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Essay Checker: Free Online Paper Corrector

Your Best Chance for an A+ Essay. Try Our Free Essay Checker Below.

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Why Should You Use a Free Essay Checker?

The simple answer? Good grammar is necessary, but it’s not easy. You've already done countless hours of research to write the essay. You don’t want to spend countless hours correcting it, too.

You'll get a better grade

Good grammar or its absence can determine if you get a good grade or a failing one. Impress your lecturer not just with how grammatically sound your writing is, but how clear it is and how it flows.

You'll save time

Essay writing can be a long and tedious process. ProWritingAid's essay checker saves you the hassle by acting as the first line of defense against pesky grammar issues.

You'll become a better writer

Essay writing is a particular skill and one that becomes better with practice. Every time you run your essay through ProWritingAid’s essay corrector, you get to see what your common mistakes are and how to fix them.

Good Writing = Good Grades

It’s already hard to know what to write in an essay. Don’t let grammar mistakes hinder your writing and prevent you from getting a good grade. ProWritingAid’s essay checker will help you write your best essay yet. Since the checker is powered by AI, using it means that grammar errors don’t stand a chance. Give your professors something to look forward to reading with clear, concise, and professional writing.

How Does ProWritingAid’s Essay Checker Work?

Your goal in essay writing is to convey your message as best as possible. ProWritingAid's essay checker is the first step towards doing this.

Get Rid of Spelling Errors

ProWritingAid’s essay checker will show you what it thinks are spelling errors and present you with possible corrections. If a word is flagged and it’s actually spelt correctly you can always choose to ignore the suggestion.

Fix Grammar Errors

Professors aren’t fans of poor grammar because it interrupts your message and makes your essay hard to understand. ProWritingAid will run a grammar check on your paper to ensure that your message is precise and is being communicated the way you intended.

Get Rid of Punctuation Mistakes

A missing period or comma here and there may not seem that serious, but you’ll lose marks for punctuation errors. Run ProWritingAid’s paper checker to use the correct punctuation marks every time and elevate your writing.

Improve Readability

Make sure that in the grand scheme your language is not too complicated. The essay checker's built in readability report will show if your essay is easy or hard to read. It specifically zones in on paragraphs that might be difficult to read so you can review them.

What Else Can the Essay Checker Do?

The editing tool analyzes your text and highlights a variety of key writing issues, such as overused words, incohesive sentence structures, punctuation issues, repeated phrases, and inconsistencies.

You don’t need to drown your essay in words just to meet the word count. ProWritingAid’s essay checker will help to make your words more effective. You'll get to construct your arguments and make sure that every word you use builds towards a meaningful conclusion.

Transition words help to organize your ideas by showing the relationship between them. The essay checker has a built in Transition report that highlights and shows the percentage of transitions used in your essay. Use the results to add transitions where necessary.

An engaging essay has sentences of varying lengths. Don’t bore your professor with long, rambling sentences. The essay checker will show you where you need to break long sentences into shorter sentences, or add more sentence length variation.

Generally, in scholarly writing, with its emphasis on precision and clarity, the active voice is preferred. However, the passive voice is acceptable in some instances. When you run your essay through ProWritingAid’s essay checker, you get feedback on whether you 'r e using the passive or active voice to convey your idea.

There are academic specific power verbs like appraise , investigate , debunk , support , etc., that can add more impact to your argument by giving a more positive and confident tone. The essay checker will check your writing for power verbs and notify you if you have less than three throughout your essay.

It's easy to get attached to certain phrases and use them as crutches in your essays but this gives the impression of boring and repetitive writing. The essay checker will highlight your repeats and suggest contextually relevant alternatives.

Gain access to in-house blog reports on citations, how to write a thesis statement, how to write a conclusion, and more. Venture into a world of resources specific to your academic needs.

What Kinds of Papers Does ProWritingAid Correct?

No matter what you’re writing, ProWritingAid will adapt and show you where your edits are needed most.

• Argumentative
• Descriptive
• Textual Analysis
• Lab reports
• Case studies
• Literature reviews
• Presentations
• Dissertations
• Research papers

Professors and students love using ProWritingAid

If you're an English teacher, you need to take a look at this tool - it reinforces what you're teaching, highlights strengths and weaknesses, and makes it easier to personalize instruction.

Jennifer Gonzales

Only reason I managed to get an A in all my freshmen composition classes.

Chris Layton

Great tool for academic work. Easy to use and the reports and summary evaluation of your documents in several categories is very useful. So much more than spelling and grammar!

Debra Callender

Questions & Answers

1. how do i use the essay checker online tool.

You can either copy and paste your essay in the essay checker field or upload your essay from your computer. Your suggestions will show once you enter text. You’ll see a number of possible grammar and spelling issues. Sign up for free to get unlimited suggestions to improve your writing style, grammar, and sentence structure. Avoid unintentional plagiarism with a premium account.

2. Does the essay checker work with British English and American English?

The essay checker works with both British English and American English. Just choose the one you would like to use and your corrections will reflect this.

3. Is using an essay checker cheating?

No. The essay checker won’t ever write the essay for you. It will point out possible edits and advise you on changes you need to make. You have full autonomy and get to decide which changes to accept.

4. Will the essay checker auto-correct my work?

The essay writing power remains in your hands. You choose which suggestions you want to accept and you can ignore those that you don’t think apply.

5. Is there a student discount?

Students who have an eligible student email address can get 20% off ProWritingAid Premium. Email [email protected] from your student email address to access your discount.

6. Does ProWritingAid have a plagiarism checker?

Yes! ProWritingAid’s plagiarism checker will check your work against over a billion web-pages, published works, and academic papers, so you can be sure of its originality. Find out more about pricing for plagiarism checks here .

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Personalized Writing Help When You Need it

Unintentional plagiarism, grammar mistakes, and uncited sources  can turn what you thought was a good paper into a poor one. When you’re writing a paper the last thing you want is for your message to get lost due to incorrect punctuation or confusing sentence structure. You know that the great ideas in your head would make for a standout paper, if only you could get them written clearly on the page. If this struggle sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Great ideas may be an essential part of high-quality writing, but they’re not the only component. Excellent papers and essays clearly express strong ideas with good grammar, proper punctuation, spot-on spelling, and thorough, careful citations. While this may sound like a lot, your teachers and professors are grading you on your skills as both a writer and a researcher, which means your assignments will require an ethical and attentive approach. Luckily, there is no shortage of available tools to help you along your way.

You could use a plagiarism checker free, though, these tools often lack grammatical support. Given the high stakes and rigorous requirements, the aid of a plagiarism checker without the needed support of a grammar checker could mean the difference between an “A” paper and a “C” or even “D” paper.

Thankfully, the EasyBib Plus plagiarism tool provides all-in-one support to cover all your bases. Our premium essay checker is convenient, easy to use, and includes access to a grammar and spell checker, plus a plagiarism checker. With a single scan, you’ll receive personalized feedback to help identify potentially missing citations and help improve your sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, and more.

Not sure if that noun is spelled correctly, or if the preposition at the end of your sentence is grammatically correct? The EasyBib Plus plagiarism tool is your one-stop shop to help check plagiarism, get grammatical suggestions, correct spelling and punctuation errors, and help create polished papers you can be proud to turn in. And, we haven’t told you the best part yet: you can try our tool free and scan your work for grammar suggestions right now!

Access all the tools today!

A Grammar Check for Peace of Mind

You know that grammar plays a significant role in your assignments. Not only does it factor into your overall grade, but without clear and precise language, your ideas can lose their impact or might even be misunderstood entirely. Still, with so many different parts of speech and rules to learn and apply, it’s not uncommon to get them mixed up and find yourself questioning your knowledge now and again:

Can you use an adverb to modify a noun? (No. You need an adjective for that.)

Well, can you use it to modify a pronoun ? (Still no.)

What do they modify, then? (Almost everything else. Fun, right?)

Ugh. (That was an interjection .)

Does this have to be so difficult? (Nope!)

Scanning your paper with the EasyBib Plus writing tool delivers more than the basic punctuation and spell check functions that come standard in word processing programs. You’ll receive immediate, targeted feedback that can help improve the sentence structure and style of your writing. Not only can this help ensure that you don’t lose points off your grade for grammatical errors such as mismatched verb tense, but it can also help to clarify your meaning and strengthen your arguments by eliminating confusing punctuation and run-on sentences that confuse readers.

Reviewing your work to correct errors and refine the flow of your writing is a critical part of the revision process for novices and novelists alike. Even the most conscientious of wordsmiths might make mistakes, such as using a conjunctive adverb in place of a coordinating conjunction or pairing a plural determiner with an uncountable word. They likely appreciate a subscription-based or free grammar check as much as a beginning writer. That’s why the EasyBib Plus writing tool is designed for all writers, from students who are still learning the fundamentals to published professionals who get paid by the word.

The EasyBib Plus writing tool provides quick, targeted feedback that you can use to help improve your writing immediately. Also, our free resource library is available 24/7, just like the rest of our tools, to help you brush up on the areas that challenge you the most (Conjunctive what? Uncountable who?) That means you can continue to sharpen your skills and improve your writing over time, which will help make finishing your next project easier.

Ready to give your paper a boost? Sign up for EasyBib Plus or scan a paper right now for a free spell check—it’s easy!Just upload or copy and paste your paper to the online grammar check tool and, in a matter of seconds, you’ll be able to receive up to 5 feedback cards so you can begin polishing your draft.

To learn more about proofreading tools, you can find more info here. Or, for more tips on grammar, punctuation, and style, check out this useful reference .

Why is Grammar So Important, Anyway?

Why is grammar important? As long as others know what you mean, does it really matter if you use proper grammar? These are age-old questions, but the answers remain unchanged. Grammar is important for many reasons:

Communication:  Communication is about more than merely listening and talking. We communicate in myriad ways: with our voices, our mannerisms, our facial expressions, our actions, and frequently, our written words. Written communication is just as important as all the other ways we broadcast our thoughts and feelings. Unlike our other communication methods, though, written communication leaves a record. While most of us relax our style when talking to or texting friends, the fact remains that more formal venues require a more formal tone. Proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation are a necessary element of professional and academic writing, so running your work through a spelling and grammar check before you submit it is an absolute must.

