Anyone can write an essay, right?
Of course anyone can.
Anyone can write an essay — it is true. Even a 10-year-old can write one (well, I wrote them in school those days). But how about writing a good essay. A good essay is effective. It has a purpose. It is written with correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. It has an idea in it. And it is a pleasure to read.
In An Introduction to Academic Writing I wrote some pointers on how to write essays. Let’s face it, though, they were very basic and those tips were, after all, just an ‘introduction.’ How about the full stuff?
So how do you write these types of essays? Is it insanely hard? Or ridiculously easy?