather than the Queen.
4. Conclusion
   1. Restate the quote.
   2. Good vs. evil works in many stories, but some literature uses the character’s journey as the main source of conflict. Evil characters in these cases are often used to amplify the climax, but the story could still stand if the evil character did not exist.

Wrapping It Up Nicely: Writing the Conclusion

The body of your critical lens essay is going to be different depending on the genre of literature you use, how many sources you use, and so on. However, if you have filled out your outline in detail, it should be pretty straightforward.

It’s often the conclusion that gives writers the most trouble in their analyses. So let’s jump to the end of your essay and explain the details you should include.

First, you should restate the quote, being sure to give it proper attribution.

Even though you’ve already done this once (maybe more), restating the quote is a perfect way to signal to the reader that you’re concluding your essay, as well as remind the reader of the exact wording of the quote.

Then, you’ll want to reinterpret the quote. This is the rewording you did in the introduction. However, it will sound too repetitive if you use the exact wording as before, so try to approach it with a fresh angle.

Next, remind the reader of the main points of your body paragraphs, being sure to include the piece(s) of literature you used as the support for your position.

Finally, you’ll want a nice sentence to give closure to your essay. This should tie up any loose ends and make the essay sound complete.

Still Feel Unsure About Your Critical Lens Essay?

Critical lens essays aren’t too difficult once you get the hang of them—it’s just a different way of approaching an analysis. But no one gets it right the first (or even 51st) time.

So if you’re feeling less-than-great about your essay, let the Kibin editors take a look. They’ll give you helpful suggestions that’ll make your critical lens essay really stand out.

Happy writing!

Writing an essay is kind of like being a contestant on Survivor. You need to plan ahead, learn the tricks of good writing, and do everything you can so that, when facing the Tribal Council (your professor), you won’t get voted out (fail the paper).

If you suddenly feel like you’re in the middle of a deserted island and are desperately trying to survive writing an upcoming paper, use this survival guide to help navigate the ins and outs of six popular types of essays.

Essay Survival Guide for 6 Popular Types of Essays

This post is designed to give you the basics of what you need to know to understand six types of essays you might write not only in your English classes, but also in your other classes.

I’ve included links to additional resources and a few example essays to help you understand the types of essays in greater detail.

Argumentative/Persuasive essay

The argumentative essay is a favorite of professors. That means you’ll likely write an argumentative or persuasive essay in just about all of your courses. When writing this essay, you’ll take a stance on a topic and include evidence from research sources to convince your audience.

Here are two tips for writing a strong argumentative essay:

1. Establish a strong argument about a debatable topic
2. Use ample evidence from solid research sources to support your thesis

Profs love argumentative/persuasive essays, so expect to write a lot of them in your courses.
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Purpose

• To convince and/or persuade the audience

Key features

• Takes a strong stance on a debatable issue
• Examines both sides of the topic
• Uses credible research sources to support thesis
• Refutes opposing viewpoints

Organization pattern

• Develops a clear thesis statement to indicate stance
• Includes at least two key points to support thesis
• Integrates evidence from research sources to support claims
• Uses proper citation style (such as MLA or APA format)

Point of view

• Third person point of view

Additional resources

• Writing an Argumentative Essay Made Easy (Infographic)
• The Secrets of a Strong Argumentative Essay
• How to Create a Powerful Argumentative Essay Outline
• 10 Thesis Statement Examples to Inspire Your Next Argumentative Essay
• 70 Argumentative Essay Topics That Will Put Up a Good Fight
• 2 Argumentative Essay Examples With a Fighting Chance

Example essays

• Argumentative and persuasive essay examples

Analytical essay

An analytical essay looks at the smaller pieces in order to examine the whole.

If you’re enrolled in a literature course, you will most certainly write an analytical essay. You’ll analyze literary terms—such as symbol, character, and plot—in any number of short stories, poems, and novels.

Analytical essays aren’t limited to literature courses, though. You’ll undoubtedly read various types of articles in other classes, such as history, social science, or political science.

In these classes, you might analyze the author’s arguments as they apply to the larger context of the topic. You also might examine the article itself to identify the writer’s goals and the effectiveness of the writing.

Purpose

• To analyze a piece of writing by examining the smaller parts to understand the whole

Key features

• Identifies a key aspect of a writing that will be analyzed
• Analyzes rather than summarizes
• Explains the significance of key points of analysis as they relate to the text being analyzed

Organization pattern

• Develops a solid thesis statement to identify the focus of the paper
• Develops at least three key points of analysis
• Uses evidence from the writing to support the analysis
• Includes proper citation as needed (Depending on your assignment, you may or may not need to include citations if working with only one source.)

Point of view

• Third person point of view

Additional resources

• How to Write an Analytical Essay That Digs Deep
• 4 Expert Tips to Writing an A+ Analytical Essay
• This Analytical Essay Outline Will Kick Start Your Writing
• How to Analyze an Article the Right Way
• 8 Components of a Smart Literary Analysis

Example essays

• Analytical essay examples

Compare & contrast essay

As the name of the essay implies, if you’re writing a compare and contrast essay, you’ll be comparing and/or contrasting something.

This essay will often be assigned in a composition course where you might be asked to compare two assigned topics. The essay may also be assigned in a literature course where you’ll compare two pieces of literature, two characters, or two other aspects of the writings.

A compare and contrast essay, like most other types of essays, isn’t limited to English classes, though. You could be assigned to compare and contrast two wars, two political candidates, two social theories, two medical treatments, etc.

The list of topics for this type of paper is almost endless.

