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Most writing you have to do for school is essay writing. But what is an essay? It's typically a short piece of writing in wMch you try to set fort h what you think and have learned about a particular topic. It's an attempt to communicate your thoughts. That makes sense because the word essay coiues from Hie French vei b essayer, which means "to try."

There are many types of essays. Among them are persuasive, personal, narrative, and compaie- and-contj-ast. Different types of essays refer to the different purposes a writer has. For instance, in a persuasive essay, the writer takes a position on a

t h * V topic and tries to persuade the reader to think jygjjj tiiat way. Personal essays, on the otlier hand,

cent show what the writer has directly

observed or experienced. o, Ol ^ B Persuasion is not needed.

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There is no one correct, way to write an essay. However, there are better and worse ways. The following eight steps are guidelines for writing academic essays. They are not hard-and-fast rules. Read them. Study them. 7>7y them. Then, as you become more experienced, follow them when I hey are useful to you.

Research your topic. Most writers research their topics before begin- ning to write. That helps writers develop some expertise, and their opinions hold greater weight with readers.

Perhaps you are asked to take a position on the following topic question: "Does playing video games teach kids valuable skills, or are video giuues mainly a waste of time?"

Before taking a position, you need to research the topic. The more authoritative your sources are, the better your essay is likely to be. Examples of sources are books, magazine articles, newspa- per articles, interview transcripts, and Web sites.

Conducting research takes time and patience. Start by hsting questions you'd Uke answers to, such as these, for example:

• Has anyone studied the benefits of playing video games? What were the results?

• Can playing video games be good for the brain? In ivhat ways?

• Can playing video games be harmfid? Can ga7ning be addictive? Can playing violent video games lead to violent behavior in real life? Can gaming rot the brain?

If you have a hard time coming up with research questions, you might have chosen a lopic that doesn't interest you. When choosing a

topic, let your natural curiosity work for you! It will make the whole

* ' , *y -̂i process much less painful. You '' yfjjf can also ask a teacher or

"ZJ^"^" ' ' ' librarian for help.

*^ilx;^.f « Don tbe shy!

When researching, keep track of every relevant source you find. Bookmark or print Web pages. Photocopy magazine and newspaper articles, or record direct quotations on a not**pad. You might want to use the quotations in your essay.

Analyze your source material Once you have gathered relevant source, analyze the claims each onp makes. A claim is an arguable point or position.

For example, "Most video games sharpen the mind and train it to tliink in fast and necessary new ways" is a claim. It's a debatable point. Someone miglit reasonably a^ree or disagree. The writer would need to present supporting evitlence to back up the claim and make it convincing.

On the other hand, "In 2004, retail sales of video games in the United States were almost $10 bil- lion" is iiot a claim. It's a fact. It is information that can be verified by checking sources. A fact can support a claim, !)ut it is not a claim itself.

One important thing to bear in mind when ana- lyzing sources: A writer may have a bias, or pre- existing inclination, for or against something. You will want to discern what that bias is.

For instance, you find an article on a gaming Web site that discusses only the health benefits of gaming. Perhaps a video game maiiufacturor spon- sors the site; the manufacturer probjUily has a bias in favor of the value of ganung. A Web site spon- sored by Angry Parents Against Gaming would probably include articles biased against gaming.

Come up with your thesis. After assessing the claims of others, you are on your way to figuring out how to express your main claiiu: your thesis.

Developing a thesis is not always easy. Figuring out exactly what you want to say takes trial and error. Don't get frustrat<?d. Here are two examples of unsuccessful theses. The first is too broad:

VUteo games help kids team. Who could argue with that statement?

Eveiything leads to learning of some kind. The writer needs to make a more specific claim.

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The following tliesis is too specific: Playing Halo 3 fielps kids leant because I know whenever I play Halo 3, / have a great time, and that makes Tne want to study mo're afterward.

Here the writer is talking only about his or her own experiences with one video game; who can argue with that?

A successful thesis states a position with which reasonal)le people can agree or disagree and that a wide range of researched evidence can support. Your thesLs should be clear, con- cise, and specific—a sentence that expresses your position on an arguable topic. Having a goo<l working thesis Ls critical because it » helps you outhne and structure your whole essay. I^t's look at a good sample thesis.

Playing video games in moda^ntion does a lot more good than bad for a ^ kid's mind.

This is a clear, specific, arguable position. Some readers may believe this is true; others may reasonably disagree.

