A reflective essay is a kind of paper where you are supposed to write about a personal experience.
The name of this type of paper is gotten from the word reflection that means to look back upon a certain situation and present the findings.
One thing you need to note about this essay is that it is unique to your individual circumstance. If you would like to do well in your paper, here are 5 ways to improve your reflective essay.
Brainstorming & planning
This is a key step in writing the paper. Unfortunately, a lot of students overlook this step due to the nature of the essay. They feel as if it is easy to gather their thoughts before they can begin writing. However, a common mistake that they make it feel overconfidence and therefore skip this important step.
The goal of this step is to help you come up with ideas to write about. On top of this, it helps to provide a framework and structure so that your thoughts are well connected. If you plan your time well, you will be in a better position to write a high quality reflective essay.
Start by listing the activities that you will need to do to write the paper. Create a timetable with a plan for preparation, research, writing and even proofreading. Ensure that the work looks realistic and you will be in a position to complete in a timely way.
Choose an event to narrate
During this stage, you will need to determine the event or experience you would like to share. Your topic of choice can be related to films, music, graphics and movies. Reflection should be more than what happens in your mind but also narrating the process in a good way.
In case you already have a topic that was given to you by your tutor, you can skip this step. Use a notebook and a pen to write down the important things you need to consider, thoughts and feelings. Remember to write down the evidence you hope to use to support the thoughts as well as the specific part.
Determine the reader
Consider who will be reading the paper. Of course, the first person who will come to your mind is the instructor who assigned you the paper. However, you will need to remember that you may have a bigger audience such as parents and classmates. This means you need to consider how to write the text in a way that will interest the larger audience.
Have an outline
By coming up with an outline for a reflective essay, you can structure thoughts in a particular way. The outline will ensure that you do not struggle to add important parts to a paper that you had previously completed. Remember that the outline is more or less like a compass. If you will manage to complete the paper before the deadline, you need to have a plan of action. You can look at free essays here for a sample of an outline.
Edit your paper
Make sure you complete your essay before time so that after a day or two, you will reread the paper once again. Avoid handing in the first draft until you have corrected all errors. Instead, revise it until it is totally polished. Get rid of any unnecessary words. Make use of killer verbs in your sentences. Use adjectives in the right way. Use language that is sweet, short and to the point.
Avoid colloquial writing. This is a kind of writing that uses abbreviations and contractions such as can’t, don’t, could ‘ve, shouldn’t orhaven’t.Instead, make sure the paper has a serious tone.
Conclusion
A lot of students do not like writing this kind of paper as they think it is quite complicated. However, this does not prevent the majority of colleges from assigning this type of essay as they recognize its importance. By writing this essay, you will be in a better position to improve your analytical and writing skills.
This is on top of the fact that it will provide you with an opportunity to explore your inner feelings towards that topic. If you have no idea on how to make your paper better, you can use the above 5 tips.