Purpose

• To compare and/or contrast two objects or ideas

Key features

• Moves beyond obvious similarities and differences
• Avoids long lists of similarities and differences
• Analyzes and compares and contrasts roughly 2-4 core components

Organization pattern

• Includes a detailed introduction to introduce the topic
• Includes a concise thesis statement to focus the essay
• Choose from block style (discuss all components of topic one before moving on to topic two) or point-by-point style (discuss one point at a time as it applies to each topic before moving on to the next topic)

Point of view

• Third person point of view

Additional resources

• How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay
• Compare and Contrast Essay Tips from a Kibin Editor
• This Compare and Contrast Essay Outline Will Help You Beat Writer’s Block
• 70 Compare and Contrast Essay Topics to Help You Get Started
• 2 Compare and Contrast Essay Examples Worth Emulating

Example essays

• Compare and contrast essay examples

Descriptive essay

The descriptive essay is more informal than, say, a research essay and often only makes an appearance in the composition classroom. Writing this type of essay allows you to bust out those adjectives to create stunning visuals using your amazing prose.

A word of caution: don’t simply just string together adjectives. You need to find a focus for your paper and decide why you want to describe something.

For instance, you might write a descriptive essay about your best friend, but your goal isn’t to just describe his appearance. Your goal might be to describe his generosity, his kind soul, or maybe his awesome wit.

A descriptive essay rarely means that you’ll sit somewhere and simply describe your surroundings.

If you’re writing an essay like that, you might actually be assigned an observation essay, in which you would draw some conclusions based on what you witness. (For more about observation essays, check out The Observation Essay: How to Make More Brilliant Observations.)

Purpose

• To describe a person, place, object, or idea

Key features

• Uses adjectives to paint a picture
• Identifies a mood for the writing (such as somber, fun, or energetic)
• Develops a specific focus to highlight descriptions

Organization pattern

• Includes a thesis that sets the mood of the essay and identifies the focus of the essay
• Establishes a specific pattern of ideas to highlight description (describes one aspect completely before moving on to the next)

Point of view

• Third person point of view

Additional resources

• How to Write a Descriptive Essay That Is Expressive
• 20 Fascinating and Unusual Descriptive Essay Topics
• 2 Descriptive Essays That Bring the Page to Life

Example essays

• Descriptive essay examples

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Narrative essay

The narrative essay is one of the staples of many composition courses and doesn’t often appear in any other classes. Think about how many times you’ve been asked to write about your summer vacation or tell a story about something that has changed your life.

Anyone can tell a story, but one of the keys to telling a great story is to focus on the key events and have an actual focus.

If you’re writing about your summer vacation when you were eight, for instance, stick to the highlights of the summer, such as your time at camp, your vacation to a theme park, etc. Don’t write about every little detail—like having to clean your room or feed your pet.

Include these types of details only if they’re actually relevant to the point of your story.

And remember: show, don’t tell. Paint a picture of the events to let readers envision themselves in the story with you.

Remember: Show, don’t tell in your descriptive essay.
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Purpose

• To tell a story that engages readers and holds their interest

Key features

• Tells a story through use of vivid and specific language
• Identifies a focus (which may or may not be explicitly stated through a traditional thesis statement)
• Focuses on key points while omitting unnecessary details

Organization pattern

• Opens with a clever hook to draw readers into the story
• Tells a story through chronological order or through flashbacks
• Concludes the essay by wrapping up ideas and alluding to the moral (if present)

Point of view

• First person point of view

Additional resources

• How to Show Don’t Tell in Your Narrative Essay
• 8 Easy Steps to Writing a Thrilling Narrative Essay
• 4 Tips for Writing a Powerful Personal Narrative Essay
• How to Write a Narrative Essay That Stands Out
• How to Start a Narrative Essay: 16 Awesome Hooks
• 20 Narrative Essay Topics to Tell a Riveting Story
• 2 Narrative Essay Examples That Tell Fascinating Stories

Example essays

• Narrative essay examples

Reflective essay

Writing a reflective essay means that you’ll need to reflect on an experience and explain how it affected or changed you in some way. Though this type of essay is often a standard in the composition course, it can also make its way into other courses, especially if you’re studying psychology or social sciences.

The key point to remember about the reflective essay is that it is not a narrative essay. Don’t simply tell the story of what happened to you.

While you’ll generally need to briefly tell the story to set the context of your paper, the focus of a reflective essay is the effect the experience had on you.

Purpose

• To explain how a person, event, or experience affected you

Key features

• Develops a key focus (how and why you were affected), often identified through a standard thesis statement
• Draws on personal experiences rather than research
• Analyzes the meaning of events

Organization pattern

• Develops a standard introduction, body, and conclusion
• Uses chronological order to tell the story
• Focuses on reflection rather than description

Point of view

• First person point of view

Additional resources

• 5 Tips for a Super Successful Reflective Writing Assignment
• How to Write a Reflective Essay That Is Interesting
• Use This Reflective Essay Outline to Get Your Paper Started
• 15 Reflective Essay Topics to Inspire Your Next Paper
• 2 Reflective Essay Examples and What Makes Them Good

Example essays

• Reflective essay examples

You Have Survived

Congratulations! Your torch still burns. You have received immunity, and you have survived to write another essay.

If you want to do more than just survive, check out these additional posts for more writing assistance:

• How to Put a Quote in Your Essay Like a Pro
• Avoid These 10 Common Grammar Mistakes in Your Paper
• Why Avoiding Bias in Writing Is So Important and How to Do It
• 3 Ways to Focus on Concrete Language in Your Next Essay

Want the ultimate writing assistance? Let our “Tribal Council” of Kibin editors review your paper.

Stay tuned for more information in our upcoming blog posts, survivors!

No pressure, right?

While writing a term paper can be stressful, time-consuming, and really just a drag all around, there’s no reason it has to drive you crazy. I’m here to show you how to write a term paper from start to finish.

It may not be the easiest essay you’ll ever write, but students who put in the right amount of time and effort often feel a real sense of accomplishment (and they’re more likely to get a good grade).

So let’s get into how to write a term paper, shall we?

What Is a Term Paper?

Before we talk about how to write a term paper, we should probably clarify what it is first.

