Life Hacks for Writing an Essay: 9 Tips to Generate Ideas for Your Essay

| Updated on March 27, 2024

Crafting an essay for the initial time might not seem challenging as that time span of your mind is full of inspiration, and the respective  process is new to you. In other words, you never stuck your head with unnecessary information before. But what should students do if they are not first-year students and doing dozens of essays in a row? 

Some of them seek essay help and other sources of ideas for further essays. Acknowledging the depth of this concern and the plight of the students, we have narrowed down the top 9 pro-life hacks for writing an essay.

This list of life hacks will assist you in generating essay writing ideas, streamlining your workflow, and making your academic writing process a cup of tea.

So, let’s begin with our first pro tip- Brainstorm!

Brainstorm

If you are looking for insights, start a brainstorming session. Remember that there are no silly ideas. Write down anything because you never know what will be your catch. 

No idea is rejected as being too complicated, not complex enough, or too far off-topic. You can always clean up your list later. It’s better to note a few failures now than to ignore ideas that might be useful for you in the future. A pen and notebook may be all you need to get started, but a note-taking app like OneNote can help sort out your ideas. 

Group brainstorming is a bit different. Try Dragon Dictation to record and transcribe your conversations as you bounce ideas one from another. Google Docs can save documents to the disk, so everyone gets access to the list when they need it. You will find that with brainstorming sessions, ideas come quickly. 

Look at Your Life Story

Use the relevant experience of your life in writing your essays. Share the points that you know and other people do not. What things do you understand that another person might not understand? Do you have any specialized knowledge when it comes to the subject? 

Something you understand or that you know how to do can be a great topic for a process essay. An experience you had can be nurtured for a narrative essay. Give a unique point of view to the audience. You might hesitate and show too much prejudice or ignore proof in favor of your personal story. Don’t allow yourself to do this! As a bonus, you will notice that you are writing much more quickly when you are relating a story from your life.

Stream-of-consciousness Writing

Freewriting is a stream-of-consciousness exercise where you write down anything that comes into your mind. In any case, make the process a little more disciplined. Instead of writing anything, stick with a general subject area that is defined by the subject you are studying in class. 

As you start freewriting, you will be overwhelmed with the number of thoughts you have on the respective topic you are looking for and the knowledge you have stored in your subconscious mind. Soon you will see your writings become more and more focused. This is a good sign that you are concentrating on the specific topic idea for your essay. Even better, you may find some things you can paste almost directly into your essay. 

Begin with a Generic Essay Topic

It is evident and completely natural that you may not be hit hard by a brilliant essay-writing idea every single time, but that doesn’t state that you cannot fabricate a captivating essay for your assignment.

Initiating with a generic topic can hit the nail on the head as there are a plethora of essays that academically excelled students write, but they are not the wow topics.

Succinctly, creating a piece of information on a less fascinating topic is favorable rather than going on a wild goose chase!

Read Your Textbook

Perhaps, you learned that the best way to study for quizzes and tests is to focus on the subtitles, bullet points, pictures, chapter questions, and graphs. You should also review these if you are trying to go with a good essay topic. They will remind you which elements are most important. 

If you write your essay on something that is accented in your notes, there is a good chance you are on the right path. You will know that your topic is actual, and you can impress your professor by displaying your in-depth knowledge of that topic. 

Watch a Video

Some students find it easier to develop the essay idea by watching a topic-related video on YouTube or another service. Even a short video from Ted-Ed can boost your creativity and make your ideas flow. Focus on the video content and how the facts are presented. Decide on the issue, the views offered, and whether you agree or disagree with them.

Videos can be a great starting point for more profound research. After watching the video, look for related articles and other resources to learn more about the topic. Also, you can consider the subject concerning the intended audience and approach your essay from this point of view.

Use Idea Mapping

Idea mapping, or mind mapping, is a great tool to structure your thoughts and go further in your research. It will help you create more connections to the topic, generate more ideas, develop a more specific topic, and get a visual representation of your thoughts.

The technique is quite simple and requires a pen and paper. All you need to do is to write the basic idea in the center of the sheet and write down 4-5 suggestions or subtopics around this basic idea. Pick a subtopic and write questions, tasks, and other ideas to explore. Do this action for each subtopic; as a result, you will get a web of ideas to expand and transform into your writing.

Also, you can use idea mapping services like MindMeister, Coggle, and XMind if you prefer to work on your computer instead of taking notes on paper.

Try Out a Third-idea Method

It is believed that the first idea or topic which comes to your mind will be too evident and bland. The second idea will not be original either. The third idea will more likely deserve your attention and give you inspiration for research. 

Early thoughts usually are based on your received knowledge. And the more ideas you generate, the more out-of-the-box thinking you receive. This technique may be challenging, requiring you to be more unconventional and brave. 

When you have developed two well-grounded topics, it’s time to think about the next one regarding your interests. As a result, it’s more likely that you will create a unique essay that will stand out from the other 20 papers written by your classmates.

Ask for Help

If you have tried all the tips from above and still feel desperate, there is still one tip to try. Some writing and AI-based services can generate ideas for your essay, and it may be a good kick-start for your essay ideas. But the main disadvantage of such a variant is limited and sometimes inaccurate results. 

To get quality help with your essay, ask a professional writer to help you. All you need is to share your instructions and get qualified assistance with topic ideas for your paper. Choose only reliable services to get good results. Consider this article to pick one 

https://www.10news.com/sdconnect/essay-writer-services-top-five-write-my-essay-websites-to-consider.

Lastly, we believe that the essay writing ideas or say pro tips we shared with you in the article will benefit you and inspire you to create impeccable pieces of information.

“Good Luck and Start Succeeding in College Today!”





Akansha Singhal

EdTech Writer


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