What is an Essay ?

You might have been writing essays for years and you may have achieved great marks for your assignments, but have you ever stopped to ask: what is an essay, exactly? 
If you look the word 'essay' up in a dictionary, you will likely find a definition which goes roughly like this: a short piece of prose writing on a specific topic. Not massively helpful, particularly if - at the time of writing - your word count does not feel very short! But let's pick this definition apart a little.

What do you mean 'short' ? !

While they might not seem short, essays are at least shorter than dissertations (about 10,000-15,000 words) and theses (20,000-100,000 words or more). They are written on a specific topic insofar as they are generally presented as a response to a specific essay question. Learning how to interpret the question is therefore a key essay-writing skill. It is also essential that you gain a full understanding of your topic before you begin to plan and draft your essay.

...what do you mean by 'prose' ?

Essays are written in prose inasmuch as they are not written in poetic verse. If you want to write your essay as an epic poem, it will take a good deal longer, but don't expect too much reward for your efforts! Perhaps it would be more illuminating for us to think about the style of prose which essays are most commonly written. The language of a good essay tends to be critical, analytical and persuasive, as opposed to simply descriptive: it goes beyond sketching out the what, where and when, and instead probes at the ideas which inform the discussion. In short, it reaches beyond surface-level generalities in search of the important details.

... erm, I think I know what 'writing' means.

It might seem obvious at first but there is even some discussion to be had about what we mean by 'writing'. It should not be confused with 'drafting', the process of physically typing out the words themselves. At least for our purposes, 'writing' is a sequence of connected processes which go into the composition of an essay. Research, planning, proofing and editing all come under the umbrella of writing an essay.   

The Right Balance
An Essay is a Discussion, not a Debate

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Whenever you write an essay, you should begin with a clear idea of what you want to argue. You should have a clear opinion, and you should avoid sitting on the fence. When people say that an essay should be balanced, they don't mean that it shouldn't have an opinion or a position within the debate; they simply mean that you must take all the facts into account, for and against. 

A useful way to think about this is to consider the difference between a discussion and a debate. If you watch a politician on the news, being grilled by some quick-witted newscaster, it can be either amusing or distressing to see to what lengths they will go in order to avoid conceding a flaw in their argument. This is because they are engaged not in a discussion but a debate. Their aim is not to give all sides of the argument a fair hearing, but to explain their own pre-determined position as clearly and persuasively as possible. They will not present a balanced argument, but will instead choose the facts which best support their stance.

Unlike a debate, a discussion should represent all sides of the argument fairly, never suppressing facts which undermine our position. This is what your essays should be like. In a discussion, and during your essay research, you should always be willing to change your opinion if it is not supported by the facts. Once you are writing your essay, you should know all the facts and have an opinion which takes them all into account. 

In writing a balanced essay, you must have an opinion, but you must not be afraid to concede that there are counterarguments or facts which contradict your view. Instead, you should see these as your chance to explain why you still hold your view despite these counterarguments or contradictions. A good way to do this is to start your sentences with words like 'while' and 'although'.


Tip:
You can use words like 'while' and 'although' to present counterarguments without undermining your own position

Why do we write Essays at all?

In order to stay motivated during the long process of researching, planning, drafting and editing your essays, it can be helpful to have a clear idea of why you are doing it. For some, it might be enough to accept that, if you work hard with the right method, you will be rewarded with a good mark. But, for others, a more insightful reason might be helpful.

Essays are not just about words, they are about the ideas which those words convey. Getting the right ideas across in the right order is really what essays are all about. So when a teacher or lecturer sets you an essay, they are not simply asking you to churn out some words about a particular topic. Rather, they are asking you to engage with a set of ideas and present them in way which is coherent and persuasive. 

When you understand that essays are about ideas, not just words, it becomes much easier to appreciate the many stages of writing an essay, and how important each stage is. If you suffer from the symptoms of using the wrong essay-writing method, the most likely explanation is that you are missing some of these stages. Without researching an essay thoroughly, you won't have the right ideas. Without planning your essay in detail, you won't get your ideas in the right order and the right balance. 

Be Critical and Analytical, not just Descriptive

Imagine you were asked to write an essay about Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. You could take it as a given that your examiner knows the plot - the examiner's pet dog probably knows the plot! 

Summarising what happens or who says what is only descriptive and not the way to earn marks. Instead, your writing should be critical and analytical. For example, a student of English should appraise Shakespeare's use of language, i.e. his imagery, diction, stage directions and so on. A student of drama might discuss how a particular director has interpreted the staging of the scene (its lighting, set, mise en scene) , or how an particular actor has delivered their lines to particular effect. This kind of analysis is much more likely to earn marks than superficial description.

Another example might come from business studies. Have a look at this essay...