Needless to say, I am not the ultimate authority on essay writing.

I have already, at the outset, admitted my limitation and only seek to offer help to those who are struggling and have no better offer to improve.

I do think it is fair enough to ask, ‘Who is this person to give such advice?”

Well, if you need that question answered, read on. If not, then skip the rest of this post and move on to the next. 😊

I suspect if you are still reading that you may not know me, or at least know me very well, so what follows is largely a biographical account of my recent academic history and early academic struggles.

I have been studying for thirteen of the past fourteen years, receiving high grades and unofficially helping others with their writing. Writing is something that comes fairly naturally to me, yet is also a skill I have been honing for some time now too.

As I write these articles, I am on staff at The Salvation Army’s Eva Burrows College in Melbourne. These articles on helping people to write academic essays are a direct response to my work with Cadets at the college. I offer these thoughts in addition to the great advice usually provided on essay writing at the outset of training.

For those who struggle with writing essays, you may be interested to know I am someone who struggled a lot through my primary and secondary schooling, so I know all too well the frustration, embarrassment, and even humiliation of struggling to learn and display that learning. This, I think, is largely what fuels my drive to help others in their learning and essay writing.

I know there are many better equipped to offer advice, and I would advise you to follow such people’s advice over mine should you come across them and find them helpful. If what I am sharing is not helping (assume that it's not you, it's me!), then be proactive and seek out someone else who may be able to help. Without a doubt, someone will be able to help you.

The world we live in today seems more relationship-based than ever, and the relational connection I have with those studying at EBC is strong. This is another reason I have shared my thinking on essay writing - knowing that what I have offered others has helped them make a start and continue to progress in this area of essay writing, and being hopeful this may yet be the case for others.

I am the sort of person who'd rather not 'put myself out there' and share my thoughts as if I'm some kind of expert; especially when I'm not, which is the case here. But I must acknowledge that I know a lot more now than I did when I started writing essays. And probably more than most people today who are starting out themselves. It is from this place of praxis that I write.

So... if you are still reading. If you have or are feeling a bit overwhelmed or that this whole 'essay writing thing' is too hard and you can't do it, know you are not alone. I, and many others have been there and felt that way too. We have persisted, improved and in many instances come to enjoy the process of writing essays. It is my hope and prayer that this will be your experience too.

Next Post: Haves and Have Nots

March 2018 (Updated January 2021)