A term paper is a rather long essay about a topic covered during the semester or other type of term. Its topic comes from material covered in class. However, it’s important to note that you’ll need to get additional sources, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

Typically, you’ll have to argue a point in a term paper. But there are other skills you’ll have to show to bring it all together. They include these skills:

• Researching and synthesizing source materials
• Organizing your outline and writing to make your points as clear as possible
• Analyzing the material and offering your own commentary

Now… on to the first important decision—choosing your topic.

Choosing a Topic for Your Term Paper

Some classes give you a topic to write on. If that’s the case for your class, you can just completely skip this section.

As for the rest of you—you either have a list of topics to choose from or you have the freedom to pick something from your own brain (this is actually the hardest part for people like me—there’s just so much to write about).

Keep in mind that you don’t have to know everything about the topic right now because you’ll be doing a lot of research before you type a single word of your paper.

That said, you should know something about the topic, at least enough to know whether you’re interested enough to write about it. The more interested you are in your term paper topic, the easier and more enjoyable it will be to write.

When you’re more interested in your term paper topic, it’s easier and more enjoyable to write.
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What to do when you’re given a list of topics

Depending on the topics your instructor provides, this can turn out to be the optimal situation. You aren’t too limited in the scope of your term paper, but there aren’t an infinite number of choices either.

But how do you narrow it down to just one? The first thing to do is read through the options and see which one most catches your interest.

Still can’t decide? Choose something you already have a fair amount of background knowledge about. This will make your research process much faster because you’ll already know which sources to start with.

It’s important to note that, while having some background knowledge about your term paper topic can be an asset, you don’t want to have a preconceived notion of what your thesis statement or supporting details are going to be.

Term papers are supposed to be based off research, not the unsupported opinions of the writers. So whatever you choose, keep an open mind.

What to do when you have to make your own topic

Even if you have to choose your own topic, there are typically some guidelines, the most important being that the topic should be inspired by the content you’ve learned during the term.

You can get inspiration from looking at your notes, re-reading the syllabus, or going back to a favorite reading and seeing what most excited you.

Make it specific

The way most people choose a topic is by starting big. But while you may be interested in something like jazz, for instance, that’s way too broad for an appropriate topic. So you have to narrow it down until you have a question.

What burning questions do you have? Your topic should not be a concrete answer. Instead, it should be a point you can make through providing support from your sources. Sticking with the jazz example, here are some questions I might have:

• Why did jazz start in New Orleans?
• Was there any conflict between white and black jazz musicians?
• What types of impacts did jazz have on society as a whole?

Even these questions may be too broad. For historical topics like this, specifying a time frame, geographical region, or influential people can make it specific enough.

Researching and Gathering Your Sources

Although you should have a pretty specific topic for your term paper, you might not be able to get it completely narrowed down without doing some research first.

The easiest way to do this is go back to material you found interesting in class and look at what references the authors of those books or articles include. Then check out those references yourself.

By the time you have your topic perfected, you should have a couple of sources already selected. But you’ll need many more to give a well-rounded view of the point you’re trying to make in your term paper.

You’ll want to include both primary and secondary sources. What constitutes a primary source can depend on what general subject you’re writing about. Here are a few examples:

• Literature: The book or poem you’re writing about.
• Science fields: Notes and observations from an original experiment or field study.
• History: Accounts from witnesses of the actual event or time period you’re writing about, as well as autobiographies of people you’re studying.

Secondary sources are analyses of these primary sources from credible sources. You can determine the credibility of a source by who wrote it, whether it’s as unbiased as possible, and whether the author included references to other credible sources.

When you’re getting information from your sources, it’s important to take notes. When you do, pick out information that helps you address your topic—but don’t fall into the trap of notating everything a book says.

In addition, it’s much easier to write down the bibliographical information and page number you got the information from while you’re taking notes than when you’re writing your term paper.

This is especially true if you’re checking books out from the library and you have to return them before you’re finished with your paper.

How to Write a Term Paper: Getting Down to Business

Now that you have your topic and have done a fair amount of research, it’s time to start actually writing your term paper. That means we’re ready to dive into how to write a term paper.

Let’s use the jazz example from before. Let’s say my topic was “How did jazz affect race relations in the 1930s and 1940s?”

Writing your thesis statement

Your thesis statement is incredibly important. It tells the reader not only what your topic is, but also what arguments you’ll be presenting in the paper.

Your thesis statement should make a decisive stance. You don’t want to make “maybe” statements because then it doesn’t seem like you have any authority.

You don’t want to make “maybe” statements. Then it doesn’t seem like you have any authority.
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For the topic I’ve chosen, my thesis statement would read as follows:

Jazz in the 1930s and 1940s increased the credibility of African American music, undermined racism, and helped fight segregation in bands and in audiences.

In the above statement, I specify the topic and the time period, and I give three points that I’ll discuss in the body of my essay.

You don’t have to have three points yourself—you can have as many or as few as you need. However, it’s important that you’re able to fully discuss each point, so having too many might not give you the space and time to fully flesh out your argument.

Outlining your term paper

Once you have your thesis statement just the way you want it, it’s time to create your outline. This is crucial to staying on topic throughout your paper and not wasting time wondering if you’ve left anything out. My outline would look like this:

1. Introduction
   1. Background
      1. Important players in 1930s and 1940s jazz
      2. Racism in America during that time
   2. Thesis Statement
2. Gave African American music more credibility
   1. First time black Americans got to record music for a broad audience
   2. Played at high-class “white” venues like Carnegie Hall
   3. Didn’t have to hide behind vaudeville acts anymore
3. Undermined racism
   1. Code words in songs that defied racism
   2. Louis Armstrong, “I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead, You Rascal You”
      1. Source: Raeburn
4. Fought segregation in bands and audiences
   1. Benny Goodman, first mixed-race band at Carnegie
      1. Sources: Firestone, Collier
   2. Goodman’s indifference about race spread to his audience
      1. Source: Tackley
5. Conclusion
   1. Restatement of thesis
   2. Closing points

You’ll note a few things in my outline.

First, I include background information in my introduction. This sets the stage and gives readers general information that helps them put your argument into context.

