Short Essay Structure: Ideal Outline to Follow

15 Jun 2022 11721

Are you a student assigned to write a short essay? Are you not sure about the right short essay structure? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you are on the right page.

In this blog, the experts of Assignment Prime have explained everything a student needs to know about writing, how to write a short essay, and other related queries like structure, format, outline, and examples. So, let’s get started!

A Brief into Short Essay Writing for Beginners

As the name says, this is only a short essay of one or two pages. When students are often assigned to draft this essay, they feel delighted that it would be easy to complete and wouldn't take as long as the otherwise lengthy essay does. But instead, these are tougher because the essays need to be short and informative here. Want to know more about these? Then let's take a look at the characteristics of this essay:

Characteristics of a Short Essay

Short essay writing can be differentiated from other types because of these important characteristics:

Clarity - Even though the essay is short, there should be clarity of thought and topic.
Curate - How the essay is curated is the key point in a short essay.
Conciseness - Since the scope is short, the content should be concise.
Chronology - A proper order of steps should be followed to state ideas.
Correctness - As the length is short, the content shared should be correct.

Elements of a Short Essay

There are certain elements in an easy essay that make it different from other types, and they are:

Thesis - This is a short statement on the main theme of the whole essay
Outline - This is the raw blueprint of this short essay type
Introduction - This is the basic idea of the topic covered in the essay
Body - This is the section where the main topic is addressed in detail
Conclusion - This is the final summary of the whole essay.

Guidelines for a Short Essay

A few basic guidelines or pointers that represent the best way to write an essay of this type include:

Words: It should be around 500 words
Size: Its font size should be 12 points
Pages: It can be one page or two only
Style: Its font style should be Times New Roman
Spacing: It can have single or double-spaced margins

These three main details of an academic essay structure make it clear that it's a short essay type. Now, let's look into the prerequisites for drafting an impressive essay.

How to Write a Short Essay? | One-in-All Guide

Whenever a student is asked to draft something, he immediately starts working on it without considering what needs to be prepared or planned or how to proceed; this often leads them to trouble. To understand this, let's take an example of a short essay-

A Step-by-Step Guide to Short Essay Writing

Step 1: Choose a Topic

If the professor didn't specify a topic, then you have wide scope to pick one of your choices. So, before you finalize the body paragraph structure essay, decide on an interesting topic. This will set a clear path for you to follow.

Step 2: Know Your Requirements

Once the topic is all clear to you, focus on the requirements. This includes your approach to the essay, university guidelines, the professor's special instructions, and so on. These are the core of the essay; thus, do not miss out on any.

Step 3: Do Proper Research

Now that the topic and requirements are clear, it's time to do some research. Again, spend time in this stage and collect as much information as possible on the chosen topic. This will not just give you knowledge on the subject but also boost your confidence in yourself.

Step 4: Prepare an Outline

The next step to follow is to have a clear short essay format. This helps in giving a writer the blueprint of the whole essay and an idea of what information to include in which section of the essay so everything is in a flow.

Step 5: Draft the Document

Since the path is clear, and so does the destination, get started. Focus on the essay introduction and conclusion as they play a crucial role in the document. Also, add the main informative part to the body only.

Step 6: Edit and Proofread

Though this is a routine step, it is equally important as a short essay structure. Every document should be neatly edited and proofread so that there are no typos, errors or mistakes which not just break the flow of content but also disrupt the document's meaning.

Professional Tips for Drafting an Impressive Essay

Research more to write better

A short essay is where you have to give your best in a limited space. So, writing something amazing within restrained boundaries is only possible if you have good knowledge of the topic; research is the key.

Present only right arguments

It is crucial to figure out the right arguments to include and exact points to mention because the scope is less and only the important information needs to be included. This is a crucial tip because arguments decide the fate of the essay.

Write more in fewer words

The one important point about short essays is that the writer has only limited words to express most of the information they collected in the research process. Therefore, this tip is crucial because students must learn concise and precise forms for short essay writing.

Cut down anything vague

Another helpful tip for students regarding this type of essay writing is nothing vague should be included. Yes, even though it is written after tedious research, it should be cut down if it doesn't justify the short essay format.

Revise multiple times

This is one of the hardest but crucial tips for any student to be working on this essay type. And it is to revise the essay as many times as possible. The more you edit, the better you get with the essay.

Now that the essay writing process is clear and tips are known let's move to the next section and look into some short essay examples.