Clarity:  Expressing your thoughts, ideas, and opinions is an uphill battle when you communicate them with less-than-stellar punctuation, spelling, and grammar. A missing or misplaced comma, for example, can entirely change your meaning:

• Call me Ishmael = My name is Ishmael.
• Call me, Ishmael = I want Ishmael to call me.

Spelling errors can result in similarly muddled meaning:

• Her shoes perfectly complemented her dress. = Her shoes and dress go well together.
• Her shoes perfectly complimented her dress. = Her shoes can both speak and engage in flattery.

Grammar deficiencies such as a dangling modifier yield similarly confusing results:

• I saw the girl’s purple backpack in the library. = The purple backpack belonging to the girl is in the library; I saw it.
• I saw the purple girl’s backpack in the library. = You know the girl who mysteriously turned purple? I saw her backpack in the library. This week has not been easy on her.

Credibility: Establishing your credibility is critical whether you’re writing for school or business. Proving that you can reliably communicate using proper grammar is essential to establishing and maintaining the trust of your teachers, professors, readers, customers, and colleagues.

To learn even more about the importance of English grammar in writing, check here .

What Happens After I Upload My Paper?

Once you upload a paper, the EasyBib Plus grammar checker scans your text and highlights grammar issues within your document so you can see it in context. For users running a grammar check and spell check using the grammar check free tool, up to the first 5 issues are shown. For subscription subscribers, all of the areas that require your review will be highlighted once the scan is complete.

No matter which version of the tool you’re using, your feedback will include detailed explanations so you can understand why the text was flagged. Other highlighted areas will include examples of how the issues can be fixed. Some will include a detailed explanation as to why the issue was flagged. This personalized feedback allows you to make an educated decision about whether to edit your text or dismiss the suggestion, so you’re always in control of your final draft.

Subscription users also have the plagiarism checker at their disposal when scanning their papers for style and grammar suggestions. Just as with our other writing tools, when you use the tool to check plagiarism, changes are never made without your review, so you are always in the driver’s seat. You can review each highlighted area as well as the sources of matching text and will always be given a choice to either accept or ignore both citation and grammar suggestions.

Whether you are a student or a professional, the EasyBib Plus tools are powerful allies that can help you improve your paper, establish credibility as a writer, and maintain an ethical writing process.

Try our checker free for 3 days to see what you think*. Trust us; you’ll wonder how you got along so far without it!

*See Terms and Conditions

Check for Unintentional Plagiarism

Persistent use of the best grammar checker and spell checker you can find will help to shape up the style and substance of your composition. However, to ensure the integrity of your work and root out unintentional instances of academic dishonesty, you’ll also need to incorporate a subscription-based or free plagiarism checker for students.

The ability to scan your paper and check plagiarism and grammar before submitting your work is an invaluable tool for students. It’s so valuable, in fact, that students are not the only ones who consistently use this type of software.

Many teachers and professors use a service to ensure that student papers are original and include properly formatted and sourced citations for all reference materials. For some, this may be a consistent element of their grading process, while others may utilize one only when they feel there is a reason to do so.

What Exactly Does a Plagiarism Checker Do?

If you’ve used an online plagiarism checker before, you may be familiar with the process that these tools employ. For those who have never used one, it can be helpful to understand how these tools work and what you should expect as a result of using one.

The most basic free tools will scan your paper and provide you with a percentage that indicates how much of your work is original. This feature can be useful to a point, as some instructors and institutions set a percentage for the amount of similar text that is considered acceptable. This policy does not mean that they are lenient about academic dishonesty but, instead, that they recognize that similar or even matching word choice is not always an indicator of copying.

However, some schools do not tolerate any form of incremental plagiarism, period. In these institutions, “check paper for plagiarism” is likely a standard action when grading all papers.

With a free plagiarism checker, the percentage of word-for-word plagiarism in your text may be the only feedback you receive. Moreover, some of these providers may wade in unethical waters, and offer essay writing services in conjunction with their checking services. This is why many students and teachers prefer subscription-based checkers that focus on integrity, such as the EasyBib writing tools.

With our premium tools, you get more than just supporting proof that your paper is original and in your own words. Your writing is scanned for potentially matching text and areas that needs your attention is highlighted. We’ll provide you with the source of the matching text so you can review it and decide how to proceed. If you agree that a citation is needed, our citation tools and resources will provide you with the information you need to help format and insert the new sources in your text as well as your works cited page.

How Does the EasyBib Plus Online Plagiarism Checker Work?

The EasyBib Plus writing tool provides an all-in-one spell check, grammar review, and plagiarism checker that not only helps you with the paper you’re writing now but enables you to gain new knowledge and improve your writing for the future, too.

Our essay checker searches online for phrases, sentences, or passages that are similar to those in your paper. If it returns matching text, this may indicate that you have passages that are missing citations.

Just as with many checkers, our tool will tell you how many instances of matching text it finds in your paper. Our plagiarism tool is designed to do more than most free tools, however.

When a portion of your paper is flagged for review, we provide you with the source that it matches. As with our online spell check tool, you have the power to review each area and choose how to proceed. If you decide to cite the flagged text, you can review the suggested source and access our citation tools to help create a proper citation and start building a bibliography for your paper. Or, you may determine that no citation is needed, in which case it’s simple to dismiss the suggestion and continue to the next section.

If you’re unsure about how to proceed, our library of resources can help you learn more and make an educated decision. In this way, you gain more than just the ability to correct your work; over time, you can learn how to avoid plagiarism altogether.

Reasons Your Teacher May Run Your Paper Through a Plagiarism Detector

As stated previously, your teachers and professors grade papers with a fixed process that includes “check paper for plagiarism” as a standard, across-the-board action. Others may check for plagiarism only when they feel there is cause to do so. There are a few red flags that may stand out to them while reviewing a paper that would lead to their running a plagiarism check, including:

Style/Voice:  Most teachers are familiar with the style and voice that you use in your writing. While most will hope that the feedback they provide when grading your work will help you to improve problem areas over time, a paper or essay that has a dramatically different style or voice than the work you’ve previously submitted can be a red flag.

Inconsistency:  Changes in the font, font size, formality, formatting, and more may indicate that portions of a paper have been copied and pasted. If these inconsistent passages are not presented as quotations or don’t include citations, this may further indicate to your teacher that there’s plagiarism in the paper.

Old References:  Part of a well-researched paper is verifying the legitimacy and relevance of your sources. While some older references may be acceptable depending on the topic, if all of your sources are outdated, it may lead your teacher to believe that you’ve recycled your own work or someone else’s.

Looking for a checker to try? With EasyBib Plus you get unlimited checks to give you peace of mind when turning in your papers!

What is Plagiarism?

If you’re looking for a free online plagiarism checker , you’re already aware that it’s not something you want to be found in your papers. However, you may still be wondering: what does plagiarism mean? It’s a reasonable question and one that merits exploring. After all, some of the actions and circumstances that fall within the plagiarism definition come as a surprise to those who only learn that they’ve committed them after it’s too late.

So what is plagiarism? To define plagiarism in the most basic sense, you might say that it is taking someone else’s ideas and words and passing them off as your own.

If your goal is avoiding plagiarism entirely, you’ll need to go beyond the basics to thoroughly define plagiarism, recognize it, and keep clear of it. Some examples of plagiarism that students find surprising include forgotten citations, poor paraphrasing, and re-submitting your own work in whole or in part for more than one assignment. This useful article provides more help in recognizing and understanding the different forms that academic dishonesty can take.

Of course, using your own words and ideas does not count as plagiarism, nor does using common knowledge . Basically, common knowledge is information that is well known by the average person. Examples of common knowledge:

• there are 12 months in a year
• the freezing point of Celsius is zero degrees
• Socrates was a Greek philosopher

So should you only include your original thoughts and common knowledge in your papers? Of course not! Research-based assignments are meant to demonstrate your skills as a researcher, after all, as well as your ability to build upon the work of others to formulate new ideas. To avoid accidentally committing an act that falls within the plagiarism definition when you’re using another person’s words or ideas, though, you need to give them proper credit. This means you’ll need to clearly identify direct quotations or properly paraphrase them when including them in your paper.

Regardless of your approach, you’ll also need to cite your sources according to the style your professor specifies. Generally, you will use MLA format for the arts and humanities and APA format for the sciences, but it’s always best to check with your instructor when you’re unsure.

If you know what style to use but still aren’t sure how to create your citations, don’t fret! Our library of resources includes free guides to help you learn about various styles so you can properly structure and place them. And our premium tools not only help you check grammar, spelling, and originality in your papers, but subscribers also enjoy access to our citation creation tools!

What are the Different Types of Plagiarism?

In addition to the question “what is plagiarism,” you may also be wondering, “why do students plagiarize?” While some students do intentionally plagiarize because they believe they can pass off someone else’s work as their own to avoid spending time on their assignments, many others do so accidentally. They may not understand how broad the plagiarism definition is or they haven’t learned how to research and cite their sources properly. That is why it is vital to recognize plagiarism in all of its forms if you wish to ensure the integrity of your work.

Examples of plagiarism & How to prevent it

Direct plagiarism:

Intentionally copying another person’s work without including a citation that gives credit to the source. When most students are asked to identify potential plagiarism examples and behaviors, this direct and deliberate act is what they think of first.

• Prevention: If you use an idea or quote from another source, cite it in the text. Make it clear that it was not your own words. 

Incremental plagiarism:

Copying parts of another person’s work, such as phrases, sentences, or paragraphs without crediting the source. When deciding which tools to use to check a paper for plagiarism , instructors often seek out those that will identify incremental forms as well as instances of direct copying and similar phrasing.