I also included sources in the body paragraphs. Doing this will help you when you later have to cite your sources.

Drafting your term paper

Now that you’ve gotten an outline written down, it’s time to start getting into the details. I like to take the same document my outline is written in and simply fill out the points with more detail—reformatting it as I go, of course.

Pro Tip: Save a copy of your original outline in a separate document in case you need it later for any reason.

When you’re writing, be sure to include references (in the appropriate formatting) for any ideas that aren’t originally yours. This not only helps your argument appear more credible, but also helps ensure you avoid unintentional plagiarism and getting failed for plagiarism.

The Finishing Touches

After you’ve written your term paper, take some time to edit it. Nothing’s perfect on the first draft. Most things aren’t even perfect on the second draft.

When you edit, you’re not just looking out for spelling and grammatical errors. You also want to eliminate redundant or unnecessary wording, make sure your ideas flow well, and make sure your thesis statement is clear.

If you need a second set of eyes in the editing process, you can look to the Kibin editors. They’ve helped countless students have more confidence when they turn in their final assignments.

When I looked for the monkeys, I didn’t see any at first. When I stepped closer, though, I could finally see that there were two monkeys at the back of the enclosure, sitting on one of the branches.

***

The brief paragraphs above could easily be taken from an observation essay. But what’s the first thing you think of when you read them? (Other than the fact that it’s probably been a long time since you’ve been to the zoo.)

Most people reading the example paragraphs are going to think, “so what?”

Even though the goal of an observation essay is to describe your observations, it must also have a purpose. This example doesn’t seem to have one (other than to tell readers that the writer went to the zoo).

If you’re looking for a little more clarification on how to add the “so what” into your paper, here are a few tips for writing a brilliant observation essay.

The Observation Essay: How to Make More Brilliant Observations

When you hear the words “observation essay,” it’s easy to think, “How difficult can it be? All I have to do is write about what I see.”

Well, yes and no.

You do have to write about what you see, but there’s more to it than that.

Let’s get focused (literally), and I’ll explain what I mean.

What’s your point?

If you’re writing an observation essay, it might sound like you should be writing a descriptive paper because you’re writing about your surroundings. Your goal isn’t simply to write description, though.

You need to have a purpose.

Before you sit down some place and start jotting down notes about everything around you, it’s essential that you figure out the point you want to make.

Let’s say you go to the zoo to observe the monkey exhibit. Are you going to observe the monkeys, the visitors, or both?

Your decision will be based on the goal of your paper. Maybe you’re studying animal behavior, and you want to see how a specific type of monkey behaves during feeding time.

Maybe you’re studying the similarities between humans and monkeys, and you want to observe both humans and monkeys to see if you can find any patterns.

Whatever you decide to observe, know why you’re observing before you begin.

Whatever you decide to observe, know why you’re observing before you begin.
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The observation process starts with focused questions

Be prepared to observe your subject with a list of focused questions. Don’t show up with a few scrap pieces of paper and a pen, thinking you’re ready to get to work.

This lack of preparation will likely mean that you’ll just start writing down everything you see. While this type of note-taking might be appropriate for some general descriptions of your surroundings, it’s not enough for developing the main paragraphs of your observation essay.

Instead, develop a list of focused and purposeful questions to answer during your observation.

Remember to develop a list of focused and purposeful questions to answer during your observation.
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Here’s what I mean.

If you’re observing the monkey exhibit, it’s great to describe the living conditions, the surrounding exhibits, and the people visiting. But this is just background information. There’s no other purpose for this other than to set the stage.

On the other hand, if you have a purpose in mind, you can instead focus your notes on answering specific questions. Here are a few examples:

• When is feeding time?
• What happens when food is brought out?
• Do the monkeys share or fight?
• Do they eat in groups, or do they eat alone?
• Do they wait their turn or rush to grab their share?
• Can you compare this to any human behaviors?

For example, if the monkeys fight for their meals, maybe this reminds you of free pizza night on campus when everyone rushes to get a slice (or two) before it’s gone.

See the difference? Preparing focused questions before you observe your subject means you’ll have more specific details and examples in place to help you write a better observation essay.

Writing an Observation Essay, from Outline to Thesis

After you’ve completed your observations, review your notes and begin outlining your ideas.

Start with the thesis statement. This will help you focus your thoughts and decide which information will work best to support your thesis.

Next, look for evidence to support your thesis.

For instance, if you’re writing about how feeding time at the monkey exhibit looks like free pizza night on campus, select several examples that help illustrate your point.

You might write about how the monkeys all rush to the food at once (just like college students). You might then discuss your observations about how monkeys (much like college students) often attempt to get their share of the food with little regard to those around them.

Finally, work on ideas for your introduction and conclusion. (Remember, you can write essays in any order. You don’t always have to write the introduction first.)

Consider starting your paper with a unique story or anecdote based on your observations and ending with more about what you’ve learned (again, based on your observations). Starting with a good hook is always a plus too!

Want to see what a finished observation essay looks like? Check out these annotated example observation essays and this example observational report.

If you’re writing a scientific field report rather than a basic observation essay, check out Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: Writing a Field Report.

No More Monkey Business

Okay, so you’ve reviewed your course notes and assignment guidelines. You’ve reviewed this article and the additional resources I’ve included.

You can’t delay the inevitable any longer. It’s finally time to get to the business of writing your observation essay. So find something to observe, and start observing! (Don’t forget to have a purpose in mind before you start.)

If, after you’ve finished your draft, you’re still not sure if you’ve written with purpose, let our editors help!

Happy observing, and happy writing!

I remember it well. The salesman in his red polo shirt saw my corn-fed parents and thought he might feed them a few lines of malarkey to go with it.

“You could go with one of these bargain PCs, but it will be obsolete before you even get it home.”

“Or… ,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “You could go with this brand-new desktop that just hit the sales floor.”

It was state of the art, sporting a whopping 1 gigabyte hard drive along with the newly released Windows ‘95, which he assured us would make it a top-of-the-line piece of equipment for years to come.

