Writing an essay is more than just putting words on paper. It is about bringing your words to life and creating persuasive and coherent arguments to showcase your knowledge on a topic. So, how do you achieve that? How do you create a powerful essay that stands out and impresses your readers?
Think of an essay as a piece of art, for example, a painting. You have a blank canvas and aim to create an amazing painting from the first stroke to the last. A painter prepares before putting anything on the canvas, and as an essay writer, you also need to plan and create a strong foundation before starting your paper. Let’s explore how building a good essay foundation is similar to preparing your canvas for a masterpiece.
What Does Essay Writing and Art Have in Common?
Essay writing and art might be seemingly distinct, but they share many similarities that highlight the creative and expressive nature of both. How does essay writing compare to art? First, both are forms of creative expression aimed at engaging audiences intellectually and emotionally. They also share a common goal, to communicate ideas, emotions and inspire reflection or change.
Here’re more similarities:
- Both use symbolism to convey their ideas and evoke emotions; art uses visual symbolism, while essays express it through words.
- Both tell stories: A lot of essays involve storytelling or illustrating events. Some art forms, like narrative paintings, also tell stories to engage viewers.
- Both artists and essay writers have intentions for their work: Art can be used to provoke thought, express emotions, and more. Essay writers also have different purposes for their works, such as informing, persuading, entertaining, or challenging their readers.
- Both art and essays are subjective, and people will have different interpretations of either based on factors like personal experience or cultural background.
- Both are a form of self-expression: Essay writers pick topics related to their personal experiences. Artists also use their work as a means of personal exploration.
The similarities between these two forms of expression highlight the wealth of human creativity and the different ways we can communicate our thoughts and experiences.
How Building a Good Foundation for Your Essay Is Akin to Preparing a Canvas for a Masterpiece
Creating a piece of art requires preparation, precision, and patience. Like an artist, you will have to follow a carefully thought-out process that accounts for every crucial step in creating a masterpiece. Let’s delve deeper into each stage of the process to highlight the similarities between the two forms of expression.
Choosing a Canvas (Topic Selection)
The first step of creating any painting is selecting the right canvas. It needs to be the right shape and size to accommodate your art. Similarly, the first step of composing an essay foundation is to pick the right topic and scope. Your topic needs to be relevant, interesting, and manageable. The topic dictates the direction of the essay and determines your level of interest when composing the paper.
Do the following to pick a good topic:
- Understand the assignment requirements, guidelines, and any specific instructions your instructor has provided.
- Identify your interests and pick a topic that genuinely interests you.
- Narrow down the scope of your topic to make it manageable.
- Conduct preliminary research on potential topics to assess the availability of credible sources to support your points.
- Brainstorm ideas, and don’t limit yourself. Write whatever comes to mind and then evaluate and refine them later.
- Ensure a topic is relevant to the course and the subject matter.
- Avoid popular and overused topics; they might signal that you lack originality.
- Consider your audience and their interests.
Just like an artist considers elements such as dimensions and texture, an essay writer needs to consider the scope and significance of the topic. To narrow down the focus of your essay, ask yourself: what am I trying to achieve with this essay? What issues or questions do I want to address? What are the limits of my analysis? They are key considerations to discuss with yourself before you start writing.
Preparing or Priming the Canvas (Conducting Proper Research)
Priming a canvas involves applying a base coat to smooth out the surface and enhance the colors and textures of the canvas. Similarly, the second step of creating a good foundation is to conduct proper research and gather relevant information and sources.
This step enriches your knowledge and understanding of your topic and prepares you for writing. Prioritize finding reliable and credible sources to support your thesis statement and main arguments. You also have to evaluate and synthesize the information and organize it coherently and logically.
Sketching the Initial Design (Creating an Outline)
After preparing the canvas, an artist sketches out a preliminary plan for the composition of the painting. It helps plan out the structure and create a visual guide of their painting that they will follow when applying the detailed brushstrokes. Likewise, an adept essay writer, like one you’ll find after assessing essay.org review, develops an outline that sketches the structure and flow of their essay.
An outline acts as a roadmap for an essay that the writer helps them organize their ideas and arguments logically. In your outline, lay out your essay’s sections, subsections, and the points you aim to include in each. A good outline makes the writing process easier and saves you time in writing. It also prevents you from straying from the main ideas.
Creating a Focal Point (Introduction and Thesis Statement)
Every piece of art has a focal point of a painting that aims to capture your reader’s attention and guide their interpretation of the work. Similarly, an essay’s introduction serves as its focal point. It should capture your reader’s interest and provide context for the rest of the essay.
Start your introduction with a hook or an attention-grabbing statement to pique the reader’s interest. A hook can be a quote, anecdote, or interesting fact about the essay topic. Then, provide background information and context for your topic, highlighting its relevance and importance.
From there, introduce your thesis statement, which is a clear and concise sentence that announces the main argument and purpose of the paper. It shows the readers what to expect in the essay. After the thesis statement, briefly highlight the points you will cover in the paper. Then conclude the introduction with a transition that links it to the essay’s body.
Layering Colors (Developing the Main Points)
The next step involves adding layers of paint or colors and shapes according to the sketch. It helps fill in the details to help create depth, texture, and visual interest in the artwork. By the same token, the next step for an essay writer is to develop their main points by presenting their arguments and explanations and supporting them with evidence. Each point adds to the depth of your essay in the same way each layer adds depth to an art piece and improves its complexity.
Adding the Fine Details (Adding Supporting Evidence)
Fine details in artwork improve the depth and complexity of the piece. It also highlights the artist’s authenticity. Similarly, adding supporting evidence to your points gives your essay credibility and validates your assertions. Essay writers should employ different types of supporting evidence, such as anecdotes, examples, statistics, and quotes, the same way an artist uses different techniques to add texture and depth.
Applying the Finishing Touches (Conclusion)
By the time an artist adds the finishing touches, the painting should look like a completed piece except for a few details. In the context of an essay, the conclusion also basically sums up the whole essay. It shouldn’t add any new information; instead aim to reiterate the main message of the essay and leave a lasting impression on the reader.
Reviewing and Revising the Painting (Editing and Proofreading)
The final step of preparing a canvas is to inspect the painting for any mistakes or imperfections before considering it a complete piece. Likewise, after completing the writing stage of an essay, writers should proofread to identify any mistakes and inconsistencies in their work. Address any issues you find the same way an artist would fix the flaws in their artwork. Confirm the essay’s structure, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and coherence. Edit the work multiple times until you have a piece you are proud of.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, the process of building a solid essay is akin to the careful preparation of a canvas for art. Both endeavors demand planning, creativity, and attention to detail. By comparing essay writing to crafting a piece of artwork, we understand essays require more attention than most students usually provide. By following the above process, you should be able to compose a well-written essay that will capture and retain your readers’ attention. So, the next time you face an essay, think of yourself as an artist and work to produce a masterpiece.