Every Essay – whether a college admissions essay for your dream school, a scholarship application essay or an admissions essay for graduate school – needs to have a tone that is appropriate and consistent with the content. A bland, generic voice will not make you stand out from the crowd of applicants.
When writing an admissions essay or scholarship application essay, be sure to find the right tone. A bland, generic voice will not make you stand out from the crowd of applicants. You don’t want your writing to seem like it’s coming from a robot, but you also don’t want to sound like you’re talking in all caps and exclamation points.
How can you find the perfect voice for every Essay that you write? Read on for ten steps to finding the right voice so that you can write a better college application essay or scholarship application
Table of Contents
1. Write from the heart.
When you write from the heart, readers can feel it. They connect with your words in a way that they can’t when you’re trying to sound professional or detached. So if you’re feeling emotional about your topic, go ahead and express those feelings in your Essay.
2. Don’t be afraid to sound confident.
In an essay, the writer’s voice is a metaphor for what you’re writing about because it reflects your personality and attitude toward a topic. So if you want to write about a subject that you care deeply about, then don’t hesitate to let your conviction show through in your writing.
3. Use your own examples and stories.
If you want to sound like yourself in your Essay, then use your own personal anecdotes and stories instead of using someone else’s words or storytelling techniques. For example, don’t describe something as “vibrant” if that adjective doesn’t fit your personality; the chances are that it will sound forced and inauthentic.
4. Be aware of your writing style.
Your voice is also determined by the way you write, so make sure that you’re using a style that feels like you. If your sentences are choppy and difficult to read, then your voice is probably too casual for an essay. Conversely, if your sentences are convoluted and packed with unnecessary words, then your voice is probably too formal for an essay.
5. Keep the language simple.
If you’re using complicated terminology or phrases that aren’t part of daily conversation, then you’re going to have a difficult time finding the right tone. Your readers want to understand what you’re saying, so avoid using language that will confuse them or make your Essay difficult to read.
6. Be aware of your tone.
Just because you’re using simple language doesn’t mean that your tone has to be bland or uninteresting. In fact, you can use a lively and engaging tone to communicate your ideas effectively.
7. Don’t be afraid to be personal.
Your voice is also a reflection of your personality, so don’t be afraid to share your thoughts and feelings with your readers. They’ll appreciate the insight, and you’ll get to show them who you really are.
8. Be yourself.
This tip can’t be emphasized enough: the best way to find the right tone for your Essay is to be yourself. Readers want to hear from real people with real emotions, hopes, fears, and aspirations, so don’t shy away from any of those things in your writing.
9. Don’t try too hard.
We’ve all read pieces where it’s clear that the writer was trying too hard to be poetic or dramatic. That kind of writing can easily come across as insincere and silly, which is the opposite of what you’re going for. So avoid trying to sound like someone else or emulate someone’s writing style because it won’t work well in your Essay.
10. Get feedback on your Essay before submission.
The best way to get a sense of whether your tone is appropriate for your Essay is to have someone else read it. Ask them to give you feedback on whether they felt engaged by your writing and whether it felt like you. And finally, always remember that the tone of your Essay can be changed, so don’t worry if it doesn’t feel quite right the first time.
Finding the right tone for your Essay can be a challenge, but with these tips, you’ll be on your way to writing a piece that sounds like you. So don’t be afraid to experiment until you find a voice that feels comfortable and natural to you. And most importantly, have fun with it! If you still can’t find the thing you are looking for in your Essay, you can go for custom essay writing help which will help you in your Essay, and you will be able to write essays that will inspire your readers and will stand out from the rest.
Author Bio:
Casey Harward is a technical writer and editor with experience in research-based content. She also has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Lancaster, UK. Casey specializes as a professional editor and writer at Research Prospect. She loves reading articles, blogs, magazines, newspapers and books in her free time.