Posts by Jared M.:

How to Write an Explanatory Essay That Explains It All
Any reader of some or all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 60 Sherlock Holmes detective stories knows the author follows a certain formula. First, a stranger visits Detective Holmes and his sidekick Watson, presenting them with a mysterious criminal quandary. Then...
5 Tips for a Super Successful Reflective Writing Assignment
Who hasn’t seen Forrest Gump? A touching, hilarious, poignant movie about a shrimp-fishing, table-tennis-playing, long-distance-running war hero from the deep South. The movie begins with Forrest sitting at a bus stop. As various people come and go, Forrest...
97 Transition Words for Essays You Need to Know
A transition is a “passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another.” At least that’s what Merriam-Webster’s dictionary says. But that thing’s only been around for like 184 years or so, so I’d like to amend it a bit. Instead, let’s say...
6 Prewriting Strategies to Get Your Essay Rolling
I’m a traveler. During my journeys, I have met myriad travelers, each with different ways of traveling. One of the most interesting differences I’ve noticed has been the various ways in which travelers prepare for a trip. Interestingly, it mirrors the different...
Breaking Out of the 5-Paragraph Essay Structure
Are you feeling frustrated by another 5-paragraph essay assignment? Do you feel as though your creative freedom has been stymied once again by the powers that be? Do you want to be free to explore essay organization like the effervescent honey blossom butterfly...
How to Start a Narrative Essay: 16 Awesome Hooks
My eyes were red and burning as blood slowly ran down my forehead. My cramped and trembling fingers hovered over the keyboard like it was a Ouija board. I closed my eyes and, when I opened them again, the blog post was finished. It was like nothing I had written...
What Is a Bibliography, and Why Do You Need One?
You’ve done your research and have written a compelling essay on the existence of extraterrestrial life in the universe. You’ve developed an argument claiming that not only do aliens exist, but they have even visited our planet. You are ready to knock...
22 Essay Writing Tips in 140 Characters or Fewer
In an age where communication in the simplest form is all the rage, you can learn a lot from Twitter. Being able to write an engaging sentence in 140 characters or fewer can be a great skill to apply to writing an essay, like when tackling those all-important...
How Writing for an Audience Makes Your Essay Better
When writing a speech, it’s second nature to think about the audience. The presenter keeps the audience foremost in mind when deciding how to formulate the speech from the subject to the structure to the tone. Some people get so wrapped up in thinking about the...
What Twitter Can Teach You About Writing a Thesis Statement
Writing a thesis statement can be a bit scary. I’m not sure why, exactly. I mean, it is generally regarded as the most important sentence in your entire paper, true. It is the backbone, they say. I guess you could say it is the make or break, do or die, mess...
How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” But, don’t let Ol’ Teddy or that compare and contrast essay get you down. Compare and contrast essays are a great way to expand your knowledge on two subjects. And, with a little guidance,...
How to Write an Expository Essay That Pops
*Pop: to suddenly break open or come away from something often with a short, loud noise (Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary). Option 1: Write expository essay in gunpowder. Light. Run. Option 2: Use ink to string together words in a way that makes your reader...
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