Der Essay war auch die bevorzugte literarische Form der Moralisten und Aufklärer. Die Enzyklopädisten adaptierten die ursprünglich literarisch-philosophische Form zu einem wissenschaftlichen Stil. Im Gegensatz zum Traktat oder zur wissenschaftlichen Abhandlung verzichtet ein Essay auf objektive Nachweise und definitive Antworten.

Die Fragestellung, die einem Essay zugrundeliegt, wird beantwortet, doch nicht abschließend – ein guter Essay wirft neue Fragen auf oder umreißt ein neues Problem. Erkenntnisse und Forderungen werden oft nur so weit ausgeführt, dass der Leser sie selbst assoziieren und als eigene Gedanken betrachten kann, nicht als eine dogmatische Lehrmeinung.

Ein Essay ist demzufolge immer subjektiv und bekennt sich auch dazu. Er zeichnet sich aus durch eine gewisse Leichtigkeit, stilistische Ausgefeiltheit, Verständlichkeit und einen nicht zu unterschätzenden Unterhaltungswert. Ein Essay ist befreit von zu vielen Zitaten, Fußnoten und Randbemerkungen. Fallweise verkommt der Essay auch zu einer stilisierten, ästhetisierten Plauderei.

Die essayistische Methode ist eine experimentelle Art, sich dem Gegenstand der Überlegungen zu nähern und ihn aus verschiedenen Perspektiven zu betrachten. Das Wichtigste ist jedoch nicht der Gegenstand der Überlegungen, sondern das Entwickeln der Gedanken vor den Augen des Lesers.

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Info about essay writing, prewriting essays, writing essays, editing essays, publishing essays, scholarship essay, narrative essay

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Essay Info is for anyone who wants to improve the writing skills. Whether your purpose is to get better grades at school or just to enjoy the writing process Essay Info will lead you to your goal. It is intended mainly for college students and useful for those of you, who strive to write more clearly, gracefully, and efficiently. We are not limited to the information about the basics of academic writing. We bring to your attention hints on effective resume and cover letter writing, making a presentation in class and at work. At Essay Info you can find quick tips for making any writing assignment sound great.

Writing is a good way to stimulate learning and critical thinking. There are numerous forms of writing that students face everyday. This site was designed to help you in achieving better results with your writing assignment. We are here to explain you the whole process of writing in the simple and understandable way. At Essay Info you will find guidelines for writing various types of academic assignments. We offer a framework for analyzing essays from their overall structure down to individual words. You become a better writer primarily by reflecting and analyzing rather than memorizing.

The information presented here have been collected and worked through by professional essay writers, college professors, and people dedicated to human resources during many years. Our purpose was to collect practical information from people with considerable writing experience. We believe that the best knowledge you get, you get through experience. So this is the place where we share with you our experience and hope to help you in your work. We hope you find the information on this web site useful and notice an improvement in your writing very soon.

What is an essay?

• An organised collection
• Af YOUR IDEAS
• About literary texts
• Nicely written
• And professionally presented

In other words, the essay must be well structured (ie organised) and presented in a way that the reader finds easy to follow and clear: it must look tidy and not present any obstacles to the reader. It must have a clear readable interesting style. But, above all, it must consist of your ideas about literary texts. This is the centre of it: this, and this only, gets the marks. Not quotes from critics, not generalisations at second hand about literary history, not filling and padding; your thoughts, that you have had while in the act of reading specific bits of literary texts, which can be adduced in the form of quotations to back up your arguments.

The introductory paragraph should also include the thesis statement, a kind of mini-outline for the essay. This is where the writer grabs the reader's attention. It tells the reader what the paper is about. The last sentence of this paragraph must also include a transitional "hook" which moves the reader to the first paragraph of the body of the essay.

The first paragraph of the body should include the strongest argument, most significant example, cleverest illustration, or an obvious beginning point. The first sentence should contain the "reverse hook" which ties in with the transitional hook at the end of the introductory paragraph. The subject for this paragraph should be in the first or second sentence. This subject should relate to the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph. The last sentence in this paragraph should include a transitional hook to tie into the second paragraph of the body.

The second paragraph of the body should include the second strongest argument, second most significant example, second cleverest illustration, or an obvious follow up the first paragraph in the body. The first sentence of this paragraph should contain the reverse hook, which ties in with the transitional hook at the end of the first paragraph of the body. The topic for this paragraph should be in the first or second sentence. This topic should relate to the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph. The last sentence in this paragraph should include a transitional hook to tie into the third paragraph of the body.