• Prevention : Decide to either directly quote the phrases or sentences you want to use, or write a good paraphrase. In both cases, be sure to add a citation. Using a plagiarism checker could also help you identify problematic passages.

Self-plagiarism:

Academic self-plagiarism occurs when a student submits the same paper or parts of a paper for more than one assignment. When your instructors are grading your papers, they’re assessing your research and writing skills in the present. When you submit work that you completed in the past, they are both unable to evaluate your current skills and unaware that you haven’t completed the assignment.

• Prevention: Write a new paper for each assignment you’re assigned. If you feel strongly that your past work could enhance your new paper, speak to your instructor and ask for permission first.

Misleading citations:

Including a citation for a quote or idea that misrepresents the source material. This can occur if a student does not understand the reference they are citing; if a student includes a citation for a disreputable source; or the source material simply does not align with the idea or argument that the student has attributed to it.

• Prevention: Carefully review your assignment to understand it. As you research, take the time to evaluate each source notes . Remember, it’s better to have quality citations over an abundance of citations.

Invented sources:

If a reference in a student’s bibliography is found not to exist, it is considered an invented source. This may occur if a student couldn’t find a reputable source to back their argument, or if they needed to include additional references to meet the requirements of the assignment and chose to take an unethical shortcut rather than completing the required amount of research. No matter the reason, this behavior ultimately hurts them in the long run. Not only will they fail to gain the experience they need to conduct research in the future properly, but they’ll also experience significant consequences if they’re caught.

• Prevention: Set aside time to do proper research so you can find enough sources. Start creating a list of sources as you’re researching and take good notes. This will help you keep track of your sources so none are forgotten. If you do end up forgetting where a quote came from, a paper checker could help you pinpoint the original source. 

Patchwriting/Spinning:

Patchwriting is often confused with paraphrasing, but there’s a significant difference. When you paraphrase, you demonstrate that you understand the topic well enough to restate it in your own words. When you patchwrite or spin, it is more akin to a word-swapping game; there’s no need to understand the subject, merely to have access to a thesaurus so you can substitute enough synonyms to mask the source material. This can be intentional, but it may also be a result of having a poor understanding of how to paraphrase.

• Prevention: Using your own words, write down the key points of the phrase or idea, and put them together in a sentence. Be sure to include a citation as well. 

A good way to test if you’re patchwriting or paraphrasing is to remove your sources from view. If you can write about what you’ve read without looking at the source material, you likely understand it well enough to paraphrase it. If you have to review the source material with each new sentence or consult a thesaurus while writing about it (except when you’re adding direct quotations), you may be spinning your sources instead of paraphrasing them.

Academic Integrity Policies and Statements

If you’re still uncertain about what counts as plagiarism, look for your school’s/ organization’s policies on academic integrity and plagiarism. The policies of academic institutions usually cover what is considered plagiarism, the consequences of committing it, and how to avoid it. One great example is Purdue University’s Academic Integrity statement .

What are the Consequences of Plagiarism?

No matter the setting, plagiarism is not taken lightly, and the consequences can be significant. For a good reason, too! Whether in an academic or professional setting, the plagiarism consequences reflect the seriousness of the act, which is ultimately a form of theft that hurts everyone involved.

Just as with the theft of a tangible object, there can be legal punishments for plagiarism. It is, after all, a form of copyright infringement in many instances. A quick search for plagiarism articles will reveal that professional instances of intellectual theft have resulted in civil lawsuits and can even be criminally prosecuted under rare circumstances. In addition to the possible legal consequences, professionals may lose their jobs or have to start over in a new field after their acts of fraud are uncovered.

As a student, you’re likely to wonder what happens if you plagiarize in college or high school. While there will almost always be consequences for this behavior, there is no one-size-fits-all plagiarism sentence. Depending on the circumstances, academic dishonesty could result in outcomes such as:

• You might get a zero for the assignment in which the infringement occurred.
• You may receive a failing grade for the class. If it is a required course, this could leave you without enough credits to move on to the next level until you can repeat it and, in some instances, postpone graduation.
• You may be expelled from your school or university.

The academic dishonesty may be noted on your transcript, which can lead to you not getting into your preferred college, graduate school, or Ph.D. program in the future.

Nobody wants to be known as a fraud or to have a reputation for dishonesty follow them through their career. And, given the consequences that can extend beyond just their reputation, it’s no wonder that professional and academic writers who wish to avoid them take the time to understand the complete definition of plagiarism and run their work through a plagiarism checker before sending it out into the world.

Even the vigilant can fall prey to inferior tools, unfortunately. Before selecting a plagiarism checker, you should understand how they work and what they can (and cannot) detect.

How We Check for Plagiarism

When exploring how to check for plagiarism, most students and professionals conclude that including a checking tool in their revision process is not only helpful but necessary. When you consider the Herculean task of checking each line of your paper against the text of each of your resources, the benefits of a checker are clear. Moreover, this manual approach would only alert you to matching text in the sources you’re aware of, after all, and leaves the sources you haven’t reviewed untouched.

But, hang on. Why would sources you haven’t reviewed factor into your review? The answer to this lies in the plagiarism definition you learned above. What is plagiarism? It’s presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, intentionally or otherwise. It is not uncommon to uncover an idea while you’re researching a topic and later misremember it as your own. This might even occur years after you originally came across it.

You might wonder: how can plagiarism be avoided if you have to account for the source of every thought you include in your work? A few exceptions minimize the scope of this. Common knowledge about your topic does not need to be supported by a citation, nor does knowledge that you gained through your personal experience. Using a subscription-based or free plagiarism checker will help you locate any passages that may fall into these categories so you can review them and decide for yourself whether a citation is needed.

EasyBib Plus writing tools provide easy, convenient, and reliable support to help you find potentially missed citations and can help you improve your paper into a high-quality paper with integrity. Simply upload your paper, select the checker, then sit back and relax as the site scans your document. In mere moments, we’ll search the web for passages of similar text and highlight duplicate content for your review.

Regardless of the tools you use to help you revise and polish your work, it’s ultimately your responsibility to ensure that you’re writing and submitting ethical work. That’s why our tools go beyond the basics and require your participation. The tool never automatically makes changes to your paper, but only flags sections that may need your attention and provides you with the matching source so you can to make an educated decision.

If you find that a citation is needed, our citation tools can help you create properly formatted citations and develop a complete bibliography. And, if you review the passage and determine that the match is coincidental, you can dismiss the alert and move on to the next.

Seamless Citation Creation

Professional writers and students alike can find creating citations incredibly confusing. Nevertheless, they are an integral part of a well-written and researched paper and a requirement in almost all academic settings. But, have you ever wondered why they are so important? Citations really do have a purpose—other than driving us crazy— that make it necessary always to cite our sources.

We cite our sources for a few important reasons:

We need to give credit where credit is due. When you use a quote from someone else’s work, you need to give credit for using their words and ideas. Research is often based on the works and ideas of others. However, to include the words and ideas of another without giving them proper credit is to plagiarize, even if the act was unintentional.

In addition, showing that you’ve done proper research by including in text & parenthetical citations and a comprehensive list of sources to back up your arguments gives your work a layer of credibility that can help you earn the trust of your reader or teacher.

Readers can find the sources you used.  When you’re writing high school or undergraduate papers, your only readers may be your instructors and peers. However, including citations at every level of writing helps to ensure that anyone who reads your work can access your sources to check their accuracy, learn more about your topic, and further their own research.

Sources can take your research and learning to the next level, too. When you are conducting research on a topic, checking the works cited or annotated bibliographies prepared by your sources can lead you down new avenues in your research to further develop your ideas and help you write your papers.

Correctly utilizing citations gives strength to your thoughts and opinions. Understanding the value of citations does not, unfortunately, make them any easier to create. We know how confusing it can be, but don’t throw in the towel on learning how to cite websites in MLA , create your APA citation website references, or format your works cited —this is where we come in!

While a free online plagiarism detector may tell you how much of your work is unoriginal and may even identify the passages that meet their plagiarize definition, a premium EasyBib Plus plagiarism checker account also gives you access to our powerful citation resources and generator so you can:

Scan your papers with the plagiarism tool to check for plagiarism-free work before you submit.

Review flagged passages to determine if they meet the plagiarism definition and create unlimited citations in APA format and MLA format for anything fitting the plagiarism meaning. Need more styles ? Check out our regular citation generator for thousands of choices and free resources to help you learn how to create an APA parenthetical citation , APA book citation , APA works cited , and so much more!

Build a full bibliography for your paper right along with your parenthetical or in-text citations, which can save you hours of work along the way compared to manually creating and formatting them.

How Else Do We Help You Improve Your Paper?

The EasyBib Plus plagiarism detector helps you check your content or paper for text that may be missing a citation—which may fall within the definition of plagiarism—to help ensure you don’t accidentally plagiarize. It also includes grammar check and spelling check tools to help identify errors and suggest grammatical tweaks that could help to elevate the level of your writing.

Running a plagiarism check couldn’t be easier! Just upload your paper to the online proofreader, and in a few moments we’ll have your writing and citing suggestions. And, there’s no need to worry about your paper after it’s been scanned.

Run a Grammar and Spell Check for Free!

There’s no denying that your schoolwork can be challenging at times, and your assignments can lead to some late nights even when you’ve started them early. The last thing you want is to submit assignments that don’t reflect your best effort, but it can occasionally be quite the juggling act to get everything done on time.

Why not let our plagiarism checker free up space on your calendar by helping you revise your papers quickly and efficiently? The EasyBib Plus paper checker is your one-stop shop to check for plagiarism, create citations, spot spelling mistakes, and receive feedback on your grammar and style.

When you proofread and do a manual spelling check on work that you’ve written, you’re more likely to overlook mistakes. This is even more likely if you’re pressed for time or trying to complete several different assignments at once. There are tricks to help minimize this, such as reading your work aloud to identify poor grammar or reading each sentence backward to find spelling errors. When time is of the essence, though, these solutions aren’t the most convenient or useful options. That’s why many students seek the assistance of online tools that will run a grammar and plagiarism check on their work.

