Many people find essay writing a challenging task. And that can be true when there is little or no planning. When a writer fails to plan, the writing process takes up a lot more time. That's because the writer actually end up spending more time trying to overcome writing issues such as writer's block. Here are some tips on how to plan essays, so that the writing process is more smooth sailing.



Ideas, ideas, ideas.

All great essays need great ideas. Ideas are what give the essay form and substance. Without great ideas, it's impossible to develop content. And most writers lack such ideas. That is because they started writing without spending enough time brainstorming for ideas. So they end up getting stuck while writing the essay.

But brainstorming for ideas doesn't mean that a writer has to sit down for hours to try and think of ideas. It doesn't work that way. The greatest ideas usually come on an ad-hoc basis, and when you least expected them to come. For example, you may start getting ideas while you are bathing, or in the middle of the night.

The problem is, most writers don't bother to write down their ideas. As a result, they forget those ideas after some time, and their ideas don't bear fruit. That is why highly experienced writers always carry a notebook around, or keep a notebook by the bed. The moment an idea comes to mind, write it down immediately. Don't worry about whether the idea is a good idea or not. You can always decide whether you want to use it later on.

The writing flow.

Any good piece of writing will read as if it flows naturally. This is only possible with careful planning. In other words, as a writer, you have to be clear about what comes first and what comes next. Clarity of thought and organization is very important here. A well organized essay allows the reader to follow the flow of the writing easily, so as to avoid confusion.

For instance, to entice the reader to read the essay completely, you may want to leave the interesting parts somewhere near the end of the essay. However, you should briefly mention that there is something worth reading at the beginning of the essay so that the reader knows what is coming up next.

When you have abundant ideas for writing your essays, the writing becomes easier. You can choose the ideas that you want to expand on, and decide on the ones that you want to drop.

Notice that we still haven't started on the actual essay writing yet. All the above is actually part of the planning process. With proper planning, you will be clear about where to start, what comes next, and how you should end. That means you no longer have to worry about writer's block. So spend some time conducting some proper planning and your essay will flow.