My parents were sold, and so was the computer. The salesman, obviously feeling quite confident and seeing that we were obviously clueless, sold us one more thing before we left: a yellow and black book aptly titled Windows 95 for Dummies.

Ahh, the ’90s. Where did those who didn’t know how to use the Internet go for information on how to use a computer? Books.

Weird.

It seems like an antiquated approach now, but that how-to manual from ye days of olde isn’t too dissimilar to what many students still have to produce today: a process analysis essay.

Choose How to Approach Your Process Analysis Essay

A process analysis essay describes how something is done. There are two ways to approach this task.

With the first approach, you will describe how to do something with the purpose of teaching your readers how to do it themselves.

With the second approach, you will describe how to do something with the purpose of teaching your readers how something is done, but with the knowledge that they will not be able to do it themselves.

For example, if you’re analyzing the process of making the perfect cup of coffee, the goal should very well be that, after reading your paper, the reader will be able to make the best damn cup of coffee ever.

However, if you’re analyzing the process of sending a satellite into space, then your average readers will most likely be interested in how others do this without having the means to actually do it themselves.

The different approaches may change the tone of your paper since the goals are quite different, but the fundamental structure for both approaches will be the same.

Choose (a Topic) Wisely

A process analysis involves describing a step-by-step process. Keep this in mind when choosing a topic.

Most essay assignments come with guidelines regarding their length. It is important that you take this into consideration when deciding on an appropriate topic.

Choosing a topic that is too complex can be nearly impossible to tackle in an essay with a moderate word limit. In fact, depending on the complexity of the topic, it may be nearly impossible to explain clearly in essay form at all.

On the other hand, if your topic is too narrow, you will find it difficult to write a paper that is long enough. You could write a process analysis essay about how to braid hair, but you may find yourself splitting hairs when it comes to the process in order to flesh out a lengthy enough essay.

Making either mistake will drastically hurt the readability of your essay and, undoubtedly, your grade. Instead, look for a topic that falls somewhere in the middle.

Moreover, you’re going to want to choose a process that you’re familiar with but that the majority of your readers are not. Don’t choose something so simple that everyone already knows how to do it.

I encourage you to brainstorm many topics. Make a list, and then go through each topic and consider how well it would work in essay form.

Once you have a topic you like, you can begin outlining it to see how well it will actually work.

Outlining and Structuring Your Essay

Making an outline is important when writing any essay, but it’s even more important with process analysis essays.

In order to teach someone a process, it is extremely important that all steps are presented in a clear and logical order.

To teach someone a process, present the steps in a clear, logical order.
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Creating an outline will give you the chance to think about which steps are important and then put the steps in the correct order.

While outlining, you should determine which steps are complicated enough to warrant their own paragraphs and which are related and simple enough to lump together into one paragraph.

If while outlining your topic you find that it’s going to be too long or too short, too complex or too simple, you can return to your brainstorming list and try a new topic. It’s much better to have that realization at this point in the project—before you start writing your essay.

Writing Your Process Analysis Essay

In case you haven’t noticed, many of the posts we write on the Kibin blog are similar to process analysis essays. We’re describing how to write certain types of essays and how to become a better writer in general.

So in a way, I’m writing a process analysis about how to perform the process of writing a process analysis about how to perform a process.

Therefore, there are some things that you can learn about process analysis by reading this blog.

For example, we write these posts in the second person (you) because we’re explaining to you (the reader) how to do something. In most cases, you will want to take this same approach in your process analysis essay (but double check your assignment guidelines first as some instructors may ask you to keep to third person).

Your essay will start with an introduction of the topic you will discuss. This introduction paragraph shouldn’t include any of the steps in the process, though.

Instead, you can use this space to define important terms in the process, list any needed materials, and relay any necessary warnings related to the process, along with any other information that’s pertinent to the process.

After the introduction, you will begin to describe the step-by-step process. Using transition words is important when doing this. Your essay should present the steps in chronological order, and transition words can help to do this clearly.

Because some paragraphs will include numerous steps and others will include just one, each paragraph within the body will vary in length. This is fine. The important thing is that the process is described in a logical order and in a clear way.

Your conclusion will restate the purpose of your process analysis essay and describe the appropriate end result.

Edit and Revise

It’s important to have someone review any essay you write, but it’s imperative with a process analysis essay. When writing about a process you already know well, it can be easy to overlook something.

It’s quite common for a writer to make a seemingly obvious mistake because he or she can’t see the process from an outsider’s point of view. For this reason, it’s important to let an outsider read your paper.

If there’s someone close to you who you trust and who has the time to take a look, give it to them. If not, you can send your paper to one of the professional editors at Kibin. Not only will they point out any glaring weaknesses in your paper, but they will also provide insight into how to improve your writing in the future.

Moreover, they will never make you feel like a dummy.

Or do you dive right into it and react with the same intensity any self-proclaimed Star Wars nerd would react to this climactic scene?

No matter which category you fall into, knowing how to write a reaction paper can help you explore literature more deeply and connect to characters. And believe it or not, it can also give you the opportunity to actually enjoy your school assignments.

Regardless of how much you like or dislike the book you’re reading for class, writing a reaction paper can be a little challenging, especially if it’s your first time writing one.

But not to worry—I’m here to break it down by showing you what a reaction paper is and how to be a Jedi master in your paper writing.

What Is a Reaction Paper?

Before we get into how to write a reaction paper, you have to know what it is. In its simplest form, it’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like—a paper that expresses your reaction to a certain piece of literature.

Easy-peasy, right?

Not so fast! There are other components that you need to include to make sure you not only get a passing grade on your reaction paper, but that you succeed with flying colors.

To really write a great reaction paper, one with precise language and structure, there are a few things you have to include… and a few things you should avoid.

It can be easy to just ramble when discussing your reaction, which is definitely something to steer clear of. You want to include your response to the literature, but not to the point where that’s all the paper is about.

Instead, add some support from the literature to give more substance to your response.

