You've got an essay due.
You've opened a blank document.
And you've been staring at the blinking cursor for 20 minutes.
What exactly are you supposed to write?
Getting started can be one of the hardest parts of writing an essay. The good news is that you don't need to come up with a brilliant opening sentence right away. In fact, trying to write the perfect first sentence is often what keeps you from writing anything at all.
Here are some ways to get moving.
1. Figure Out What the Question Is Asking
Before you start writing, make sure you understand the assignment.
If your teacher asks:
“How does the main character change throughout the novel?”
your essay isn't simply supposed to describe the character. You need to explain how the character changes and probably provide evidence from the book.
Underline or circle the important words in the assignment. Then put the question into your own words.
If you can't explain what the assignment is asking, it's going to be pretty difficult to answer it.
2. Don't Start With the Introduction
Wait. Isn't this an article about starting an essay?
Yes—but you don't necessarily have to start with the beginning.
If you're stuck on your introduction, start with the part you understand best. Write a body paragraph. Make a list of your ideas. Find a quote from the book that you want to use.
Once you've got some ideas on the page, your introduction will often be much easier to write.
Think of it as getting the engine started before worrying about the paint job.
3. Make a Quick List of Ideas
Take two or three minutes and write down everything that comes to mind about the topic.
Don't worry about grammar. Don't worry about whether the ideas are good. Don't even worry about writing complete sentences.
Just get your thoughts onto the page.
For an essay about a character, your list might look something like:
- Starts out selfish
- Doesn't trust people
- Argument with friend
- Something happens to family
- Starts helping other people
- Becomes more responsible
Now you've got something to work with.
4. Turn Your Main Idea Into a Sentence
Once you've got a few ideas, look for the biggest one.
Ask yourself:
What am I really trying to say?
Suppose your notes are about how a character becomes more responsible throughout a novel.
You might turn that into:
The character becomes more responsible as he learns to think about how his actions affect other people.
Congratulations. You have the beginning of a thesis.
It doesn't have to sound like something from a college textbook. It just needs to clearly communicate your main point.
5. Use Evidence
A strong school essay usually doesn't just make a claim. It supports that claim.
If you're writing about a book, that might mean using a quote or describing a specific scene. If you're writing about history or science, you might use facts or information from your sources.
A useful pattern is:
Make a point → Give evidence → Explain the evidence
For example:
Point: The character becomes more responsible.
Evidence: He decides to help his family even though doing so creates problems for him.
Explanation: This shows that he is beginning to put other people's needs ahead of his own.
That basic structure can work for many different types of essays.
6. Don't Try to Sound Like a Textbook
Students sometimes think a good essay needs to use really complicated words.
It doesn't.
Clear writing is usually better than writing that sounds like you swallowed a dictionary.
If you normally wouldn't say something like “the protagonist subsequently demonstrates a profound transformation,” don't force it into your essay.
Say what you mean.
You can always make your writing more formal during the editing process.
7. Write a Bad First Draft
This might be the most important tip of all.
Your first draft doesn't have to be good.
It just needs to exist.
Write the ideas you have. Put them in roughly the right order. Leave yourself a note if you can't figure something out.
You can fix awkward sentences later.
It's much easier to improve something you've written than to improve a completely blank page.
8. Come Back to the Introduction
Now that you've written some of the essay, go back to the beginning.
You may find that your introduction is much easier to write because you actually know what your essay is about.
A simple introduction might only need to do two things:
- Introduce the topic.
- Tell the reader your main point.
That's it.
Final Thought
The hardest part of writing an essay is often getting started. Don't make it harder by expecting your first sentence—or your first draft—to be perfect.
Figure out what the assignment is asking, get some ideas onto the page, and start writing. You can organize, edit, and improve your work once you have something to work with.
A blank page can't be edited. A rough draft can.
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