How to Come Up with a Topic to Write About
Understand the essay assignment.Understanding the assigned essay is the first step to coming up with a topic., Evaluate the purpose of the assignment., Select a topic from a provided list., Ask if you can write about an alternate topic., Brainstorm...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Understand the essay assignment.Understanding the assigned essay is the first step to coming up with a topic.
Knowing the type of essay that is expected, the length of the essay, and to what degree research is expected will all determine the scope of the topic you will choose. -
Step 2: Evaluate the purpose of the assignment.
The purpose of the assignment will also determine the type of topic.A persuasive essay, for example, will have a much different type of topic than a personal experience essay.
Look for key action words like compare, analyze, describe, synthesize, and contrast.
These words will help you determine what your teacher wants you to do in the essay. , If your instructor has provided a list of topics for you, choose a topic from the given list.
It is likely that the topics have been gathered together because they are an appropriate scope and breadth and the instructor has found that the topics have led to successful essays in the past.
Try to write a thesis, or central argument, for each of the topics.
Choose the topic for which the thesis comes most naturally and for which you feel you can develop the paper easily. , If you really feel limited by the list of topics your instructor provided, ask her if you can write about another topic.
It’s best to have a specific topic in mind when you go to her to ask about an alternative., Write down a list of ideas that come to mind.
They don’t have to be good ideas, but it’s good to just start writing a list to get your ideas flowing.
Just write down everything you can think of; you can evaluate the ideas later., Decide ahead of time how long you want to freewrite, then just write without stopping.Most people write for 10-20 minutes.
Do not stop writing, even if you need to just write “blah blah blah” in the middle of a sentence.
Hopefully, you will write yourself towards a useful thought or idea through freewriting.
Even if it does not give you content you can use in your essay, it can be a valuable writing warm-up. , Especially if you are a visual learner, creating a visual representation of your ideas may help you stumble onto or narrow down ideas to a good topic.Use a mind map.
The center of the mind map contains your main argument, or thesis, and other ideas branch off in all directions.
Draw an idea web.
This a visual that uses words in circles connected to other words or ideas.
Focusing on the connections between ideas as well as the ideas themselves may help you generate a topic., If you are writing an essay for a class, think about what the teacher spent a lot of time talking about in class.
This may make a good choice for an essay, as the teacher clearly thinks it’s something important.Review your class notes and see if there is anything that stands out as interesting or important.
Review any handouts or focus sections of a text that were assigned. , Writing something you care about or that you are interested in is much easier than making yourself write about things that seem boring.
Make a list of your interests and see if there is a way to connect one or more of them to your essay., Write a few additional notes next to each potential topic and evaluate whether each item would be an appropriate topic.
At this point, you should be able to narrow your list down to a few good choices.
You may want to ask your teacher if you have narrowed down your ideas to two or three items.
She may have some insight as to which topic would be the most successful.
Go back and look at the original assignment again and determine which of your narrowed topics will best fit with the intent of the essay assignment. , Once you have decided on a general topic, you will need to be sure that your specific topic or argument has an appropriate scope.A focus that is too broad will either make your paper too long or lead to an unsuccessful argument because you haven’t provided enough detail.
For example, a topic of “dogs” is too broad for a paper.
A focus that is too narrow or specific will lead to a short paper that misses a “big picture” argument.
For example, a topic of “the adoption rate of one-eyed teacup poodles in ” is likely too narrow for a paper.
An appropriate focus will give you enough space to write about the topic thoroughly.
For example, “the effects of puppy mills on stray dog adoption in ” may be a better focus. -
Step 3: Select a topic from a provided list.
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Step 4: Ask if you can write about an alternate topic.
-
Step 5: Brainstorm a list of ideas.
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Step 6: Freewrite for a predetermined amount of time.
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Step 7: Create a visual representation of your ideas.
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Step 8: Remember what the teacher focused on in class.
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Step 9: Think about what interests you.
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Step 10: Consider the list you have generated.
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Step 11: Limit the scope of your topic appropriately.
Detailed Guide
Knowing the type of essay that is expected, the length of the essay, and to what degree research is expected will all determine the scope of the topic you will choose.
The purpose of the assignment will also determine the type of topic.A persuasive essay, for example, will have a much different type of topic than a personal experience essay.
Look for key action words like compare, analyze, describe, synthesize, and contrast.
These words will help you determine what your teacher wants you to do in the essay. , If your instructor has provided a list of topics for you, choose a topic from the given list.
It is likely that the topics have been gathered together because they are an appropriate scope and breadth and the instructor has found that the topics have led to successful essays in the past.
Try to write a thesis, or central argument, for each of the topics.
Choose the topic for which the thesis comes most naturally and for which you feel you can develop the paper easily. , If you really feel limited by the list of topics your instructor provided, ask her if you can write about another topic.
It’s best to have a specific topic in mind when you go to her to ask about an alternative., Write down a list of ideas that come to mind.
They don’t have to be good ideas, but it’s good to just start writing a list to get your ideas flowing.
Just write down everything you can think of; you can evaluate the ideas later., Decide ahead of time how long you want to freewrite, then just write without stopping.Most people write for 10-20 minutes.
Do not stop writing, even if you need to just write “blah blah blah” in the middle of a sentence.
Hopefully, you will write yourself towards a useful thought or idea through freewriting.
Even if it does not give you content you can use in your essay, it can be a valuable writing warm-up. , Especially if you are a visual learner, creating a visual representation of your ideas may help you stumble onto or narrow down ideas to a good topic.Use a mind map.
The center of the mind map contains your main argument, or thesis, and other ideas branch off in all directions.
Draw an idea web.
This a visual that uses words in circles connected to other words or ideas.
Focusing on the connections between ideas as well as the ideas themselves may help you generate a topic., If you are writing an essay for a class, think about what the teacher spent a lot of time talking about in class.
This may make a good choice for an essay, as the teacher clearly thinks it’s something important.Review your class notes and see if there is anything that stands out as interesting or important.
Review any handouts or focus sections of a text that were assigned. , Writing something you care about or that you are interested in is much easier than making yourself write about things that seem boring.
Make a list of your interests and see if there is a way to connect one or more of them to your essay., Write a few additional notes next to each potential topic and evaluate whether each item would be an appropriate topic.
At this point, you should be able to narrow your list down to a few good choices.
You may want to ask your teacher if you have narrowed down your ideas to two or three items.
She may have some insight as to which topic would be the most successful.
Go back and look at the original assignment again and determine which of your narrowed topics will best fit with the intent of the essay assignment. , Once you have decided on a general topic, you will need to be sure that your specific topic or argument has an appropriate scope.A focus that is too broad will either make your paper too long or lead to an unsuccessful argument because you haven’t provided enough detail.
For example, a topic of “dogs” is too broad for a paper.
A focus that is too narrow or specific will lead to a short paper that misses a “big picture” argument.
For example, a topic of “the adoption rate of one-eyed teacup poodles in ” is likely too narrow for a paper.
An appropriate focus will give you enough space to write about the topic thoroughly.
For example, “the effects of puppy mills on stray dog adoption in ” may be a better focus.
About the Author
Raymond Sanders
Brings years of experience writing about lifestyle and related subjects.
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