Generally, an academic paper is assigned topics related to the discipline at higher levels of education. But, if your essay writing is free flow without the assignment of a specific topic, it can be difficult for you to choose from a plethora of available options.

The first step in such situations is generating ideas to curate a great essay. Here are some tips and techniques you can follow if you need to choose an essay topic for your next project.

Understanding the assignment

Before choosing a topic for your essay, it is essential first to understand the subject and what is needed for the essay. For instance, the length of the essay, deadline, subject, constraints on the subject matter, or the type of approach plays a key role in deciding the topic. These factors will define the complexity of the essay or give a broad hint about the subject and the approach needed.

Techniques for generating essay ideas

Once you have answers to the above factors, you can decide on the type of essay – argumentative, prompt, expository, or other formats. Despite having responses to all the elements, getting started is the tricky part, but not by following these simple techniques:

Talking it out

Since universities or teachers generally provide essays, it is best first to have a conversation with the teacher to know more about what is expected of you. It can provide new avenues of hints, most of them which you might not have even considered.

Go from general to specific.

If you have to include a problem statement or a thesis statement in your essay, it is best to start by picking a topic, then work on generating a thesis statement. First, start with a broader issue, so you can narrow down and find the best thesis statement related to your topic for the essay.

Brainstorming ideas

Once you have a clear picture of the topic, start jotting down everything that falls in the basket. You can also cluster all the related issues and ideas together and connect the dots, which can act as subheadings for your essay.

Free writing

This step is similar to brainstorming but is a faster version with more points on the topic. One tip for succeeding in this step is to write whatever comes to mind which is related to the topic. Then, write for twp-to three minutes straight and read through the sentences. Finally, highlight or pick up the points that are useful to your essay.

Draft a copy

Once you’re done jotting down your ideas, it’s time to draft your first copy by considering the essay’s structure and providing a solution for the problem statement (if it’s an argumentative essay). Proofread your essay at least twice or thrice before submission.