IN PRAISE OF THE ESSAY
What a glorious piece of writing is the essay! It doesn’t demand the imagination of the short story, it can be any length, can present a single idea or pose a hypothesis. Dictionary.com says it’s a short piece of non-fiction writing on a particular subject. This essay is well, an essay!
I’m not talking about a formal school or university essay paper here. This is not an academic exploration although it might be of great benefit for students to get their writing flowing.
No, this is all about using the essay format to keep on writing when fiction ideas are a bit thin and the thought of starting another book or short story simply too daunting. Thinking about plots and characters can be exhausting and can lead to what some call writer’s block. The mind goes blank, the characters become recalcitrant bores that simply won’t do what you want and the plot goes into hibernation.
I say that the essay format gives us the freedom to write from our own knowledge and experience. In fiction writing we’re often encouraged to “write what you know”, which can be extraordinarily difficult if we have a brilliant idea for a story featuring space travel when the furthest we’ve been is Brighton on the train. What the hell do I know we may ask? But we all know our own history and our own feelings, emotions, loves and hates.
Freedom to write is such a liberating experience
The essay gives us that freedom and here are my two top tips to get started:
- Choose a topic that you know something about: yourself, your hobby, your schooling or career, your love life, anything that gives you scope to explore the subject.
- Start writing.
It doesn’t have to be Pulitzer Prize worthy but it does need to follow a few conventions. It needs to be engaging and descriptive, and it does need a narrative arc, that’s it! Any number of words is correct; sometimes a short exquisite gem of an essay is perfect. And a collection of superb short essays can be a sublime insight into your life, your thinking and your values — you might just surprise yourself!
What style of essay is best for the topic?
One of the most enjoyable formats is the narrative essay that focuses on your description of an experience. Simply write what you know about a topic using all your senses, including your intuition and sixth sense. There is such great scope to reveal your understanding of the subject so that the reader will get an insight into who you are from your descriptions. In a “day in the life” style piece, someone is described going about their business of living. As it’s a subjective form of writing it offers the opportunity for great freedom of expression. Memoir essays are another format that gives great scope for writers. Simply choose an event or experience that made a mark on your life and write about using all your senses.
Will an argumentative essay will give you greater scope? You might, for example, choose your love life or the lack of it. You could work to reveal the pros and cons of relationships and use your most persuasive argument to support your stand. A few well researched facts and figures around divorce or the longest marriage ever will help to back your argument.
The compare and contrast essay is a great tool to support your stand on politics, religion, gender issues or perhaps the strengths and weaknesses of various forms of diet or fitness that you have experienced.
So next time you’re floundering in a fictional sea of awkward plots and wayward characters explore the essay. Even if it amounts to nothing you will at least be writing and isn’t that what writers are all about?