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The third paragraph of the body should include the weakest argument, weakest example, weakest illustration, or an obvious follow up to the second paragraph in the body. The first sentence of this paragraph should contain the reverse hook, which ties in with the transitional hook at the end of the second paragraph. The topic for this paragraph should be in the first or second sentence. This topic should relate to the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph. The last sentence in this paragraph should include a transitional concluding hook that signals the reader that this is the final major point being made in this essay. This hook also leads into the concluding paragraph.

The fifth paragraph is the summary paragraph. It is important to restate the thesis and three supporting ideas in an original and powerful way as this is the last chance the writer has to convince the reader of the validity of the information presented.

This paragraph should include the following:

1. an allusion to the pattern used in the introductory paragraph,
2. a restatement of the thesis statement, using some of the original language or language that "echoes" the original language. (The restatement, however, must not be a duplicate thesis statement.)
3. a summary of the three main points from the body of the essay.
4. a final statement that gives the reader signals that the discussion has come to an end. (This final statement may be a "call to action" in a persuasive essay.)

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Six Prewriting Steps:

1. Think carefully about what you are going to write.

2. Open your notebook. Write out your answers to the above questions. You do not need to spend a lot of time doing this; just write enough to help you remember why and how you are going to write your paragraph or essay.

3. Collect facts related to your paragraph or essay topic. Look for and write down facts that will help you to answer your question. Timesaving hint: make sure the facts you are writing are related to the exact question you are going to answer in your paragraph or essay.

4. Write down your own ideas. Ask yourself: What else do I want to say about this topic? Why should people be interested in this topic? Why is this topic important?

5. Find the main idea of your paragraph or essay. Choose the most important point you are going to present. If you cannot decide which point is the most important, just choose one point and stick to it throughout your paragraph or essay.

6. Organize your facts and ideas in a way that develops your main idea. Once you have chosen the most important point of your paragraph or essay, you must find the best way to tell your reader about it. Look at the facts you have written. Look at your own ideas on the topic. Decide which facts and ideas will best support the main idea of your essay. Once you have chosen the facts and ideas you plan to use, ask yourself which order to put them in the essay. Write down your own note set that you can use to guide yourself as you write your essay.

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Five Writing Steps:

• 1. For the introduction, write the thesis statement and give some background information.
• 2. Develop each supporting paragraph and make sure to follow the correct paragraph format.
• 3. Write clear and simple sentences to express your meaning.
• 4. Focus on the main idea of your essay.
• 5. Use a dictionary to help you find additional words to express your meaning.

Editing Steps:

Grammar and Spelling
1. Check your spelling.
2. Check your grammar.
3. Read your essay again.
4. Make sure each sentence has a subject.
5. Make sure your subjects and verbs agree with each other.
6. Check the verb tenses of each sentence.
7. Make sure that each sentence makes sense.

Style and Organization
1. Make sure your essay has an introduction, supporting paragraphs, and a summary paragraph.
2. Check that you have a thesis statement that identifies the main idea of the essay.
3. Check that all your paragraphs follow the proper paragraph format.
4. See if your essay is interesting.

Publishing Steps:

1. Make a paper copy of your essay.
2. Show your work to your teacher, tutor, or parents.
3. Ask them for hints on how to improve your writing.

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Essays are used to learn more about your reasons for applying to the course, university or company and your ability to benefit from and contribute to it. Your answers will let you state your case more fully than other sections of the application, and provide the evaluator with better insight about you and how you differ from the other applicants. In marginal cases, the essays are used to decide whether an applicant will be selected. The purpose of the admissions essay is to convey a sense of your unique character to the admissions committee. The essay also demonstrates your writing skills as well as your ability to organize your thoughts coherently.

There are hundreds of possible topics that you can be asked to write an essay on. Given below are some of the more common ones.

1. What events, activities or achievements have contributed to your own self-development?
2. Describe a situation in which you had significant responsibility and what you learned from it.
3. Describe your strengths and weaknesses in two areas: setting and achieving goals, and working with other people.
4. Your career aspirations and factors leading you to apply to this course at this time. Describe a challenge to which you have successfully responded. What did you learn about yourself as you responded to this challenge? Describe a challenge you anticipate facing in any aspect of college life. On the basis of what you learned from your earlier response, how do you expect to deal with this challenge?
5. Describe and evaluate one experience that significantly influenced your academic interests. The experience might be a high school course, a job, a relationship, or an extracurricular activity. Be sure to explain how this experience led to your setting the goals you now have for yourself, and why you think the academic program for which you are applying will help you to reach those goals.
6. Describe your educational, personal or career goals.
7. Role Model - If you could meet/be/have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and why?
8. Past Experience - Describe an event that has had a great impact on you and why?
9. What was your most important activity/course in high school and why?
10. Forecast important issues in the next decade, century - nationally, globally.
11. Why do you want to study at this university?
12. Tell us something about yourself, your most important activities?
13. How would your room, computer or car describe you?

