Reflective Essay: "Writing Skills" - Sample Writing to Learn How to Progress

Writing skills are very fundamental skills for all kinds of purposes, but especially when writing essays. It
is very difficult to write a good essay without the proper writing skills. Although everyone claims he or
she can write a good essay, many people lack the needed skills that make an essay a polished piece of
writing. The difference between professional writers and the everyday person is that the professional
writer has writing skills that makes his or her essays stand out.

Writing skills are very essential when writing any kind of an essay. Many students do not possess the
good writing skills that are very important. Students should admit to themselves that this is among their
greatest weaknesses and seek help from professionals who are very competent in their essay writing
skills. Good writing skills involve the ability to write an essay that is free from grammatical errors, with a
good content as well as style and structure. A good writer must understand and progress through the
writing process, which includes prewriting, writing, revision, and proofreading.

Part of the writing process is in knowing who the intended audience is and the purpose of the writing. In
many cases, students fail to understand their audience or how to relate to that audience. If the student
knows in advance that the writing is to target a specific audience, then the student needs to know what
interest that audience and what kinds of opinions that audience is likely to have on certain subjects.
Students start writing their essays without first identifying their audience which is very wrong.

Another fallacy that students often commit is failing to create an outline that will assist them in
organizing their thoughts, thus ensuring that no points are left out when writing the essay. An outline
helps to ensure that the essay has a clear flow and that every point is well explained. Besides the
outline, students must take seriously the use of good grammar as well as utilization of appropriate
stylistic techniques. Essays written by professionals are always reader friendly because the professionals
make use of headings, subheadings, and listing whenever possible. These strategies help the reader to
follow the writer’s train of thought. Moreover, readers find it easier to read a page that has been broken
down to small paragraphs than a page with long paragraphs. An essay that is easily scanned is quite
attractive to the reader.