Are you starting college soon? How about your first college-level writing class? Before you trek into this uncharted territory, you’ll want to sharpen your skills and steel yourself for the big day when you’re writing your first major college essay. But you’ll need something more effective than that double-shot of espresso to get you through those …
Poetry is often one of the more difficult forms of literature that students are asked to write about. It doesn’t have a consistent structure, sometimes doesn’t have a plot or characters, and is rife with symbolism. But one of the most frequently asked questions on writing about poetry is how to quote a poem in an …
If you’ve watched the movies Divergent, The Hunger Games, or Maze Runner and thought, “Whoa, these are amazingly original stories! Why hasn’t someone thought of this before?” you might be surprised to learn that this type of story is nothing new. Stories with dystopian themes have been around for a long time. What you probably …
When you hear the word “ESSAY,” what comes to mind? If you’re like a lot of students, you might think pain. Boredom. Tedium. Sheer misery. Rarely does the word “fun” come to mind. I get it. There are all sorts of reasons that you might hate writing an essay. Perhaps you struggle to start your …
Less is more, they say. Which, to be honest, kind of bothers me because it’s inherently incorrect. Less most certainly is not more—it is less. However, there are times when having less is better. So for the sake of accuracy, let’s say this—less is better…sometimes. So far I’ve said practically nothing, and I feel better …
I don’t know about you, but I feel like the hardest part of any writing assignment is composing a rough draft. It has to have much more detail than an outline, but you don’t want to perfect it too much because it is, after all, just a draft. It’s all about striking the perfect balance. …
You’ve powered through your essay and have a pretty good draft in front of you. But now you’re coming up to the conclusion, and all the usual questions start rattling around in your head. Did you include enough evidence to support your arguments? Should you write more, or would that just make your essay sound more …
The end is the beginning is the end. Or so it constantly seems when writing an essay. As soon as you think you’re finished, it’s time to examine, revise, and rewrite. The end of your first draft marks the beginning of your second. The beginning of your third draft marks the end of your second. …
Sometimes you read a book that—whether you love it or hate it—is unlike any other you’ve read before. Things Fall Apart is one of those types of books. Written by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart shows readers a view of Africa that’s different from the white-authored colonial-type stories like Heart of Darkness. Instead …
If you’re a rooster and you consider yourself king of the hen house, you can’t just casually wander around with the rest of the chickens. You need to strut your stuff. You need to walk with authority and crow like you mean it! Likewise, if you’re writing a paper, you might consider yourself king (or …
Ever sign into Facebook only to see that your BFF posted a long rant about how much he hates Facebook? The fact that he’s using Facebook to complain about how much he hates Facebook is a clear example of irony. Locating examples of irony in literature, though, may not be so obvious. You might need to …
Hello there! Welcome back to the Kibin blog. Our goal here at Kibin is to educate you on the art of writing. We do that in several ways, including awesome editing services, a deep database of essay examples, and this blog. Our focus on the Kibin blog is to explain ways to write specific essays …
As a student, your time is precious. You want to write a great essay, but you shouldn’t have to put all your other assignments, or your life, on hold just to do it. That’s why it’s important to have a system. While “system” sounds like it sucks the creativity out of writing, it actually gives you …
If you’ve ever watched Survivor, you know how important it is for contestants to plan, form alliances, and do anything they can to avoid getting voted off the island by the Tribal Council. Writing an essay is kind of like being a contestant on Survivor. You need to plan ahead, learn the tricks of good writing, …
Here are four statements you might receive from your professor as essay feedback. “Essay does not meet assignment guidelines.” “This is a good start, but ideas aren’t fully developed.” “This submission is a nice revision of your earlier draft.” “Exemplary! This is a wonderful illustration essay.” I bet most (if not all) of you would …
A guy walks up to a counter, orders lunch, and immediately starts a political debate with the man seated next to him. The two engage in a full-fledged argument before the server even brings his drink. Given that the two are at a counter arguing, does this mean it’s a counterargument? Not exactly. So what …
Pretend you’re a pirate out on the high seas searching for treasure. Let’s say you have it on good authority that there’s a chest of gold buried on a nearby remote island. While you may have an idea which way you need to sail in order to get to the island, if you don’t know where …
Have you ever heard that different people learn in different ways? Well, it’s true. And while some people may be able to learn just by reading the theories on how to do something, you learn differently—you need actual examples. Just like a protester, politician, or superhero, I’m here to lead by example. I’ve put together …
Do you freak out or feel stressed at the mere thought of trying to organize your ideas for a paper? Have you tried prewriting and outlining, yet can’t seem to pull your ideas together? If all those Roman numerals and upper and lowercase letters of a traditional outline are enough to drive you mad, why …
You’re super confident when your teacher hands you an essay assignment. You’ve read the material and know exactly how to approach your arguments. But then you sit and stare at a blank page, unsure how to start. It happens to the best of us. Fortunately, because it’s a cause of concern for so many students, …
There have been exactly 18,312 words written here at the Kibin blog on the subject of the argumentative essay. Think I made that number up? Well, prove it. We’ve written so many blog posts on the subject because it’s by far the most common essay assignment that students face. About the only way to avoid …