Outline the essay. Outlining your essay is like pouring the concrete foundation of a building. Eveiything else you do depends on it. If you skip this step, you'll probably end up buried in a collapsed essay .

Start by sketching an introduction. The introduction will load tiie reader to your Ihesis. Once you state your thesis, the out- line should focus on the claims you art- going to make to support and develop liic thesis. Let's return to our sample thesis:

Playing video games in moderation does mxyre good than bad for a kid's mind.

Here are three good claims you could use to back up your thesis. Each could be a possible topic sentence of a paragraph.

• Video games help kids learn to think more quickly and spontaneously.

• Video gam^s teaeh kids how to deal with a complex world of possibilities and problems.

• Many critics of video games don't

WRITING January 2008 ^ ^

realize how many types of vi.deo games Uiere are; many are educatioTml and not violent or addictive.

Once you have established your thesis and claims, you should plan a conclusion. From there, it's up Io you to write the essay.

Start with the introduction. A good intToduction seizes the reader's interest. You can often start your introduction by keeping in mind what interested you about the topic.

Does the following introductory paragraph cap- ture your attention?

y During Mary Vatadez's valedictory speech last year, many adults in the crowd were

^^ shocked to hear that Mary plays video ,»^ games for an hour each evening and thai

slw heiif^es gaming "sfiarpens my brain and keeps Tne sane." Maybe those adults shonldn 7 have been siiocki^d. Gaming does more good for kids titan is widely recognized, btdeed, plaij-

.- ing mdeo games in moderation docs a h)l more good th-an bad for a kid's mind.

Notice how each sentence of the introduction leads the reader toward the thesis.

Also note how the writer states her position right away—no clearing the throat. Make every sentence count,

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the body> The best way to structure a body paragraph

is to focus on one main claim and state it in the first sentence.

A paragraph is an organized unit of thought. Ideas should flow one after another in a logical progression. Each sen- tence should in some way support what you have already said. If the ideas in a paragraph wander in too many direc-tions, the reader will be confused or Irritated or both!

Here is a sample body paragraph—a topic sentence followed by a number of logically fiowing, supporting sentences.

Video games iotwh kids how to deal with a comple:r world of possibilities and problems. "Video games are oiw of the. best toots avaihible for tea.rhi)ig ki^is to learn hmo to quickly recog- nize patterns and solve tough, ever-evoliing pmbletns in our fast-moving digital age," according to CharUiine Brown, a professor of education at the University of Wisconsin. Hrown adits ihat playing video games can ev(m prepare kids for skilled professions, from air tniffic control to surgery. Other experts point out tftiil many information technology profes- sionals started out as gamers.

Notice that: to have written the paragraph above, you would first have had to conduct research and analyze what you read. You would have had to read Brown's findings and tliose of other experts. TIKHI you could use those words imtl ideas to sup- port your own topic sentence.

Some people prefer to write their body para- graphs first and then go back and write the intnxiuction. That's periectly OK. What matters, in the end, is that the pssay progresses from sentence to sentence, p;iragraph to paragraph, in a tight, smooth, logically fiowing manjier.

Note that in an essay, you must credit any source you use. Use quotation marks around exact words. Name a person when you use his or her ideas. Otliei-wise, you plagiarize, or steal, which is a m^or academic offense.

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The conclutliug piuagrapli drix os Lhe thesis home in a frosh, new way. It ties the essay together and sends it off with a bang. Keep the conclusion short. Don't merely repeal tho introdudinn and thesi.s. Add sometiiing—a new image, a new fact, a new possible consequence of your position.

What are the strengths of the following conclusion?

Former valedictorian Mary Valniiez is not the only high achiever wfio thinks playing video games in moderation improves mental pmforma7ice. So do se^'etxil university profes- sots and scie-ntific researclie-rs wfto Itaue spent years weighing the benefits and harms of gam- ing. Although playing graphically violent video games in eoixiess can be Itarmful for some kixis, overall, gaming is good, not bad. We all need to play now and then, and gaming is one form of ptay that's safer and more tfumght provoking than many pcopU' realize.

The confident language in each sentence drives the thesis home.

Polish the language. Before you tum in any essay, check the langui^e. Sometimes a classmate or friend can help with this st,ep.

Here are a few tips about what to look for • Is the flow of the essay smooth and logical? • Does the essay have errors in grammar

or spelling? • Does every sentence sound clear and concise

when read aloud? • Have you avoided plagiarism?

Now all you have to do is follow these eight stops—and, of course, t^-y—and you'll bo on youi- way to writing excellent essays!

January S008 WRITING