Are you asking yourself, “ How do I check my grammar online ?” We’ve got the perfect checker for you! Our advanced tools help you find and correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. Our targeted feedback and free writing and citing resources help you learn as you go to improve your writing over time.

The best part? You can use our grammar and writing tools any time of the day, any day of the year for! Looking to try it? Just upload or copy and paste your text into our online proofreader for a free grammar check with up to 5 suggestions, or sign up for EasyBib Plus today! EasyBib Plus gives you use of the plagiarism checker and unlimited access to suggestions that can help improve your spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, writing style, and grammar.

Published February 3, 2019. Updated April 9, 2020.

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Melissa DeVrieze Meyer . Michele is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib. You can find her here on Twitter. Melissa is a professional writer and editor based in New Jersey. She writes for academic brands and independent publishers about writing, grammar, and literature, and creates study and curriculum materials for ESL learners. You can find her on Twitter .

Visit our EasyBib Twitter feed to discover more citing tips, fun grammar facts, and the latest product updates.

Is My Essay Good Enough?

Table of Contents

Writing Your Essay

What Are the Main Features of an Essay as a Type of Writing?

All academic papers feature the same three sections:

• Introduction
• Body (normally three to five body paragraphs)

What goes into those sections (and particularly into the body) differs according to what type of essay people are writing, of course, but those are the basics. The introduction and the conclusion are self-explanatory – they introduce and conclude the paper. But they also contain the thesis statement for the overall essay, and either introduce the topic or bring everything together in one single final argument, as the case may be.

The body is where things become substantially different depending on what type of paper you are writing. Mainly, each body paragraph takes one single argument and expands on it to a greater or lesser extent. For some types of academic writing, all of the body paragraphs specifically adhere to the argument which is being made by the writer. In others, particularly in argumentative or compare and contrast essays, the body paragraphs are split into paragraphs that agree, and paragraphs that don’t.

Basic Criteria

Composition

The basic components of an essay are of prime importance, as this is how you will let people know what kind of writing to expect. The composition also allows you to guide the reader through the paper with a minimum of difficulty. That’s why scholars have divided the essay into different sections – each with its own rationale. The introduction opens the discussion; the main body covers the premise in detail; the conclusion sums up the discussion.

The separate elements of an essay are very important for making sure that everything is included. A thesis statement, the requisite number of body paragraphs, and the correct introduction and conclusion are all necessary for a paper to stand on its own. For instance, a narrative essay will have elements, including characters, plot, conflict, and resolution. Setting also plays a major role in telling the story more effectively.

Most academic papers require highly formal language but some (such as narrative essays) can call for informal language. Knowing what language to use and when will help your readers to identify the type of paper they are reading, and will also show that you know what you are doing. Apart from the formal and informal language, the use of phrases and literary devices also dictate the context and scope of the essay. So, writers should keep that in mind before moving forward.

Formatting your paper properly is as important as writing it properly – it shows people that the essay has a real point to make, and helps them to read through it in such a way that they will come to your side by the end. Formatting covers the structure at both macro and micro levels. The more transparent it is, the better it will be for the readers to navigate through the text and understand its meanings.

Tips for Writing a Good Essay

• Do your research – an essay will never be good if it isn’t well-researched. Make sure to look into every argument properly and thoroughly, so that you can argue it properly when you write about it. The research will let you present your case more effectively.
• Use the correct language – most academic papers use formal language, but there are some which use informal language, and it is important to know which is which. For instance, an argumentative paper presented with informal language will not be taken seriously, no matter what the arguments used in it.
• Remember to have a solid thesis statement – the thesis statement is the essence of your argument, distilled into one or two sentences. It needs to be as strong as possible since every single argument will relate back to it in some form.
• Remember proper essay formatting – each body paragraph needs to have a solid topic sentence, which gives an account of what the paragraph will be about, and a concluding sentence, to guide the reader into the next paragraph. This keeps the writing cohesive.

Mistakes to Avoid

The major mistake many people make when writing is the research. They either research too much or not enough. If they research too much, then they run the risk of ending up with far too much information and becoming paralyzed by it; but if they don’t do enough, then it can be difficult to fill up an essay and make proper arguments.

Many students don’t format the paper properly – the point of an essay is to persuade someone to your point of view, and the easiest way to do this through writing is to create a paper that flows coherently. Formatting your paper so that it flows neatly from one argument to the next is the way to make a good essay.

The thesis statement is one of the most important parts of an essay since it is the entire argument of a piece distilled down. It is the first indication of an argument that anybody reading the paper will see. Thus, it needs to be strong enough to withstand all kinds of scrutiny. The thesis statement needs to be referenced throughout the writing, including in the conclusion, so it must relate to all of the information being discussed.

Checklist to Ensure that Your Essay Is Good Enough

• Check your thesis statement.
• Is the thesis statement presented everywhere it needs to be? It should appear in both the introduction and the conclusion.
• Check that all your research and arguments fit in with the thesis – if not, then either change the statement or change the argument.
• Does your writing style fit with the type of essay you have written?
• Check that your formatting allows for your paper to transition smoothly from one point to the next and that it forms a single overarching, coherent argument.

This article focused on the ways in which you can see if your essay is good enough, since, while there is a lot of help in the initial writing stage, that help tends to vanish once people actively seek to improve. It covered checklists and mistakes for people who wanted to see how to avoid making simple errors, as well as talking about the main features of an essay and what should be included in one. If you need help writing your own paper, get in touch now, and we will do our best to give as much help as we can.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the best college essay length: how long should it be.

College Essays

Figuring out your college essay can be one of the most difficult parts of applying to college. Even once you've read the prompt and picked a topic, you might wonder: if you write too much or too little, will you blow your chance of admission? How long should a college essay be?

Whether you're a terse writer or a loquacious one, we can advise you on college essay length. In this guide, we'll cover what the standard college essay length is, how much word limits matter, and what to do if you aren't sure how long a specific essay should be.

How Long Is a College Essay? First, Check the Word Limit

You might be used to turning in your writing assignments on a page-limit basis (for example, a 10-page paper). While some colleges provide page limits for their college essays, most use a word limit instead. This makes sure there's a standard length for all the essays that a college receives, regardless of formatting or font.

In the simplest terms, your college essay should be pretty close to, but not exceeding, the word limit in length. Think within 50 words as the lower bound, with the word limit as the upper bound. So for a 500-word limit essay, try to get somewhere between 450-500 words. If they give you a range, stay within that range.

College essay prompts usually provide the word limit right in the prompt or in the instructions.

For example, the University of Illinois says :

"You'll answer two to three prompts as part of your application. The questions you'll answer will depend on whether you're applying to a major or to our undeclared program , and if you've selected a second choice . Each response should be approximately 150 words."

As exemplified by the University of Illinois, the shortest word limits for college essays are usually around 150 words (less than half a single-spaced page). Rarely will you see a word limit higher than around 650 words (over one single-spaced page). College essays are usually pretty short: between 150 and 650 words. Admissions officers have to read a lot of them, after all!

Weigh your words carefully, because they are limited!

How Flexible Is the Word Limit?

But how flexible is the word limit? What if your poignant anecdote is just 10 words too long—or 100 too short?

Can I Go Over the Word Limit?

If you are attaching a document and you need one or two extra words, you can probably get away with exceeding the word limit by such a small amount. Some colleges will actually tell you that exceeding the word limit by 1-2 words is fine. However, I advise against exceeding the word limit unless it's explicitly allowed for a few reasons:

First, you might not be able to. If you have to copy-paste it into a text box, your essay might get cut off and you'll have to trim it down anyway.

If you exceed the word limit in a noticeable way, the admissions counselor may just stop reading your essay past that point. This is not good for you.

Following directions is actually a very important part of the college application process. You need to follow directions to get your letters of recommendation, upload your essays, send supplemental materials, get your test scores sent, and so on and so forth. So it's just a good general rule to follow whatever instructions you've been given by the institution. Better safe than sorry!

Can I Go Under the Word Limit?

If you can truly get your point across well beneath the word limit, it's probably fine. Brevity is not necessarily a bad thing in writing just so long as you are clear, cogent, and communicate what you want to.

However, most college essays have pretty tight word limits anyways. So if you're writing 300 words for an essay with a 500-word limit, ask yourself: is there anything more you could say to elaborate on or support your points? Consult with a parent, friend, or teacher on where you could elaborate with more detail or expand your points.

Also, if the college gives you a word range, you absolutely need to at least hit the bottom end of the range. So if you get a range from the institution, like 400-500 words, you need to write at least 400 words. If you write less, it will come across like you have nothing to say, which is not an impression you want to give.

What If There Is No Word Limit?

Some colleges don't give you a word limit for one or more of your essay prompts. This can be a little stressful, but the prompts generally fall into a few categories:

Writing Sample

Some colleges don't provide a hard-and-fast word limit because they want a writing sample from one of your classes. In this case, a word limit would be very limiting to you in terms of which assignments you could select from.

For an example of this kind of prompt, check out essay Option B at Amherst :

"Submit a graded paper from your junior or senior year that best represents your writing skills and analytical abilities. We are particularly interested in your ability to construct a tightly reasoned, persuasive argument that calls upon literary, sociological or historical evidence. You should NOT submit a laboratory report, journal entry, creative writing sample or in-class essay."

While there is usually no word limit per se, colleges sometimes provide a general page guideline for writing samples. In the FAQ for Option B , Amherst clarifies, "There is no hard-and-fast rule for official page limit. Typically, we anticipate a paper of 4-5 pages will provide adequate length to demonstrate your analytical abilities. Somewhat longer papers can also be submitted, but in most cases should not exceed 8-10 pages."

So even though there's no word limit, they'd like somewhere in the 4-10 pages range. High school students are not usually writing papers that are longer than 10 pages anyways, so that isn't very limiting.

Implicit Length Guideline

Sometimes, while there's no word (or even page) limit, there's still an implicit length guideline. What do I mean by this?

