Essay is probably the most fear-inducing word for students around the world. Yes, writing an essay can be intimidating, but there are ways to make it less so. 

Get to the core of what you want to say.

Once you’ve done research surrounding your topic, it can help to do some word-vomit. Freewrite about your topic or prompt without stopping for 15 minutes. Take a break, then go back and read through what you wrote. Highlight sentences that stand out to you. Then, copy and paste those sentences onto a fresh page. Use those as your prompt and do another freewrite. You can repeat this exercise until you have a really good feel for what you want to say. Find a sentence from your writing (or combine two) that you feel reflects your main idea to be your thesis statement.

Plan it out.

Now that you have your thesis statement, write three sentences that give supporting evidence to your statement. This is when research really comes in handy. 

Draft.

Now is the time for slightly more organized word-vomit. Freewrite about your topic, but keep it focused around your topic sentences.

Add an introduction and conclusion.

Your introduction should include your thesis statement and a summary of your three supporting arguments. Along with those, it can be good to start with an anecdote from your personal life or a story you can connect to your topic. A good conclusion also summarizes the paragraphs above, and should leave readers thinking. Referring back to your anecdote from the beginning can be a good way to wrap things up.

Polish.

To state the obvious, you should not have any spelling or grammar mistakes in your final copy! Make sure all of your sentences flow well together, and that every sentence adds something essential. Play around with your word choices to deliver the greatest emotional impact possible, while making sure there is plenty of actual information about your topic as well. If everything seems organized, balances emotion with facts, and of course actually answers the prompt your teacher gave you, then you are ready to turn it in, hopefully with the confidence that you will achieve a good grade.