Examples of Short Essay You Should Not Miss (Source: sfs.gsu.edu)

There is no experience quite like whitewater rafting. A journey to central Colorado in early summer

2005 witnessed the Arkansas River rushing with newly melted snow. This recount of river madness will

show how intensely religious American fun can become.

Colorado in the summer blazes hot in the day and freezes cold at night. That did not stop camping

out on the verdant grounds of Noah’s Ark. This place was crawling with Christians who were ecstatic about

another summer of providing big fun to their patrons. The river beckoned for good fishing, but screamed

louder for rafting, and we hit it hard.

The first portion of the river meandered calmly in the mountain cathedrals, with steeples rising high

among evergreen altars. From Buena Vista to Salida, the elevation drops a lot, and the river goes with it.

A placid stream that starts off calm could fool anybody. Yet, once one gets over the birds singing and

the sun shining, then there flows a profound religious experience. Talk about rock and roll, icy baptisms and

the jerks, these tremendous rapids that made Benny Hinn look mild. What an awakening!

There were several stages in this conversion experience. The Seven Sisters taught us a lesson that

going down brought an emotional high. One right after the other, these stair steps led down to the place

where all these kids received the anointing of fun. The river of excitement took a turn to a whirlpool where

the raft almost tipped over. This served as a lesson that it takes effort in paddling to keep the boat upright.

Lunch by the river, communion by the stream, found everyone in sweet fellowship. As for care for

bodily functions, the word was, "dilution, not pollution." Never drink the water.

The Arkansas meandered after lunch through the forest, with eagles soaring and skin burning. Cover

up- if not, then burn. Most of the kids had wet suits on, but the fresh water never hits the skin if something

artificial is on it. As the barges made their way to Salida, a calmness came over us. The end of the matter

provided time to reflect on what it took to get there.

Anyone who knows whitewater rafting realizes that God is everywhere, especially in Colorado.

For more people, the future is uncertain; the direction their life will take is not spelled out for

them. Each person is responsible for the choices she will make that will determine the course of her life.

One of the choices that has an incredible impact on her life is what she will choose for her career.

This can be a difficult decision to make, as it will affect almost every aspect of a person’s life to

some degree. Most people are also not fortunate enough to receive a startling revelation directing them

on the right course for their lives. Instead, the most powerful way that a person is able to determine her

direction is not through an earthshaking revelation but through the quite confidence that this is what

she is called to do and to be.

In the same way, I have never received any startling revelations that I should pursue a career in

journalism, but as I look back on my life, I am able to see that there were many little steps along the way

that have led me to this choice. I have often heard my parents tell the story of how, on my first day of

kindergarten, I came home crying because I had not been taught how to read. I have always loved to

read and from that has developed a great respect and fascination for the written word.

Joseph Pulitzer stated the purpose of a journalist should be to “Put it before them briefly so they

will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it, and above all,

accurately so they will be guided by its light.” His words serve as a reminder for me of the many

different dimension of writing. Journalism encompasses both creativity and technicality. It is a way of

expressing individuality and of communicating with others.

Many of my personal qualities convince me that a career in journalism is my calling. I find that I

am a person who responds well to challenges. Perhaps it is because of my competitive nature that

challenges motivate me. And I discover that my biggest competitor is usually myself. I think this is why I

enjoy trying to combine both the creative and technical aspects of writing. Each time I begin to write, I

am presented with a fresh challenge.Every day that I live, I realize more the impact other people have on me and the impact I have on them. Writing is a very personal way of reaching out to people I may never meet, but who I am still connected to because of our identities as human beings. Journalism allows the opportunity for the

sharing of information, thoughts, feelings and ideas between people from all walks of lives. It enables

people to see things through another’s eyes and gain new perspectives on the world around them.

It is because of the many dimensions of journalism that I desire to pursue a career in this field. I feel that as a journalist, I will be able to use the talents that I already have, as well as learn new ones. I believe it is a chance for me to be an instrument to bring people together.

Here, we looked into an essay paragraph structure example, so let's move to the next section and know more about what to do if this is not your cup of tea.

Where Can I Get Help with Short Essay?

Are you also willing to write a short essay but do not have the time or necessary skills? Are you looking for assistance to develop an impressive essay and score high grades? If yes, seek professional essay help from the experts at Assignment Prime and get desired grades. If you are not sure about us, then you can also check out our other essay writing services and get better clarity on our writers' quality and work:

Types of Essays

Essays for Courses

Essays on Subjects

If you want to check out more such examples, go to our samples section and check for the quality, writing, and format. And if you want professional assistance, you can reach out to our experts and get the best help on short essay writing. All the best!

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