On the other hand, you might go the opposite direction and turn your reaction paper into an analytical essay. And this, whether or not it’s well-written, is not the assignment.

So stick to the assignment, and follow my advice to make your writing awesome.

Success Happens Before You Write

One of the biggest things that determines the outcome of your reaction paper is not the writing itself—it’s what you do while you’re reading. If my assignment were to react to an aspect of the Star Wars trilogy (the original trilogy, that is), I would watch each installment more closely and more fervently than ever.

Take notes while you read

Taking notes as you read literature is helpful for just about any essay, but for a reaction paper, it’s crucial.

Writing down your initial reactions at the end of every chapter—along with any questions you might have about the plot, the characters, etc.—will help you to later develop those reactions into more cohesive and impactful writing.

Annotate anything that makes you react

Whether it’s writing in the margins or on sticky notes, annotating phrases, sentences, or paragraphs that make you react can give you a quick reference for your support later.

Used in combination with the notes mentioned earlier, you’ll be all set to write your paper without having to re-read the entire novel looking for that one quote.

You’re probably going to take way more notes than you’ll use in your paper, and that’s fine. It’s better to write something down and not use it than to not write it down and wish you had. Taking notes will benefit you in many ways:

• It will help you sort through your ideas and find the ones that have a common theme.
• It will make the writing process easier and more fun.
• It will help you engage more with the text.

Re-read if you have to

Don’t be afraid to re-read certain sections of the book later to get better clarity and evolve your reaction a little bit more. Some students don’t like reading the text the first time, so they surely don’t want to spend even more time re-reading it. They just want to write their reaction paper and be done with it.

Don’t be that person. It won’t get you anything but sub-par grades.

Of course, the more detailed your notes, the less time you’ll have to spend re-reading, so use whatever combination of these strategies works best for you.

How to Write a Reaction Paper

Now that you’ve read, re-read, and have compiled all your notes and annotations, it’s time to start the writing process.

Brainstorm ideas

Before you begin the actual writing, it’s helpful to get all your ideas out on paper. Brainstorming can be done in a number of different ways—including free writing and mind mapping. Whatever method you use, brainstorming allows you to do an idea dump without any predetermined structure.

This is an important step. (It might even be the most important thing you take away from learning how to write a reaction paper!)

Right now, all you have is your initial reaction and any relevant annotations. Brainstorming gives you a chance to reflect on those initial reactions and develop them into something more paper-worthy.

My brainstorming session might include points about different Star Wars characters, that scene when Han cuts open the Tauntaun’s stomach and puts Luke inside, the Force, and other things I noticed while watching the trilogy.

From my brainstorming, then, I realize that the theme of good vs. evil shows itself in various ways.

Make an outline

Once you have all your ideas out, you should put them in order, so you know what you’re going to write about. Plus, it helps make sure you don’t forget anything.

During outlining, you choose the precise topic for your reaction paper—unless a topic is specifically assigned to you. Typical topics include a theme, character, or plot point.

An outline is a powerful tool in any writer’s arsenal that allows you to plot what you’re going to write about in the introduction, each body paragraph, and the conclusion.

Assuming my reaction paper was about the theme of good vs. evil in the Star Wars trilogy, my outline would look like this:

1. 1. Introduction
      1. Hook
      2. Thesis statement
   2. Intrigue and relatability to Luke’s struggle
      1. Light side and dark side of the force represent good and evil.
      2. Luke struggles between the two.
   3. Confusion at the death of Obi Wan Kenobi
      1. Obi Wan doesn’t die the way one might think. He simply disappears, and Darth Vader’s lightsaber passes through where he was just standing.
      2. Darth represents evil, and Obi Wan represents good. This made it seem like evil was conquering good.
         1. Could be argued that Luke represents good.
         2. Yet he has his own internal struggle, coming out as good, but isn’t purely good the entire series.
   4. Conclusion
      1. Throughout the original trilogy, I had a roller coaster of emotions as to how the battle between good and evil would play out. While I hoped it would turn out for good, there was always a careful balance between the two.
      2. External (Darth Vader and Obi Wan) and internal (different sides of the Force pulling at Luke) struggle between good and evil.

Develop a strong thesis statement

Once you know what you’re going to write about and how it’s going to be structured, it’s time to start filling in the blanks of your outline.

If you haven’t already, now is the time to develop a thesis statement. This tells the reader precisely what you’ll be writing about, but leaves the support and smaller details for later. Consider your thesis statement to be kind of like a preview.

It’s important to note that many teachers will lower a grade significantly or even give a failing grade if there is no thesis statement. So be sure yours is in there!

The thesis statement for my Star Wars reaction paper might look something like this:

The battle between good and evil can be depicted no better than in the original Star Wars trilogy. Luke is an intriguing and relatable character as he battles the internal forces of good and evil. Obi Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader engage in a battle that, while confusing at times, perfectly positions pure good versus pure evil.

Don’t forget your evidence

Once your thesis statement is done, it’s time to start writing the rest of the paper. I can’t stress the importance of support enough. Without it, you’re simply offering an opinion piece, not writing an academic paper.

You may have included some details of your support in your outline, but don’t be afraid to really synthesize the literature to show why you reacted the way you did.

And of course, once you’re done writing the body paragraphs, you need to wrap it up nicely with a conclusion. This paragraph should be brief, about the size of your introduction, and restate the intention of your paper, including any new information you didn’t preview in your thesis statement.

Still Need a Little Help?

It’s okay if you don’t get it on your first try.

Getting familiar with how to write a reaction paper takes some time.

And even if it’s not new for you, editing your own work doesn’t always work out as well as someone else looking it over.

Luckily, the Kibin editors can help proofread and edit your essay so that your instructor will have a positive reaction to it.

May the force be with you.

No? That’s okay if you haven’t. A lot of students are way too busy to spend their days reflecting. But if you’ve been assigned to write a reflective essay, here’s your chance to do so.

Are you reflecting on the writing assignment right now?  Perhaps you’re thinking, “I don’t even know what a reflective essay is and have no idea how to write one.”