List all your activities for the past four years. Include school activities; awards, honors, and offices held; community services; jobs; and travel. Record major travel experiences. Note your strongest impressions and how they affected you. If you loved the Grand Canyon, for example, write down three specific reasons why, aside from the grandeur and beauty that everyone loves. Describe an accomplishment that you had to struggle to achieve. Include what it was, how you tackled it, and how it changed you.

Think of one or two sayings that you've heard again and again around your house since childhood. How have they shaped your life? What personality traits do you value most in yourself? Choose a few and jot down examples of how each has helped you. Think of things that other people often say about you. Write about whether or not you agree with their assessments and how they make you feel.

Brainstorm "top ten" lists in a few selected categories: favorite books, plays, movies, sports, eras in history, famous people, etc. Review your list to see which items stand out and describe what they've added to your life. Describe "regular people" who have motivated you in different ways throughout your life. It could be someone you only met once, a third-grade teacher, or a family member or friend.

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The most common topic--particularly if only one essay is required--is the first, "tell us about yourself." Since this kind of essay has no specific focus, applicants sometimes have trouble deciding which part of their lives to write about. Beware of the chronological list of events that produces dull reading. Remember, also, to accent the positive rather than the negative side of an experience. If you write about the effect of a death, divorce, or illness on your life, tell about but don't dwell on your bad luck and disappointments.

Instead, emphasize what you have learned from the experience, and how coping with adversity has strengthened you as an individual.

1. Tie yourself to the college: Why are you interested in attending, and what can the institution do for you? Be specific. Go beyond "XYZ College will best allow me to realize my academic potential.
2. Read the directions carefully and follow them to the letter. In other words, if the essay is supposed to be 500 words or less, don't submit 1000 words.
3. Consider the unique features of the institution, e.g., a liberal arts college will be impressed with the variety of academic and personal interests you might have, while an art institute would be most interested in your creative abilities.
4. Be positive, upbeat and avoid the negatives, e.g. I am applying to your school because I won't be required to take physical education or a foreign language.
5. Emphasize what you have learned, e.g. provide more than a narration when recounting an experience.
6. Write about something you know, something only you could write.
7. Make certain you understand the question or the topic. Your essay should answer the question or speak directly to the given topic.
8. List all ideas. Be creative. Brainstorm without censoring.
9. Sort through ideas and prioritize. You cannot tell them everything, Be selective.
10. Choose information and ideas which are not reflected in other parts of your application. This is your chance to supplement your application with information you want them to know.
11. Be persuasive in showing the reader you are deserving of admission. Remember your audience.

Scholarship essays vary dramatically in subject. However, most of them require a recounting of personal experience. These tips will be more helpful for writing personal essays, like for the National Merit Scholarship, than for writing academic essays.

The most important aspect of your scholarship essay is the subject matter. You should expect to devote about 1-2 weeks simply to brainstorming ideas. To begin brainstorming subject ideas consider the following points. From brainstorming, you may find a subject you had not considered at first.

• What are your major accomplishments, and why do you consider them accomplishments? Do not limit yourself to accomplishments you have been formally recognized for since the most interesting essays often are based on accomplishments that may have been trite at the time but become crucial when placed in the context of your life. This is especially true if the scholarship committee receives a list of your credentials anyway.
• Does any attribute, quality, or skill distinguish you from everyone else? How did you develop this attribute?
• Consider your favorite books, movies, works of art, etc. Have these influenced your life in a meaningful way? Why are they your favorites?
• What was the most difficult time in your life, and why? How did your perspective on life change as a result of the difficulty?
• Have you ever struggled mightily for something and succeeded? What made you successful?
• Have you ever struggled mightily for something and failed? How did you respond?
• Of everything in the world, what would you most like to be doing right now? Where would you most like to be? Who, of everyone living and dead, would you most like to be with? These questions should help you realize what you love most.
• Have you experienced a moment of epiphany, as if your eyes were opened to something you were previously blind to?
• What is your strongest, most unwavering personality trait? Do you maintain strong beliefs or adhere to a philosophy? How would your friends characterize you? What would they write about if they were writing your scholarship essay for you?
• What have you done outside of the classroom that demonstrates qualities sought after by universities? Of these, which means the most to you?
• What are your most important extracurricular or community activities? What made you join these activities? What made you continue to contribute to them?
• What are your dreams of the future? When you look back on your life in thirty years, what would it take for you to consider your life successful? What people, things, and accomplishments do you need? How does this particular scholarship fit into your plans for the future?

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Narrative Essay

As a mode of expository writing, the narrative approach, more than any other, offers writers a chance to think and write about themselves. We all have experiences lodged in our memories, which are worthy of sharing with readers. Yet sometimes they are so fused with other memories that a lot of the time spent in writing narrative is in the prewriting stage.

