Choosing an essay topic when you don’t know what to write about

Choosing an essay topic when you don’t know what to write about

A good beginning makes a good ending, remember? Selecting a suitable theme for your essay is a very important stage. You shouldn’t underestimate it, even though it is dealing with composing only one phrase, not the whole piece of writing. Suggesting a fabulous title may not only coincide with Shakespeare’s idea of “What’s in a name?” The right theme sets the pace for the whole essay. So, you have to be very careful with it.
A catchy, thought-provoking heading can attract your teacher’s attention immediately. Thus, it will involve him or her in reading your paper. Yet, how do you select an engaging theme for your writing piece that will define a relevant problem and inspire you during your research?
In this article, we will tell you how to cope with this challenge and be more conscious while choosing what to write about in your essay.
These simple rules can serve as a great manual for selecting a fitting topic for your study:

1. Write about something you know well

When you choose to discuss an issue you are familiar with, your work will be persuasive and realistic. You will be like an expert who is sharing your findings with other people. Your teacher will feel you know what you are talking about and will trust your opinion. Thus, your work will gain significance in your teacher’s eyes.
At the same time, the issue you want to consider doesn’t have to be complicated. Choosing simple topics like “How my friendship and relationship with my best friend has changed my life,” “What I have learned from getting my first part-time job,” “Benefits of living in a campus,” or “What helps me cope with my bad mood and stay positive when things go wrong” can work too. After using them, you can share your experience with your classmates and teachers.

2. Pick an issue that attracts you

This can be sports, health, school rules, family relationships, your future career, or any other topic which triggers your thoughts, memories, or emotions. For this reason, you shouldn’t pick one that makes you feel bored to death. Also, when the topic is familiar to you, you will have more chances to write an essay in a lively and creative manner. In addition, you will spend less time discussing it.

3. Consider one aspect of the topic

Make your research specific. If the topic is too broad, try to focus on a smaller part of it. Thus, when the general theme sounds like, “Romanticism in the English Literature,” you can touch upon the poems of Byron or Shelley instead of tackling the literary works of all the poets who belonged to this group. Breaking a massive issue into chunks will help you make your study more profound.

4. Use the findings of other scholars

Ground your research on previous results. You can either support someone’s point of view or contradict it and suggest your own vision of the problem. The thing is, when you mention a famous journalist, scientist, or analyst in your work, this makes your assignment more credible and solid. Additionally, this is an excellent way to practice your researching skills. Hence, you can present your topic as, “Advantages and disadvantages of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs” or “The role of Fritz Pfleumer’s invention of magnetic tape in data storage.”

5. Conduct brief research

When you have a point but don’t know how to express it precisely, look for prompts. Consider a list of related topics, headlines of articles, or reviews. This can help you choose the most appropriate wording for your idea. Based on a certain expression, you can change, omit, or add the necessary words to get the desired phrasing.

6. Examine a broad topic from an unexpected angle

Don’t get depressed if you like a topic but experts have already conducted enough analysis in this area. In fact, there is no limit to new discoveries. So, there’s nothing wrong if you offer a new approach to tackling an issue. For instance, you can show how one field is connected with another one and highlight their mutual influence (e.g., “How instrumental music can help cure psychological disorders” or “In what way leading a healthy way of life can help you become more successful”).

7. Ask your teacher for advice

Teachers have extensive experience in working with academic literature. Therefore, they will easily give you a good theme to study.

8. Transform a topic

You can either broaden the subject you like or make it narrow. Hence, you can easily change the topic “The peculiarities of the banking system in the EU,” which you have previously used for your term paper, to, for instance, “The main features of the banking system in Germany.” On one hand, you will be able to use the essential material you already have. On the other hand, you will get a chance to analyze a particular issue in more detail.

9. Wrack your brain

Do you remember how people in films manage to make great discoveries by taking simple steps? Follow the same strategy for your studies. To choose a great topic for a stunning essay, note down a couple of ideas you have. Write the name of a country, a company, a personality, a historical event, etc. Then, go for it and dig deeper. Look for needed information in an encyclopedia or search the Internet. Most likely, you will find data that will inspire you to provide further research.

10. Be creative

Everyday things, like your hobby, music, clothes, cars, and films can be suitable material for investigation. Dwell on the history of the creation of your favorite band or a logo of a car, deliver interesting facts about the latest film you have watched, or discuss the basic tendencies introduced by a famous designer. When you have to write an impressive essay, you shouldn’t get trapped by formal boundaries. Instead, discuss something you are curious about and sparkle the text with sincere admiration.

Conclusion

We hope that from reading our tips, you will select the most interesting topics for your writing. Just believe in yourself and keep practicing. Very soon you will learn to cope with it with no special effort.