If that’s the case, then you should stop reflecting and start reading, as this blog post will teach you how to write a reflective essay that’s interesting.

What Is a Reflective Essay?

The goal of the reflective essay is to describe how a person, event, or experience affected you. Your objective is to reflect upon your personal growth.

To do this, you’ll need to share your thoughts and emotions. Don’t worry; you don’t have to share your deepest, darkest secrets (unless, of course, you want to).

While this definition might sound a lot like a narrative essay, be careful not to confuse the two.  A reflective essay doesn’t simply tell a story or explain an event like a narrative essay does.

Here’s an example from a narrative essay written by the classic cartoon mischief-maker Bart Simpson.

Last week at church I switched the organist’s music. I would’ve gotten away with it, but Milhouse snitched on me, and the reverend ordered us to clean the organ as punishment. Milhouse cleaned the organ because he feared for his soul. I didn’t believe in souls, so I sold mine to Milhouse for $5. When bad things started happening to me, I quickly realized I needed to get my soul back.

 

Bart tells the story of selling his soul and finding a way to get it back. He’s not reflecting about how the experience affected him.

Narrative essays don’t usually reflect upon events or explain how they changed you. (If they do, the reflection is kept brief, as the narrative’s purpose is to tell the story.)

Okay, so now you know how a narrative essay is different from a reflective essay. But, what the heck is a reflective essay anyway? Let’s use another example.

Here’s an example from a reflective essay written by Bart Simpson.

When I sold my soul to Milhouse for $5, I thought it was a great deal, but soon after the sale my life took a turn for the worse. My pets hated me, and I couldn’t even laugh at Itchy & Scratchy cartoons. I knew I had made a terrible mistake. Thanks to Lisa, I was able to get my soul back, and I’m a new man; I definitely learned an important lesson.

See the difference?  The narrative essay describes events. A reflective essay explains how the events shaped you.

The narrative essay describes events. A reflective essay explains how the events shaped you.
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Bart briefly retells the story of selling his soul, but the focus of the essay will be the lesson he learned and how the event changed him.

Though you’ll still need to tell your story in a reflective essay, it will only be a small part of your paper. In other words, don’t spend too much time explaining the details of the events. If you do, you won’t have enough space to reflect.

Still wondering how to actually write a reflective essay that’s interesting? Read the following for some helpful advice.

How to Write a Reflective Essay: Q & A

Q: How do I know what to write about?

A: Sometimes your professor will decide this for you. You might have to reflect on your learning in a course or, perhaps, during field experience or internship.

If you’re writing about your learning in a course, think about the course content. (Pull out the syllabus if you need to remember the key topics of the course.)

Or, you might write about how a specific teacher changed your life.

Lisa Simpson might write about how a substitute teacher inspired her and taught her that life was worth living.

If you are allowed to choose your own topic, pick something that has affected you on meaningful level.

Don’t write about how your new XBox changed your life because you can now play your favorite games at any time.

Do write about something that will allow you to reflect on the subject in a meaningful way.

Lisa Simpson might write about how entering a beauty contest as a feminist really did make her a stronger person and helped her self esteem.

Q: What does it really mean to reflect?

A: Reflecting means you’ll have to think more deeply about your subject. Don’t just write about anything that comes to mind.

Reflection takes time.

Think about cause and effect, how ideas compare, how you feel about the topic, and how you have been affected.

Lisa Simpson might write about the time she fell in love with a lamb at the petting zoo. When her mom served lamb chops for dinner, she struggled with the idea of lambs as living creatures and animals as food. Her inner struggles led her to become a vegetarian.

Like Lisa, you may have a lot to consider, and it may take a while to actually decide how you feel about an experience.

Keep reflecting, and, before you write, jot down as many feelings and reflections as you can on your topic. You won’t end up writing about everything you put in your notes, but this process will help you decide what’s most important and will allow you to narrow your focus.

Q: How do I make my reflective essay interesting?

A: Choose relevant content. If you’re writing about how volunteering at a homeless shelter affected you, choose key points that really changed your life in a significant way.

You may have realized the importance of wearing comfortable shoes while standing and serving meals for hours, but did the revelation about proper footwear really change your life? Is this really what your audience wants to read about? I doubt it.

Choose more complex insights. Consider how and why the events, the interactions, and your experiences changed your outlook or your goals for your own life.

Homer Simpson might write about the time doctors found a crayon lodged in his brain, and how when they removed it, he instantly became smarter. His story would focus on how the events changed him and how he felt when he was finally able to relate to his daughter, Lisa.

In Homer’s reflective essay, stories of driving to work or sitting at Moe’s drinking a beer wouldn’t be relevant, as they don’t offer any insight to his reflections about his relationship with Lisa.

Q: Can I write in first person?

A: Yes (unless your professor says otherwise). Most academic writing is formal and requires you to write in third person, but because reflective essays are more personal, and you’re reflecting about your thoughts and experiences, in most cases you may use first person.

Q: If I can use first person, does that mean I can write like I talk?

A: No. Remember, you’re still writing an academic essay. Your tone should be formal, and you should avoid slang and jargon.

Q: How do I structure a reflective essay?

A: The structure of a reflective essay is like most other essays. You need to include an introduction, body, and conclusion. You’ll also need a strong thesis that informs readers of the focus of your paper. (Read Use This Reflective Essay Outline to Get Your Paper Started)

Reflective Essay Checklist

Now that you know how to write a reflective essay, don’t forget to proofread and revise your paper once it’s done.

Here’s a quick proofreading and revision checklist to help polish your essay.

Check the opening. Have you used a good hook sentence? Does your opening grab readers’ attention? Does anyone actually want to read your reflection?

Check transitions. Have you used appropriate transition words to link ideas? Have you used transitional sentences to move readers from one point to the next?

Check essay format. Are your margins correct? Have you used an acceptable font? Is your spacing correct?

Ask for help. Don’t forget to have a friend, family member, or expert Kibin editor help polish your reflective essay.

