In general, it's wise to start writing your essays as early as possible. Especially at the end, it makes sense to leave the essay for a few days and correct it later, spending a little time. Therefore, you should think about the time horizon. You should set aside enough time for topic research, literature research, structuring, writing and correcting just like a professional essay writer does. For example, if you have 30 days, you can create a kind of chart that shows how much time you plan for a particular block. Even though it sometimes takes an endless amount of research or readings, you should set a maximum amount of time for each category. This will help you stay in control and stay on schedule.
First of all, it depends on whether the essay topic is set or you can freely choose one of them. In the latter case, you should first think about what interests you and what drives you. Ask yourself these questions: What am I noticing right now? What touches me What shocks me? What should be changed? Searching for a topic may take a while, but you should set a time limit for research as described.
After defining the topic, literary research begins. If the topic is asked, there is usually literature that you need to read. You can also refer to other literature. If there is no literature, you should of course study and read it. Opinions differ when it comes to the volume of literary research: some recommend reading less literature because you have to express your own opinion and not the opinion of others. With a little literature, there is more room for inspiration. Anyone who recommends reading a lot states that you need to get a thorough knowledge of the topic and thus be able to write better on it. You must decide for yourself which method is best for you.
Markups and notes make essay writing easier
As you read, you should note important points in the text and jot down key ideas in the form of notes. It can also help you organize your notes in a diagram, such as a mind map. This is how you structure your thoughts. After writing, you should think about the topic and the literature yourself. It is usually helpful to write them down in a disordered manner so as not to limit yourself in thinking. Once you've written down your thoughts, you can also place them on a mind map to keep things structured.
After reading it and the mind map, it's time to formulate a thesis. The thesis should be short and concise. If you are writing an essay on a complex topic at university, the thesis should also be clear to outsiders. This is comparable to the "kitchen scream". So the basic idea is that you can shout out to someone in one sentence. There should also be an opportunity to refute the thesis. However, the thesis is not such a well-known fact as "the sky is blue". It is important that you think about your thesis yourself. It can also be a contentious issue, problem, or phenomenon.
Then, based on the mind map, you write down your arguments for or against the thesis in keywords. You can use your own opinion for discussion, but you need to argue clearly. You can also present points of view from literature, but your own opinion should be in the foreground. Also write down the examples you would like to provide for clarification.
Additional Resources:
Typical Problems Students Have When Writing An Essay