See, for example, this Western Washington University prompt :

“Describe one or more activities you have been involved in that have been particularly meaningful. What does your involvement say about the communities, identities or causes that are important to you?”

While there’s no page or word limit listed here, further down on page the ‘essay tips’ section explains that “ most essay responses are about 500 words, ” though “this is only a recommendation, not a firm limit.” This gives you an idea of what’s reasonable. A little longer or shorter than 500 words would be appropriate here. That’s what I mean by an “implicit” word limit—there is a reasonable length you could go to within the boundaries of the prompt.

But what's the proper coffee-to-paragraph ratio?

Treasure Hunt

There is also the classic "treasure hunt" prompt. No, it's not a prompt about a treasure hunt. It's a prompt where there are no length guidelines given, but if you hunt around on the rest of the website you can find length guidelines.

For example, the University of Chicago provides seven "Extended Essay" prompts . You must write an essay in response to one prompt of your choosing, but nowhere on the page is there any guidance about word count or page limit.

However, many colleges provide additional details about their expectations for application materials, including essays, on FAQ pages, which is true of the University of Chicago. On the school’s admissions Frequently Asked Questions page , they provide the following length guidelines for the supplemental essays: 

“We suggest that you note any word limits for Coalition or Common Application essays; however, there are no strict word limits on the UChicago Supplement essays. For the extended essay (where you choose one of several prompts), we suggest that you aim for around 650 words. While we won't, as a rule, stop reading after 650 words, we're only human and cannot promise that an overly wordy essay will hold our attention indefinitely. For the “Why UChicago?” essay, we suggest about 250-500 words. The ideas in your writing matter more than the exact number of words you use!”

So there you go! You want to be (loosely) in the realm of 650 for the extended essay, and 250-500 words for the “Why UChicago?” essay.

Help! There Really Is No Guidance on Length

If you really can't find any length guidelines anywhere on the admissions website and you're at a loss, I advise calling the admissions office. They may not be able to give you an exact number (in fact, they probably won't), but they will probably at least be able to tell you how long most of the essays they see are. (And keep you from writing a panicked, 20-page dissertation about your relationship with your dog).

In general, 500 words or so is pretty safe for a college essay. It's a fairly standard word limit length, in fact. (And if you're wondering, that's about a page and a half double-spaced.) 500 words is long enough to develop a basic idea while still getting a point across quickly—important when admissions counselors have thousands of essays to read!

"See? It says 500 words right there in tiny font!"

The Final Word: How Long Should a College Essay Be?

The best college essay length is usually pretty straightforward: you want to be right under or at the provided word limit. If you go substantially past the word limit, you risk having your essay cut off by an online application form or having the admissions officer just not finish it. And if you're too far under the word limit, you may not be elaborating enough.

What if there is no word limit? Then how long should a college essay be? In general, around 500 words is a pretty safe approximate word amount for a college essay—it's one of the most common word limits, after all!

Here's guidance for special cases and hunting down word limits:

If it's a writing sample of your graded academic work, the length either doesn't matter or there should be some loose page guidelines.

There also may be implicit length guidelines. For example, if a prompt says to write three paragraphs, you'll know that writing six sentences is definitely too short, and two single-spaced pages is definitely too long.

You might not be able to find length guidelines in the prompt, but you could still hunt them up elsewhere on the website. Try checking FAQs or googling your chosen school name with "admissions essay word limit."

If there really is no word limit, you can call the school to try to get some guidance.

With this advice, you can be sure you've got the right college essay length on lockdown!

Hey, writing about yourself can even be fun!

What's Next?

Need to ask a teacher or friend for help with your essay? See our do's and dont's to getting college essay advice .

If you're lacking in essay inspiration, see our guide to brainstorming college essay ideas . And here's our guide to starting out your essay perfectly!

Looking for college essay examples? See 11 places to find college essay examples and 145 essay examples with analysis !

Ellen has extensive education mentorship experience and is deeply committed to helping students succeed in all areas of life. She received a BA from Harvard in Folklore and Mythology and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University.

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6 Ways To Know if your Essay is Good Enough

Marija Jovanovic

• February 1, 2022

Writing a good essay can be a daunting task, especially if you do not have much experience with academic writing. It takes a lot of research, careful planning, and knowledge. However, it’s something that’s easily learnable once you decide to put some effort into it.

Here we’ll tell you how to know whether your essay is good or not by providing you with our favorite essay writing tips.

So, without any further ado, let’s get right to the bottom of it.

1. You understand the topic more clearly after writing your essay

If you’re unable to understand your own essay down to the tiniest details, it’s probably not written well enough. The point of writing essays, both in high school and college , is not just to impress your teachers and professors – it’s a learning experience above all else. It doesn’t matter if your paper fulfills all of the academic standards and technicalities, if you’ve missed the entire point of the essay in question, it’s probably not written very well in the first place.

When writing essays, your best friend will always be researching. Find the relevant literature, read a couple of articles on the topic, and don’t start writing until you’re certain you understand the subject well enough. This won’t only help you write high-quality essays, but it allow you to pass your exams with ease later on.

All in all, if you feel like you haven’t learned anything new while writing your essay, it’s probably not well written at all. You need to be able to defend your opinion on the matter properly – your argumentation must make logical sense to you before you decide to submit your work.

2. Your essay has a proper structure

All essays need to have at least three different „parts“ to be considered well-written: the introduction, analysis, and the conclusion . In the introductory part, your essay should explain the topic in broad terms – what are the exact issues you’ll be exploring?

What should the reader expect to read in your work? What is the hypothesis you’ll be proving/disproving at the end of your paper? Answers to questions like this have their place in the introduction of your work.

The main part of your entire essay, however, is the analysis. It will take up around 60-70% of the entire paper, and it’s the place where you’ll lay out your arguments and try to prove or disprove the hypothesis you’ve set in the introduction.

Lastly, as the name suggests, in your conclusion, you’ll talk about the results of your research. Having this type of structure is incredibly important, as it makes the entire essay feel more complete.

3. Your language is kept formal

You should never use informal language for academic work. Even if this seems like a no-brainer, you’d be surprised at how many people make these mistakes every day. Proofread your work more than a couple of times to ensure everything is written in accordance with the relevant academic standards.

As we’ve mentioned before, technical details are less important than the contents of your work, but that doesn’t make them irrelevant. In fact, poor use of language could make an otherwise excellent essay feel incomplete and difficult to understand.

If you’re not sure how to „switch“ to a more formal way of writing, we advise you to read a couple of academic articles before starting to write your essay. Additionally, you could always seek assistance from experts such as those at Homework Help Global .

4. Quoting and references are key

Plagiarism is a serious offense in the academic world. Remember to quote every reference you make in your essay and don’t forget to include the bibliography at the end of the paper. It’s something that won’t take you much effort to do, but it’s essential to getting a good grade. This especially goes for college students, where these rules are imposed much more strictly.

We won’t bore you with the details – there are many ways you can do this correctly. In fact, the only wrong way of doing it is not putting references where they are due at all.

As we’ve already mentioned, doing your research and exploring other authors’ ideas is a core part of writing an essay. As long as you give credit to the authors of the original arguments presented in your work, you’ll be able to avoid plagiarism issues completely.

5. Your essay is easily understandable, even for people who’re not very knowledgeable about the topic in question

Clarity and simplicity are extremely important to writing a good essay . If you leave even one confusing paragraph, it could seriously harm the quality of the entire paper. That’s why we recommend proofreading and rewriting parts of your essay at least a couple of times before you’ve submitted it to your professor.

A good idea is to let someone else (your colleague or a friend) read it to give you some useful insights on what needs to be changed. Even though it might seem like too much work for a single essay, once you get that grade, it will all be paid off.

6. You feel confident in its quality

We’re all our biggest critics, so if you feel like your essay is well-written, then it probably is! Even if you end up feeling disappointed after you get it graded, make sure to make it a learning experience. The more you write, the better your essays will be – it’s as simple as that. Practice makes perfect, so keep on writing until you’ve got the gist of it!

The conclusion

All in all, writing the perfect essay is never easy. You’ll need to practice your writing skills for a long time until academic writing becomes easy for you. Nonetheless, there are ways you can improve quickly, and that’s what we wanted to tell you throughout this article.

Either way, we hope that, with our short tips, you ace all of your upcoming exams, projects, and essays as seamlessly as it is possible. Good luck!

• Education , Essay , Mistakes , Tips , Writing

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• How long is an essay? Guidelines for different types of essay

How Long is an Essay? Guidelines for Different Types of Essay

Published on January 28, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 23, 2023.

The length of an academic essay varies depending on your level and subject of study, departmental guidelines, and specific course requirements. In general, an essay is a shorter piece of writing than a research paper  or thesis .

In most cases, your assignment will include clear guidelines on the number of words or pages you are expected to write. Often this will be a range rather than an exact number (for example, 2500–3000 words, or 10–12 pages). If you’re not sure, always check with your instructor.

In this article you’ll find some general guidelines for the length of different types of essay. But keep in mind that quality is more important than quantity – focus on making a strong argument or analysis, not on hitting a specific word count.

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Table of contents

Essay length guidelines, how long is each part of an essay, using length as a guide to topic and complexity, can i go under the suggested length, can i go over the suggested length, other interesting articles, receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting.

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In an academic essay, the main body should always take up the most space. This is where you make your arguments, give your evidence, and develop your ideas.

The introduction should be proportional to the essay’s length. In an essay under 3000 words, the introduction is usually just one paragraph. In longer and more complex essays, you might need to lay out the background and introduce your argument over two or three paragraphs.

The conclusion of an essay is often a single paragraph, even in longer essays. It doesn’t have to summarize every step of your essay, but should tie together your main points in a concise, convincing way.

The suggested word count doesn’t only tell you how long your essay should be – it also helps you work out how much information and complexity you can fit into the given space. This should guide the development of your thesis statement , which identifies the main topic of your essay and sets the boundaries of your overall argument.

