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Intro: |
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| Don't wait to start your essay until the night before it's due. Your topic will be much more developed if you give yourself time to research and revise before the due date. |
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Sometimes the hardest part of writing is figuring out what to write about. What if an editor asks you to write an essay about anything you choose, or your teacher gives you a general subject to work within--political issues or contemporary society, for example. How do you develop a specific focus? Instead of staring at a blank sheet of paper hoping for an idea, here are a few activities to try: Brainstorming. Get together with a classmate or another writer and trade ideas. The object is to toss out ideas without regard to their connections. Eventually an idea may interest you enough to develop into an essay. Free writing. Write nonstop without worrying about spelling or grammar, letting each idea lead you to the next. Don't think too much about what you're writing or even lift your pen. If you don't know how to begin, write, "I'm stuck," and describe the feelings you're experiencing. Follow thought tangents wherever they take you, and eventually you could come up with a suitable topic. Or, show your free writing to your brainstorming partner, who may be able to help you find a kernel of usable material. Reading. Look through magazines, newspapers, books, or class notes, and determine what issues, questions, and stories had the biggest effect on you. Does anything in your reading anger, inspire, or puzzle you? Why not use it as a topic for your essay?
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Develop a topic