Good luck!

Finally, an essay topic that is actually interesting to you: YOU!
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The excitement is building, you actually might not procrastinate this time. You’ve got your fingers on the keyboard, jittering to get started, but… wait… How do you write a personal narrative essay anyway?

And, how do you make it good?

Never fear. I’ll help you understand how a personal narrative essay works and how you can write it well enough to make your audience gasp in awe and surprise.

What Is a Personal Narrative Essay?

Personal narrative essays come in all shapes and sizes, but what they have in common is that they should be about you.

In a nutshell, writing a personal narrative essays means sharing an experience from your life to create an emotional reaction in your reader–reactions such as laughing out loud, tears, frustration, disappointment, etc.

Personal narrative essays share a personal experience in order to get an emotional reaction.
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By drawing people in and making them relate to you as a character, your readers will invest their time more readily into your story.

Most often, your instructor will give you a topic to work from, topics such as “explain a time when you had to make a difficult decision” or “talk about an experience you had that was similar to what happened in the book we just read.”

Using the topic your instructor gives you, narrow down the personal experiences that fit. While you’re thinking, write your ideas down on paper, or tell the story out loud to get an idea of how it might come out on paper.

Once you have 5 to 10 ideas, think about which ones would

1. be fun for you to write
2. make your audience interested in the story
3. fit the topic best
4. be meaningful to you
5. have enough material to meet your word or page count
6. not be too long of a story to write in detail

After you rate the topics you came up with using those qualifications, you can choose from the narrowed down list and start thinking about the details you need to include. Writing an outline of what your experience entailed is a great way to keep you on track as you write the first draft.

Need more help thinking of a topic? Check out these personal narrative essay examples!

One of the Best Villains and Essay Tactics Ever to Exist: (The) Hook

While you might be throwing the conventions for using personal pronouns in formal essays out the window (this essay is about you, after all), that doesn’t mean that you should leave all your writing strategies by the wayside.

You still have to hook your reader into the story from the beginning. Give them something shiny to look at, and rope them into your devious plot (*maniacal laughter ensues*).

So, great. Give readers the hook. What does that mean? It might be easier to show you.

Imagine this is the opening sentence in a personal narrative essay:

I typically eat olives in the afternoon and dislike Peter Pan. I am a bad man who doesn’t treat his villainous pirate crew very well. One time, I captured Tinker Bell, and she got pretty mad.

Do you think you would want to keep reading this story?

Pretty dry for a beginning of a story, even if it is from the perspective of Captain Hook. Well, let’s try this again.

While eating olives in the middle of the afternoon, I thought I heard a sound. Looking up from the knots I had been studying in the wooden table, I glanced around, wary for signs of that dastardly Peter Pan. Having assured myself that the sound had been a trick of my mind, I reached for another olive only to find that someone had taken all of them.

A bit more interesting, right? Wouldn’t you want to know more?

When writing your personal narrative essay, you’ll want to lead your readers on and get them interested in your story from the get-go. You can do that by throwing them right into the middle of your story and giving the minute (but relevant!) details of the scene so they can imagine what’s going one.

Make your story so involved and intriguing that they forget they are reading at all.

Keeping Your Audience Interested with Imagery

You might be tired of hearing the age-old advice, “show, don’t tell,” but that definitely applies to personal narrative essays.

When you’re showing the reader, you give detail that makes them feel like a part of the story. Telling the reader, on the other hand,  means that you simply state the events that happened without engaging them in the story.

Let me give you some examples. This is what telling might look like:

I broke my pen, and the ink went everywhere. I was sad.

And, this is what showing might look like:

As I wrote my apology on the lined paper, I did not realize how hard I was pressing on the pen. I heard the pen crack, and ink gushed onto my fingers, the table, and the paper, ruining the halfhearted apology before I could even send it.

In the second example, you get more information about the speaker’s surroundings, the mess of ink, and clues about what the speaker might be dealing with.

Rather than reveal your emotions outright, flavor your story with actions—using verbs, adjectives, and (sometimes) adverbs—that give the reader a distinct idea of how the speaker feels.

For instance, in the second example, the words “halfhearted” and “apology” give much more information about the scene and the speaker than the word “sad” does in the first example.

Giving Enough Details in Your Personal Narrative Essay

Do you have one of those friends who starts telling a story and just assumes that you understand certain things they fail to mention?

Does she think you can read her mind?

Don’t be one of those people when you’re writing your personal essay.

The last thing you want to do in your personal narrative essay is confuse your readers. That means you have to give them all the background information they need to understand your personal narrative. Do you need to clarify some lingo? Do you need to explain how your family members are related to you?

That doesn’t mean you have to spell it all out . Here are some ways to give your readers more details about your story and further involve them:

• Use dialogue
• Add descriptions of the scene that apply to the story
• Include a flashback if you need to go into the past to explain something
• Explain the significance of particular items or people within your story

Again, keep the “show, don’t tell” rule in mind, but make sure that all the pieces of the story are there. To test out the fluidity and logic of your personal narrative essay, read it to someone without context.

Reading it out loud will also help you catch typos and silly grammatical errors.

Concluding Your Personal Narrative Essay

You would expect the last episode of the fourth season of Game of Thrones to end on a cliffhanger, but your personal narrative essay likely won’t have a sequel to explain the rest of what happened. You are responsible for writing the ending.

This is your chance to tie up loose ends, reiterate “the point” of your personal narrative essay (why the story is important or how it impacted your life), and drive home any emotion you want to leave the reader.

Fortunately, Kibin has some great tips on writing concluding paragraphs for personal narrative essays that you can look at if you are stumped.

If you need even more help with learning how to write a narrative essay, check out How to Write a Narrative Essay That Stands Out.

Once you’re finished with the first draft, the expert editors and fine-tuners at Kibin can help you edit your personal narrative essay and leave you comments about how you can make your writing even more interesting.

Good luck!

*Cover image credit: Ross Catrow (Creative Commons)