fred holt asked:


Rumor has it that if you choose the right informative essay topics, you would already have won half the battle. You may find this to be true. Let’s say you are entering a singing competition. You have this wonderful range of pitches that you can achieve with your voice. So it makes sense to choose a song that allows you to display your talents. If you choose the wrong song, you will get very different results – results that is undesirable.

The same goes for classification essay topics in which you need to choose an essay topic that will showcase your writing talents. If you choose the wrong topic, you are just heading down the wrong path. A path that will eventually lead you to disappointing grades. So how do you go about choosing the right essay topic? Here is a step by step process that you may find helpful.

1. Know your strengths and weaknesses.



Where are your strengths? Can you write from imagination? Or is your strength creativity? Are you good with facts? Or are you good with fiction? You need to know your strengths before you can make a good decision about the topic that you are going to write on.

Also, you need to know your weaknesses. Are you struggling with grammar? If so, then perhaps you need to write with shorter sentences. Are you having trouble with descriptive writing? If so, maybe you need to avoid choosing writing topics that require descriptive writing. Only you know yourself best. So ask yourself, what are your strengths and weaknesses?



2. Brainstorming for ideas that you are interested in.

A well chosen topic allows you to flourish as you write. So you need to choose topics that you are interested in. That way, you will be more passionate about the informative essay topics that you will write on, and will write with more energy and vigor. This will show in your writing.

Make a list of topics that you are interested about. In the beginning, just write down everything that comes to mind. Talk to somebody if you need to so that you have a bigger list of topics to choose from. As a rule of thumb, you should have between ten to fifteen ideas for each essay that you are going to write on.

That seems like overkill to some people but it is actually not. You are going to strike out ideas that you initially thought to be great, but turned out to be hard to write about. By the process of elimination, you finally arrive the essay topic that will be ideal for your writing.

Also note that the colleges and the universities are always equipped with the tutor centers where all the students can get help in writing essays & papers. These instructor centers must be able to aid student’s form the introductions & thesis statements to make it clearer, and help them with the essays generally if they require help. Other sources for getting the help with this college papers comprise of brothers & sisters that might have gone through the university before them, and private tutors, which can be found all through college campuses.

Sometimes, you can mix ideas together and get a totally different and interesting combination. That’s why it’s important to have a list of ideas that you can work with. This is to ensure that you never run out of ideas as you write. It will also help to prevent writer’s block – a writer’s biggest enemy.

Crystal Pratt asked:


A sure-fire way to produce a look of panic on a student’s face is to tell them to get out their writing journal and write about whatever they want.  Sure, there are a random few that are willing to take on this task, but more often than not, the kids will just freeze in place.  But it’s not just kids that have this problem.  Whether you’re planning a lesson or writing for yourself, you’ll often find that choosing a topic is the the hardest part.

Of course, there are times when you want to give your child a topic to write on.  You might want an autobiography on a famous scientist or a response to a literature assignment.  On the other hand, there are times when you want independent writing to take place.  It’s good exercise for the brain.  But how do you get them to start?Suddenly, a blank piece of paper becomes terrifying.

Some of the tips that I’ve found useful in guiding my students (or myself) in choosing topics are as follows:

Keep a notebook or journal with a page or two dedicated to writing topics.  If an idea pops into your head, write it down.  You may find that you  never use that topic (because hopefully, after awhile, you’ll have several to choose from).  However, before you know it, you’ll have a list waiting for you when  you’re ready to sit down and start writing. Five minutes of free writing.  My students found this method challenging at first, but after a few times, they really looked forward to doing it.  The tough part of this is that your pencil cannot stop moving for the entire time. (I generally chose five minutes, but you may want to shorten this time period for younger children).  The fun part is that you can write about anything you want.  You should write about whatever is in your head at the time.  Allow a lot of freedom in this area.  I’ve seen students make lists of their friends or what they would like for lunch.  They might copy words off of a poster on the wall.  I did not place restrictions on this as long as the pencil kept moving. Keep this page in your writing journal for future reference. Draw a tree.  The trunk of your tree is your base.  Start with the first topic that comes into your head.  Begin to draw branches on your tree by adding words related to that topic.  You may find out that one of your branches becomes your actual topic. Create a waterfall.  I found this especially helpful when I wanted my students to write historical fiction.  The top of your waterfall is your “big” topic.  For example’s sake, let’s say you are studying the Revolutionary War in history.  The Revolutionary War will be the top of your waterfall.  Many, many topics can rain down from your waterfall:  George Washington, liberty, Delaware, the Boston Tea Party, Green Mountain Boys, etc.

These methods should keep you and your child armed with a list of ready-made topics whenever the time comes for independent writing.  The more often you employ these tricks, the easier choosing a topic will become.  I wish you the best of luck in your writing journeys.