When you write a narrative essay, you are telling a story. Narrative essays are told from a defined point of view, often the author's, so there is feeling as well as specific and often sensory details provided to get the reader involved in the elements and sequence of the story. The verbs are vivid and precise. The narrative essay makes a point and that point is often defined in the opening sentence, but can also be found as the last sentence in the opening paragraph.

Since a narrative relies on personal experiences, it often is in the form of a story. When the writer uses this technique, he or she must be sure to include all the conventions of storytelling: plot, character, setting, climax, and ending. It is usually filled with details that are carefully selected to explain, support, or embellish the story. All of the details relate to the main point the writer is attempting to make.

• is told from a particular point of view
• makes and supports a point
• is filled with precise detail
• uses vivid verbs and modifiers
• uses conflict and sequence as does any story
• may use dialogue

The purpose of a narrative report is to describe something. Many students write narrative reports thinking that these are college essays or papers. While the information in these reports is basic to other forms of writing, narrative reports lack the "higher order thinking" that essays require. Thus narrative reports do not, as a rule, yield high grades for many college courses. A basic example of a narrative report is a "book report" that outlines a book; it includes the characters, their actions, possibly the plot, and, perhaps, some scenes. That is, it is a description of "what happens in the book." But this leaves out an awful lot.

What is left out is what the book or article is about -- the underlying concepts, assumptions, arguments, or point of view that the book or article expresses. A narrative report leaves aside a discussion that puts the events of the text into the context of what the text is about. Is the text about love? Life in the fast lane? Society? Wealth and power? Poverty? In other words, narrative reports often overlook the authors purpose or point of view expressed through the book or article.

Once an incident is chosen, the writer should keep three principles in mind.

1. Remember to involve readers in the story. It is much more interesting to actually recreate an incident for readers than to simply tell about it.
2. Find a generalization, which the story supports. This is the only way the writer's personal experience will take on meaning for readers. This generalization does not have to encompass humanity as a whole; it can concern the writer, men, women, or children of various ages and backgrounds.
3. Remember that although the main component of a narrative is the story, details must be carefully selected to support, explain, and enhance the story.

In writing your narrative essay, keep the following conventions in mind.

• Narratives are generally written in the first person, that is, using I. However, third person (he, she, or it) can also be used.
• Narratives rely on concrete, sensory details to convey their point. These details should create a unified, forceful effect, a dominant impression. More information on the use of specific details is available on another page.
• Narratives, as stories, should include these story conventions: a plot, including setting and characters; a climax; and an ending.

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Essay

Ein Essay, seltener: Essai (m., selten n.; über französisch essai von mittellateinisch exagium, »Probe«, »Versuch«) ist eine kurze, geistreiche Abhandlung, in der ein Autor persönlich gehaltene Betrachtungen zu kulturellen oder gesellschaftlichen Phänomenen liefert. Während der Verfasser einer wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung sein Thema systematisch aufarbeiten und eine umfassende Darstellung liefern sollte, wird der Verfasser eines Essays durchblicken lassen, dass er sein Thema als eine Herausforderung für seine stilistischen und gedanklichen Fähigkeiten sieht.

Den Essay als literarische Form oder Gattung verdanken wir dem französischen Autor Michel de Montaigne (1532–1592). Montaigne ging davon aus, dass er als Mensch nur subjektiv sein kann. Der scholastischen Abhandlung mit ihrem Absolutheitsanspruch stellte er seine Aufzeichnungen persönlicher Erfahrungen entgegen. Die katholische Kirche nahm an Montaignes Essays Anstoß und setzte sie auf den Index: das Bekenntnis zur Subjektivität und der Zweifel an der Existenz absoluter Wahrheit widersprachen der offiziellen Lehrmeinung.

Seine Nachfolger waren zahlreich: als erster erweiterte in England Francis Bacon die Gattung des Essays in Richtung einer belehrenden, moralisierenden Form mit deduktiver Beweisführung; in der Folge pendelt der Essay zwischen diesen beiden Ausrichtungen.

Einige weitere bekannte Autoren von Essays sind Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Netty Reiling (Anna Seghers), Johann Gottfried von Herder, Schlegel, Søren Kierkegaard, Arthur Schopenhauer, Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Marx, Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, Heinrich von Kleist, André Gide, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Gottfried Benn, Walter Benjamin, Ernst Jünger, Karl Kraus, Upton Sinclair, Miguel de Unamuno, José Ortega y Gasset, Theodor W. Adorno, Brigitte Kronauer, Sebastian Haffner, Simon Vestdijk und Eugen Gottlob Winkler.

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