Getting the first steps right when writing a literary analysis is like making sure a building’s foundations are done properly. If you get it wrong, it undermines the rest of your work.
The most important first steps are:
- Make yourself familiar with the text. The deeper your knowledge, the easier it is to analyze it.
- Compose your thesis statement.
- Write your topic sentences and put them in the best logical order.
- Write your body paragraphs.
- Write your introduction.
- Write the conclusion.
QuillBot’s free online Notepad can help you keep track of your ideas throughout the essay-writing process. When you have finished your first draft then it’s time to proofread your work, check the grammar and spelling (you can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker), check any citations (try the QuillBot Citation Generator), and check for plagiarism (using the QuillBot Plagiarism Checker).
Continue reading: What are the first steps to take when organizing a literary analysis?
Put simply, a topic sentence expresses the topic to be discussed in a paragraph in a clear and concise way. It is the first sentence of the paragraph, and the body text expands, explains, and evidences the point expressed.
Writing an effective topic sentence is possibly the hardest part of writing an essay and, at the same time, the most effective way of improving your essay writing.
QuillBot’s free online Notepad can help you keep track of your essay notes, and our Paraphrasing Tool can help you to create effective topic sentences.
Continue reading: What is a topic sentence?
There is no absolute rule for this, but in general, a paragraph will be between 150 and 250 words.
If it is much shorter than this, then you need to consider if the point you are making is substantial enough or if you have included enough evidence to support your point.
If it is much longer, then you need to consider breaking it down into smaller points when writing your essay.
That is not to say that a 300- or 350-word paragraph will always be too long. But it is a guideline to help you judge the effectiveness of your essay.
QuillBot’s Paraphrasing extension can help you phrase paragraphs in the most effective way. Additionally, QuillBot’s Word Counter tool can help you track the word count and readability level of your essay.
Continue reading: How long is an essay paragraph?
To find out how many body paragraphs should be in an essay, look for clues such as these in your assignment instructions.
- If your assignment says “5-paragraph essay,” you need 3 body paragraphs. The 5-paragraph format is common for beginner-level writing classes and essay test questions.
- Look for a required word count. An essay paragraph is usually about 200 words. Divide the total number of words required by 200 and subtract 2 for the introduction and conclusion.
- Look for a required number of pages, and plan for about 2 paragraphs on each double-spaced page.
While your instructor is always the best source of information about how many body paragraphs you need, QuillBot’s AI Chat can also help you unpack assignment requirements if you include them in your AI prompt.
Continue reading: How many body paragraphs should be in an essay?
The best way to start a paragraph in an essay is with a topic sentence. This is a sentence that expresses clearly and concisely the point that the paragraph will be making.
Possibly the most difficult aspect of essay writing is learning how to formulate your ideas into effective topic sentences. It takes practice, but it is well worth the time spent.
One further advantage of topic sentences is that you can easily create an outline using them, which is the basis of your plan.
QuillBot’s online Notepad can help you during the planning stages of your essay writing. You can also use QuillBot’s Paraphrasing Tool to come up with just the right words for your essay.
Continue reading: How do you start a paragraph in an essay?
It depends a little on what type of essay you are writing. Most college and high school essays will be argumentative or expository, and they need a different introduction from a narrative or descriptive essay.
With an expository, argumentative, or analytical essay, you will need an opening sentence that refers back to the prompt and contains a brief statement of the overall thesis for your essay (e.g., “While there is no doubt that smartphones have eroded the mental health of adolescents, there are some positives that suggest hope if the right changes are made in a timely manner”).
With a narrative or descriptive essay, be more creative and capture the reader’s attention from the first opportunity (e.g., “The place I remember the best is the one that I wish with my whole heart I could forget”).
Although your essay will most likely be read by someone who has to read it, it’s still important to make it as engaging as possible. Remember, yours might be one of several hundred being graded, so do everything you can to make it outstanding.
QuillBot’s Paraphrasing extension can help you come up with the best phrasing for your essay, and our online Notepad can help you throughout the planning and writing process.
Continue reading: What is the best way to start an essay?
A good narrative essay outline usually has an introduction that establishes the situation and setting of your event, body paragraphs that describe the event in chronological order, and a conclusion that reflects on the event’s meaning. This is the most common structure for a narrative essay:
- Introduction
- Event you’re writing about
- Setting (time and place the event took place)
- Why the event is significant
- What happened first
- What happened next
- When things got most challenging (the climax)
- How the conflict was resolved
- Conclusion
- How the event affected you or what you learned
The best structure for an essay outline always depends on the essay prompt. For narrative essay prompts that say “describe a time when” or “write about an event that,” your body paragraphs should probably tell the story in chronological order. QuillBot’s free AI Chat can also help you with narrative essay outlines.
Continue reading: What is a good narrative essay outline?
Narrative essay topics usually focus on a single, autobiographical event that made a significant impact. Here are some essay prompts for a variety of narrative essay topics.
- Write about a time you stepped out of your comfort zone. What motivated you to take that step, and how did it change your perspective?
- Reflect on a failure that shaped your character. How did you turn it into a learning experience?
- Who or what has had the greatest influence on your identity? Share a story that illustrates this impact.
- Recount a time when you stood up for something you believed in. What was at stake, and how did it shape your values?
- Write about a meaningful conversation that changed the way you see the world. Who was it with, and what was the impact?
- Describe a moment when you helped someone or made a difference in their life. How did that experience shape you?
- Describe a time when your curiosity led you to an unexpected discovery. What did you learn, and how did it inspire you?
Looking for more ideas for narrative essay topics? Ask QuillBot’s free AI Chat.
Continue reading: What are some narrative essay topics?
A narrative essay usually has a broader focus than a descriptive essay. A narrative essay tells (“narrates”) a story, whereas a descriptive essay focuses on describing a place or a moment in time.
Both essay types require careful use of descriptive and figurative language so that the reader fully experiences the situation being described.
When you are writing a narrative essay or a descriptive essay, you have more freedom with your use of language than with an analytical essay, which requires more formal academic English.
You can use the QuillBot Paraphrasing Tool to express your thoughts and descriptions in different ways when writing a narrative essay or descriptive essay.
Continue reading: What is the difference between a narrative essay and a descriptive essay?
Correct use of quotes in an essay can lift it above the normal and attract higher grades. Quotes are vital in backing up your argument or illustrating your point. You should aim to integrate or embed your quotes in your writing.
Consider this comment on The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot:
“Prufrock realizes when he sees ‘the eternal Footman hold his coat,’ that he is approaching death, and he is overwhelmed by a sense of failure and fear. Failure because his achievements are no more than a ‘moment of …greatness’ that has flickered out, and fear because he has ‘seen the eternal Footman …snicker,’ suggesting that what he faces in the afterlife is to be feared. This is confirmed in the last half line of the stanza, ‘in short I was afraid.”
Here, the quotations flow naturally as part of the point that is being made. There’s lots more to be said on the subject of paraphrasing and summarizing which is worth researching.
QuillBot’s Notepad is a great place to note your quotations as you research your essay, making them easy to locate and use. Additionally, QuillBot’s Word Counter tool can help you effectively track the word count of your quotes to ensure your writing doesn’t rely on too many quotations.
Continue reading: How do you use quotes in an essay?