A short essay will need a focused, specific topic and a clear, straightforward line of argument. A longer essay should still be focused, but it might call for a broader approach to the topic or a more complex, ambitious argument.

As you make an outline of your essay , make sure you have a clear idea of how much evidence, detail and argumentation will be needed to support your thesis. If you find that you don’t have enough ideas to fill out the word count, or that you need more space to make a convincing case, then consider revising your thesis to be more general or more specific.

The length of the essay also influences how much time you will need to spend on editing and proofreading .

You should always aim to meet the minimum length given in your assignment. If you are struggling to reach the word count:

• Add more evidence and examples to each paragraph to clarify or strengthen your points.
• Make sure you have fully explained or analyzed each example, and try to develop your points in more detail.
• Address a different aspect of your topic in a new paragraph. This might involve revising your thesis statement to make a more ambitious argument.
• Don’t use filler. Adding unnecessary words or complicated sentences will make your essay weaker and your argument less clear.
• Don’t fixate on an exact number. Your marker probably won’t care about 50 or 100 words – it’s more important that your argument is convincing and adequately developed for an essay of the suggested length.

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In some cases, you are allowed to exceed the upper word limit by 10% – so for an assignment of 2500–3000 words, you could write an absolute maximum of 3300 words. However, the rules depend on your course and institution, so always check with your instructor if you’re unsure.

Only exceed the word count if it’s really necessary to complete your argument. Longer essays take longer to grade, so avoid annoying your marker with extra work! If you are struggling to edit down:

• Check that every paragraph is relevant to your argument, and cut out irrelevant or out-of-place information.
• Make sure each paragraph focuses on one point and doesn’t meander.
• Cut out filler words and make sure each sentence is clear, concise, and related to the paragraph’s point.
• Don’t cut anything that is necessary to the logic of your argument. If you remove a paragraph, make sure to revise your transitions and fit all your points together.
• Don’t sacrifice the introduction or conclusion . These paragraphs are crucial to an effective essay –make sure you leave enough space to thoroughly introduce your topic and decisively wrap up your argument.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
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• False cause fallacy
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Enchanting Marketing

Writing advice for small business

An Open Letter to Anyone Who Thinks Their Writing Isn’t Good Enough

by Henneke | 136 enchanting opinions, add yours? :)

Do you want to write like them?

Do you feel embarrassed about the state of your own writing? Do you despair at the gap between how you write and how you would like to write?

Most of us are unhappy with our writing.

We fret. We despair. And we procrastinate.

Mastering writing may feel like climbing a huge mountain

You start your climb with a positive mind and full of energy.

At the end of the first day, you nourish your body with a hearty meal of pasta, cheese, tomatoes, aubergines, and courgettes. But the next morning, your body hurts and you still feel tired. So, you give yourself a pep talk, strap your backpack on, and start moving.

Each step seems hard. Your backpack feels heavy. The blister on your big toe hurts. And the top of the mountain feels farther away than yesterday.

When learning a skill, the top of the mountain keeps moving farther away. There is no fixed destination.

Think, for instance, about pro tennis players like Roger Federer or Andy Murray. They might be (or have been) number one in the world, but they still find weaknesses in their game. They still practice to improve. They still want to get better.

Austin Kleon posted this great quote from Ian Svenonius’s book “Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock ‘n’ Roll Group:”

If one becomes a lawyer, scholar, mechanist, typist, scientist, production assistant, or what-have-you, the world will commend your decision. Each day at lunch, on vacation, or at whatever party you attend, your choice will be applauded, upheld, and affirmed. And you will know what is expected of you. Even if your job is difficult—if you are a brain chemist, international death merchant, or rocket designer— your responsibilities will be obvious and your goals concrete . If you achieve them, you may be rewarded by promotion. If you fail, you might be fired or demoted, but nonetheless—unless your boss is insane—the job will have tangible parameters. [Art], however, is different. You will never know exactly what you must do, it will never be enough… no matter what change you achieve, you will most likely see no dividend from it.

I see business writing as a craft rather than an art. But the principle remains the same. Whether we write fiction or non-fiction, whether we write a book or a blog post, whether writing is our main job or a side-activity, we never know exactly what being good enough means.

And anyway … who decides what is good enough?

• JK Rowling claims to have received “loads” of rejections before finally being published ( source )
• “Chicken Soup for the Soul” received 140 rejections; it has now sold over 125 million copies ( source )

Bestselling author (and content marketing veteran) Ann Handley describes an article on LinkedIn riddled with spelling errors and profanity:

As an exacting writer and a proponent of a slow and strategic marketing, I should be having an aneurysm (Ann-eurysm?) over how a single, sweary, typo-infested LinkedIn post slopped together in 20 minutes sparked a flurry of online engagement and $90K in sales.

But she didn’t hate the post, she loved it because it was authentic, written from the heart and it resonated strongly.

So, who’s the judge of your content?

That inner voice nagging you’re not good enough?

Your high-school teacher who still makes you feel ashamed about a grammar or spelling mistake?

As crafters, writers, creators, and solo-flyers, we take charge of our own development. If we’re unhappy with our current skills, we make it a priority to improve. So, join a course, hire a coach, or for a no-budget option: create your own swipe file to study the masters and learn how to develop your skills through deliberate practice .

And, when that little voice nags again, ask her to cheer you on instead. Ask her to appreciate you’re doing your best, you’re learning, practicing, and getting better.

Tell her what you’ve learned and how you’ve improved since you started writing.

On becoming a writing pragmatist

In the book “Manage Your Day-to-Day,” Elizabeth Grace Saunders advocates becoming a creative pragmatist . I like the idea. For instance:

• Instead of creating the most comprehensive post on a topic, share one or two valuable tips
• Instead of researching a topic to death, ask yourself whether you have enough useful information to write a valuable blog post
• Instead of polishing each single word, ask yourself whether one extra hour of editing will improve your content exponentially

What I demand from myself is to write the best I can in the time available to me. Before publishing a blog post, I ask myself these three simple questions:

• Is this valuable to you (my readers)?
• Is there one clear message?
• Have I done my best?

Each piece of writing is a snapshot of my current knowledge and skills. My ideas evolve. My skills develop. My voice matures. I might even change my mind. But I’ve written the best at this point in time.

What’s on your 3-question checklist? What does “good enough” mean to you?

Your precious words

It’s easy to feel attached to our writing. To see our writing as an expression of ourselves. To view our ideas and our words as delicate babies we have to care for and worry about.

But once you’ve decided a piece of writing is ready for now, you have to let go.

Your writing is not a precious, delicate, attention-seeking baby. Your writing doesn’t define who you are. So stop worrying and commit to your next writing task—it’s waiting for you. You’ll learn more and improve faster when you keep writing and publishing.

Remember that mountain walk?

That inner voice nagging “you’re not good enough” might tag along for the entire journey. Don’t ignore her (because you’ll ignite her anger). Don’t fight her (because you can’t win). Instead, accept her company and view her with compassionate eyes. You might find she’s concerned and kind rather than critical. Perhaps she wants to protect you—from rejection, from failure, from disappointment. Her intentions are good, but not productive nor empowering.

So, don’t let her guide your journey. Keep the map in your own hands and move forward on your chosen path.

If you want to write, write.

PS Enjoyed this post? Say thank you to Kathy , Ray , Syed , and Bernice who all nudged me to write this.

Further reading on writing confidence:

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Reader Interactions

Leave a comment and join the conversation cancel reply.

April 5, 2023 at 4:42 am

I love this, Henneke. It’s so easy to get lost in the feeling of perfect, even though it makes sense – we’ll get better by writing and hitting publish. Thank you for cheering us on. 🙏

April 5, 2023 at 10:20 am

Yes, I’m cheering you all on. And so is Henrietta!

I like your key point: We’ll get better by writing and hitting publish.

Thank you for stopping by 🙏

December 18, 2022 at 11:54 pm

You have wrote some very wise and truthful words in this post and I certainly understand it. I tend to go over and over what I have written and spend more time re-writing as I never think its going to be good enough. Thanks heaps for the tips too. Kindest regards, Jacqueline.

December 19, 2022 at 1:04 pm

Rewriting doesn’t need to be bad. I rewrite and edit a lot, too. But at some stage we have to realize that the changes don’t make a difference anymore; we have to admit: This is good enough. Or if it helps: This is good enough for now.

Happy writing, Jacqueline. Thank you for stopping by.

August 28, 2022 at 5:00 am

Thanks for writing this. This is one of the best “just keep going” pieces I’ve come across. I don’t usually comment on anything, but this was good enough to stir me up a bit.

The authenticity, actionable content, and flawless grammar and spelling are nothing short of completely gratifying to experience. (The overwhelming amount of typos holding hands with the fact that they are becoming “common” bothers me on a visceral level, due to feeling compelled to fix the error, yet being unable to do so. I appreciate the rare, properly edited pieces more than ever before. So- *high five*.)

The part of this that I quoted below is profound, to me. I felt like someone was giving my soul itself a much-needed hug. Suddenly my eyes teared up and I had goosebumps- it felt GREAT. How wonderful it is to have an emotional reaction to a written piece; therefore, it’s even more wonderful when it evokes a physical response, as well. – “That inner voice nagging “you’re not good enough” might tag along for the entire journey. Don’t ignore her (because you’ll ignite her anger). Don’t fight her (because you can’t win). Instead, accept her company and view her with compassionate eyes. You might find she’s concerned and kind rather than critical. Perhaps she wants to protect you—from rejection, from failure, from disappointment. Her intentions are good, but not productive nor empowering.

So, don’t let her guide your journey.” – I’ve never heard that concept worded as such, I love your chosen variety of it. Feeling as though I can truly relate is so important to me, and that’s what you’ve accomplished here. I needed this. Again, thank you so much! You’ve got yourself a new fan, for sure.

August 29, 2022 at 10:48 am

I’m glad you found this and that it resonated with you, Chelsie. It’s so lovely that it feels like a much-needed hug. Thank you for stopping by and happy writing!

