How to Get Better at Writing Opinion Essays – Great Advice

Everybody has an opinion on something. Throughout our lives we find ourselves taking sides on a number of issues and arguing for those sides with our friends and family. This is just one of the reasons we are taught to write academic opinion essays. We learn to provide a well thought, organized paper presenting our individual beliefs on a given topic. Here are some things you need to know about getting better at writing these kinds of assignments:

Select an original, interesting topic

Start by selecting an original and interesting topic. Most of the time you will have the chance to select your own topic, but even if you are given a pre-selected choice of topics by your instructor, try to choose something about which you already know a great deal. This will reduce some of the time you need to spend conducting research.

Write a draft thesis statement

Write a draft thesis statement for your opinion essay. Remember that you are taking a side on an issue and presenting supporting evidence showing why your belief is sound and can be backed up through reliable sources. You can always revise your thesis statement later in the writing process, so at this point just get something down to serve as a guide.

Create an outline of your paper

You should organize your opinion essays by creating detailed outlines of your thoughts, ideas and arguments. Arrange your supporting evidence beneath each discussion point and order these points so that they make the most sense to the reader.

Start writing the first draft

Don’t wait to start writing your first draft till the night before your assignment is due. Start immediately so that you get all of your ideas down when they are fresh in your mind. Don’t bother stopping to make corrections to small errors. Just keep writing no matter how well you think you are expressing your ideas. The most important aspect of this exercise is that you get your ideas down quickly and efficiently.

Revise, edit and proofread

Spend the last evening thoroughly revising, editing and proofreading the content of your paper. Even the most experienced academic writers can find several corrections or ways to improve on their writing by going through each of these exercises. Don’t skip this important step which may just make all the difference between getting a top score or an average one in class.