August 4, 2022 at 3:42 am

Thank you! I have so much work that I have written over the years and keep editing it to death… I should have published my work long ago. I have 100’s of notebooks in large plastic bins wasting away, because they are all unfinished and need more editing. You have helped me to view “her” as my sidekick that doesn’t make my decisions- I might always feel the racing heart nerves. I greatly appreciate your letter to me as a writer- pushing myself to become the published Author I deserve to be. Yes, of course I will be critiqued and feel attacked by some of the Critics- they don’t define me either. I’m telling “her” so what to any negative chatter… telling myself, It will never be perfect- do it anyway. I’m so very grateful for you and your letter, so inspiring. Such a great reminder of my many babies. Your letter caught my attention right away, I could not put it down. Love it!

August 4, 2022 at 3:42 pm

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience, Christine. You put a big smile on my face. I’m so glad you found this open letter inspirational and I wish the best with publishing your book(s). Take one step at a time, and keep going!

August 2, 2022 at 3:09 am

Extraordinary, Exhilarating and enticing.

As if it oozing out from the core of your heart.

August 2, 2022 at 9:51 am

Thank you, Indranil. This was indeed written from my heart 🙂

July 4, 2022 at 1:00 pm

This is so beautiful. Thank you. Exactly what I need at this point.

I have started a blog in the past only to quit after 2 weeks because I thought my writing wasn’t good enough, my voice wasn’t interesting enough.

And my key takeaway from this article is that my writing isn’t some attention seeking baby, as long as my message is clear.

Thank you again

July 4, 2022 at 1:17 pm

That’s an excellent take-away. I hope you’ll get back to writing again, Pyung. Thank you for stopping by.

June 21, 2022 at 4:03 am

Thanks for this. Every Monday I have to deal with criticism from my editor. It is hard to take, but if I will hear it, and use it, my writing will improve. I should be surprised if I never get a message about editing.

June 21, 2022 at 8:50 am

I know it’s hard! Another way to look at it is to see editing as a different task, a different specialism, so one person writes, another person edits. Writing is often a team effort. For me, the writing part is much harder than the editing part.

November 23, 2021 at 1:14 pm

This quote summed it up for me.

“Each piece of writing is a snapshot of my current knowledge and skills.”

If you decide to drive to New York, there’s no point being dissatisfied the whole way because you’re not there yet.

November 23, 2021 at 1:18 pm

Yes, better enjoy the drive to New York. Enjoy the landscape. Stop for a drink or a meal 🙂

September 13, 2021 at 10:46 am

This is certainly an inspiring post, with plenty of useful and actionable advice. Thank you for writing and sharing.

I must say it was hard for me to read it (in fact I had to stop and then resume) because I’ve been accumulating a series of rejections since last week.

The clients I was working with said that they were no longer going to need my services and some job applications I sent came back with negative responses, too.

Given the fact that I suffer a lot from imposter syndrome, this didn’t help my self-esteem as a writer.

But as you clearly state in the article, I’m working to improve my skills (although I’m pretty happy with most of my work).

I started to “unlock” the artist by reading and putting in practice Julia Cameron’s “The artist’s way” and I also have the swipe file you mention.

Plus, my writing improved exceptionally since I started reading your blog posts, so thank you for that.

I think this is all about keeping writing despite everything.

Thanks again, always 🙂

September 13, 2021 at 7:27 pm

I’m so sorry you’ve been having a tough experience with clients and job applications.

Rejections can be hard to deal with as we’ve learned to tie our self-esteem to how others judge us, what we achieve, and how our work compares to others. But you are worthy just as you are.

What has helped me a lot is practicing self-compassion—being kind to myself, talking to myself just like I’d talk to a friend, and recognizing both my strengths and weaknesses.

If a friend was feeling like you do, what would you tell her?

September 15, 2021 at 8:44 am

Thanks, Henneke, I think you’re right. In fact, the second exercise in The artist’s way is just about that, practicing self-compassion.

It’s also very useful to see it as if a friend was going through all this and I would have to give them advice.

August 12, 2021 at 11:31 am

Dear Henneke,

I randomly searched the internet for some sort of inspiration after a recent heartbreaking experience with an editor. I literally begged for an opportunity to write a test article and luckily I got a brief. The editor also instructed me to add a few things to the article… which I did. She went on to delete the bullet points she asked me to include

After medium edits to make the article shorter and a few additions to parts of the piece, the editor said I wasn’t good enough. That meant he’d stop working with me.

The last few days has been mentally draining. I’ve been struggling to get myself to write again.

I’m currently looking at the final piece and there are just a few changes. And I’m here wondering if I’m not good enough or I’m too hard on myself.

Do good writers go through hard or medium edits? I feel lost!!

August 12, 2021 at 3:05 pm

Hi Godwin, I’m sorry to read about your experience.

I don’t think there’s such a thing as “not good enough.” What the editor means is that in their view at this point in time you’re not the right match for their work. That doesn’t mean that others would agree. Moreover, it’s only a snapshot. We can all always learn and get better. I’m still learning to write better every year.

So, the key is to look at the edits and see whether and what you can learn from them. Not all edits are good edits. It has happened to me that my work was edited and good writing was made bad plus they killed my voice.

If there are only a few changes, then I feel confused about the editor’s standpoint.

Don’t give up. Try to remember why you want to write and write something for yourself to reconnect with the joy of writing.

July 4, 2021 at 4:57 pm

Thank you Henneke, You were talking directly about me and to me. I’m very hard on myself. Especially when it comes to writing! So because I label my writing as not perfect, I never publish it. Thanks for the reminder to change my “self talk” and go with my writing level where it is right now . It will improve as I continue to write more. It’s funny how I continue to learn and perfect my sewing and quilting skills by doing it for years. But I labeled myself a poor writer and didn’t push myself to keep practicing my writing skills so it would continue to improve. I see now that my writing skills and being critical of them has been my own personal mental block. Thank you for this “spot on” blog post! Julie Replay Quilts

July 4, 2021 at 7:03 pm

So many of us are so critical of ourselves when it comes to writing. I sometimes wonder why writing seems to bring our most critical self to the foreground. Perhaps it’s the voices of authority from the past who told us our writing wasn’t any good. Until my early 40s, I didn’t think I could write. I hope you’ll learn to be more gentle with yourself so you can enjoy writing more.

February 18, 2021 at 3:51 pm

Brilliant and Inspiring! Thanks for sharing, and to all those who nudged you to write this.

February 19, 2021 at 10:17 am

Thank you, Mustapha. Happy writing!

December 27, 2020 at 4:14 pm

Hi Henneke, I really enjoyed all of your tips, they have really helped me. I have been writing fiction stories since I was 12yrs old, I would always have a notebook and pen under my pillow. I often found myself writing all hours of the night. I remember one story, a spoof of the maltese falcon. I grew up with all the classics and it was quite good. As usual I threw it away the next day as I doubted myself and my writing skill. To this day I wish I had kept it, it was a real laugh. I loved it what a waste. I love writing more than anything, well except my 13 cats of course. I love fiction because you are only limited by your imagination. Just because I like most of my writing, how do I know if other people will like it also. I love livening it up with dry and sarcastic humour. I hate foul language, I’m not a saint, but I like to reach a broad reading audience. I love my work to have something for everyone. I know that almost everybody swears, but my mum always told us if you can’t say/write anything without swearing you’re not very intelligent. To this day I try to keep that in my mind. How do I know if other people find my humour to their liking. Cazz

December 27, 2020 at 4:46 pm

You can only find out whether other people like your writing by getting them to read it and asking feedback. You can ask feedback in a writers’ group, from a writing coach, or promote and sell your stories (and see what the reviews will say). But don’t let other people’s feedback spoil your joy in writing. You are the main judge of your writing, and when people don’t like it, it might just be that you haven’t found your best audience yet.

December 28, 2020 at 1:08 pm

Thanks for your advice and taking time to read my post. Sometimes I think I’ve missed the boat. I am 48years old and after 30 years as a hairdresser I find it a bit scary to change the direction my life is taking. Well, there’s no time like the present. What do you think of self publishing? I have the editing covered as my brother is an editor and a damn good one too. I am working on several writing projects and split up my time to work on each one. Is this a good idea? I am also studying a writing course so I need to set aside time to work on that as well. Thanks Henneke. Cazz

December 29, 2020 at 10:54 am

I’ve self-published my books. The thing to keep in mind is that you probably need to put as much time into promoting your book as in writing it. It won’t sell itself (until you create enough momentum).

It’s never too late to change careers or start a side-project. Many writers started writing later in life. Raymond Chandler published his first book when he was 44. Harriet Doerr started writing in her sixties and published her first novel when she was 74.

November 19, 2020 at 11:52 am

Wow! Perfect timing – many, many thanks for this post! I’m bookmarking it for my “inspiration-reminders” folder. Thank you!

November 20, 2020 at 10:14 am

I’m glad it came at the right time for you, Annie. Happy writing!

July 29, 2020 at 7:21 am

Thanks, I read your blog all the time. I find answers to my questions. Thank you for supporting us with kind words.

July 29, 2020 at 9:21 am

Thank you, Lyubov. I’m glad my blog is helpful. Happy writing!

May 14, 2020 at 4:43 pm

Very Inspirational. Thank you Henneke!

May 14, 2020 at 8:51 pm

Thank you, Ken. Happy writing!

February 25, 2020 at 5:15 am

I count myself lucky to have found your blog. If there’s someone who always felt as if my content was not good enough it’s me. For nearly two weeks I had been dribbling around a single welcome email copy and one article for my portfolio. But reading and receiving your snacks has really helped. I am finally on the editing stage. I am really grateful.

February 25, 2020 at 1:30 pm

You’re not alone! As you can see from the number of comments here, so many people doubt whether their writing is good enough. Me, too. My doubts still pop up from time to time. I’m just better able to sit with my doubts so I can keep writing.

I’m happy to hear you’re making progress. Thank you for stopping by.

February 23, 2020 at 3:40 pm

Thank you, Henneke. In January I was looking for blogs that use drawings instead of photos for post images. When I found you, I found so much more. Like you I am starting late in life to something I never pictured myself doing (50 on Friday). My perfectionism is crippling me. My topic, ADHD mom organizing, is not unique or interesting, and I feel like I need to present my material humorously and perfectly or not at all. Each blog post takes a month. I’ve read so much of your writing since January and taken it to heart. I’m saving this post. I still feel a bit paralyzed from fear and self-doubt and self-criticism, but the more I read, the closer I get to learning to let go! Thank you 🙂

February 23, 2020 at 7:41 pm

Thank you for stopping by, Joni.

Remember that your topic doesn’t need to be unique. If it’s unique, it’s often a bad sign. If many people write about a topic already, then you can be sure there are readers who want to read your blog, too.

And your blog becomes interesting (and unique in its own way) when you weave your own experiences and stories into your blog posts. People may have heard similar advice from others before but they haven’t heard it yet from you in your words.

Happy birthday! I hope you’ll have a wonderful day. I’m only a few months older than you 🙂

February 24, 2020 at 4:19 pm

Thank you! It means a lot that you took the time to answer. That is the kind of blogger I want to be. Also, 50 is the new 40 😉

December 1, 2019 at 6:04 pm

I needed this so much…just now. I’ve wanted to quit so many times, because I thought my first scene wasn’t good enough or the eighth scene hasn’t manifested itself yet…so many reasons. This truly helped me today. Thank you!

December 2, 2019 at 6:05 pm

I’m so glad you found this post just when you needed it, Jacinta. Please don’t give up. Keep writing!

November 4, 2019 at 10:02 pm

The bullet point on being a creative pragmatist freed me from endless research, writing and re-writing. I’m actually researching the Internal Family Systems model for dealing with the Inner Critic, and the process is exactly as you described in the conclusion here. Compassion and perspective – that critic is using outdated protective measures and a little bit of love can go a long way to putting your higher Self in the driver’s seat. Thanks for this post!

November 5, 2019 at 1:36 pm

When I first came across Elizabeth Grace Saunders’ mention of creative pragmatism, it worked liberating for me, too!

I like your idea of the “outdated protective measures” that are inner critic employs. Thank you for adding your thoughts. I appreciate it, Ella.

September 14, 2019 at 12:59 pm

Thank you for this warm and inspirational post. It felt like you were holding my hand the entire time I was reading it. It’s so easy to fall into the “I’m not good enough for….” trap. I’m toe-dipping into the freelance writing waters and it feels overwhelming. So much to learn. But my goal is to be a full-time freelance writer so I can work from home and be with my daughter. I greatly appreciate the clarity of your content. When will your copywriting E-course be available?

September 15, 2019 at 12:47 pm

Yes, I know how overwhelming it all can feel in the beginning. Taking it one step at a time, befriending my inner critic, and finding supportive friends have all helped me a lot.

I’m not sure exactly when my copywriting course becomes available. I hope before the end of this year, but it might slip into next year.

August 31, 2019 at 12:48 pm

What a lovely blog. I totally needed this right now. My inner voice is constantly telling me my writing won’t measure up to anything. Thanks for this blog.

August 31, 2019 at 2:02 pm

Our inner voices can be so negative. I hope this post helps you be more positive. Happy writing!

August 26, 2019 at 5:53 pm

I am still wondering if I’m good enough but this helped. 🙂 Thanks

August 26, 2019 at 7:23 pm

I’m glad it helped! Happy writing, Tiffany, and thank you for stopping by.

March 20, 2019 at 3:00 am

Perfect! I needed this article right now. I have finally started to write for the pure joy of writing. Sure, I’d love to be published. But that just can’t be my main objective. If it were, then I’d spoil enjoying the whole process of writing. I believe the journey is very important. Maybe even more important than the end result. So thanks for writing this article. I found the words quite encouraging.

March 20, 2019 at 9:05 am

Thank you, Lisa, for your lovely comment. We all need some encouragement from time to time, and I’m happy you found my words encouraging. Happy writing!

February 4, 2019 at 1:39 pm

I absolutely love this article! I especially love your comment around our “nagging inner voice”. This is so true! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and excellent content!

February 4, 2019 at 5:50 pm

Our inner critics seem to have perfected the skill of nagging 😉

Thank you for stopping by, Mel. I appreciate it.

May 11, 2018 at 11:06 am

Excellent and useful post, Thank you all, Henneke, Kathy, Ray, Syed and Bernice for this.

May 12, 2018 at 5:47 pm

I’m glad you enjoyed it, Hsumyatwin. Happy writing!

March 19, 2018 at 3:02 am

Henneke, I found you through some random articles on Copyblogger. I have now read through at least 10 of your blog posts. All are extremely helpful, relatable, and ‘normal’. This piece speaks to any normal person’s feelings and fears. Thank you for being open and willing to put your thoughts on writing. You put yourself in a vulnerable position in this piece (and others) and I really appreciate it.

Thank you for your expertise and openness. You make me feel human. ?

March 19, 2018 at 9:42 am

Hi Hannah, Welcome, and thank you for your lovely comment. I’d like my blog to feel real and human, so I can really connect with my readers.

I’m glad you found me via Copyblogger.

Happy writing!

March 9, 2018 at 9:34 pm

Mrs Henneke, I feel good reading your persuasive and captivating lecture. I am ready to learn, and I want people to hear my voice, but till now, I have not found words to express myself. I hope to run this course, especially now because I have free time to myself, I will be glad. Thank you. ….. Femi.

March 11, 2018 at 5:46 pm

Finding the right words to express yourself can feel hard, but with practice it becomes easier.

Happy writing, Femi!

February 4, 2018 at 1:07 am

These were amazing words! I will continue writing in spite of this rough, nagging inner critic. Thank you,

February 8, 2018 at 6:41 pm

Yes, please, don’t give up. Keep writing, Carolin!

September 1, 2017 at 5:55 pm

Oh Henneke, You are such a breath of fresh air and source of comfort to us finnicky artist types. From now on, instead of listening to the scolding, scowling, never pleased voice of that good-for-nothing inner critic, I will call to mind your kind, gentle and soothing one. Thank you! 🙂

September 5, 2017 at 3:28 pm

Thank you, Penelope. I am cheering you on! I hope you don’t mind my Dutch accent 🙂

September 6, 2017 at 1:48 am

Absolutely not! I believe lilting Dutch would also be a welcome change. 😉

July 3, 2017 at 7:09 pm

I love your writing and the advice you’re sharing with people 🙂 Thank you for bringing authenticity and kindness to the business world and to writing. So often people forget that it’s about your message, and not the words and grammar that your message is wrapped in. Beautiful content, beautiful blog. And beautiful person! Thank you.

July 4, 2017 at 4:33 pm

Yes, sometimes we focus so much on the wrapping paper (the “beauty” of our content) that we forget about the present (its message).

Thank you so much for stopping by, Samantha, and for leaving such a lovely comment. Happy writing!

April 25, 2017 at 6:59 am

Hi Henneke,

This blog post reminds me of a quote from Steven Pressfield book ” when we sit down day after day and keep grinding, something mysterious starts to happen, A process is set into motion by which, inevitably and infallibly, heaven comes to our aid. Unseen forces enlist in our cause: serendipity reinforces our purpose” Thanks for the post, the only question I ask is how come I never saw your blog all these years? And that is not for you to answer, but thank goodness I’m following you now.

April 25, 2017 at 10:38 am

You’ve probably not come across my blog before because I don’t promote it a lot.

But I’m happy to see you’ve found me 🙂

Great quote from Steven Pressfield – that’s also my experience. When I keep showing up, inspiration will strike. It may take a while, but it’ll come.

Thank you for stopping by, Krista!

March 26, 2017 at 8:05 pm

Excellent post, Henneke.

It’s amazing to see all of those HUGE projects and writers struggle so many times in the beginning but managed to ultimately be successful. I think a major part of it is consistency as well. You need to be consistent if you want to have success.

And quite honestly, the person that unsubscribed because of your “robotic” writing, it’s their loss. Because you’re on of the MOST talented writers I’ve come across online.

– Andrew

March 27, 2017 at 8:02 pm

Yep, that’s a good point. Consistency is important. We often underestimate how much we can achieve by doing small amounts of work consistently.

It’s kind of strange how big my site has become just because I kept writing week in week out!

Always good to see you again, Andrew. Thank you for making time to stop by.

March 9, 2017 at 5:36 pm

I always remind myself that it’s “best SELLING author” not “best WRITING author”. If you’re on target with your message you’ll have people who enjoy and get value from your writing, even if you can’t remember if the period goes before or after a closing quote at the end of a sentence. 🙂

I also remind myself that I’m writing for people who want to hear what I have to say. Those who don’t want or aren’t ready to listen are not the ones I’m writing to. If they don’t like my message, that’s fine. You can’t please everyone. And if you try, you’ll end up pleasing no one.

March 9, 2017 at 7:27 pm

“I also remind myself that I’m writing for people who want to hear what I have to say.” Yes, this is so true! I also remind myself to write for my favorite readers. I imagine them cheering me on 🙂

Thank you for stopping by to leave a comment, Glen.

March 8, 2017 at 8:57 am

How can anyone describe your writing as robotic Henneke. I would describe it as skillfull, informative, beautiful , and, of course, enchanting.

March 8, 2017 at 11:32 am

Thank you so much for your kind words, Sheverley. I think that person was in a bad mood. I decided it had nothing to do with me.

I appreciate your compliment 🙂

March 1, 2017 at 10:14 am

Hi Henneke, My friend referred me to your site and this post really struck a vein with me…

I am talking about the 3 questions I could ask before clicking post: 1) Is this valuable to you (my readers)? 2) Is there one clear message? 3) Have I done my best?

#1 – Well yeah I guess I wouldn’t be writing if I didn’t think I would be giving value …. it’s 2-3 where I struggle.

2) sometimes I know my formatting of the posts needed to be way clearer to get my msg across (do you have any good posts on how to format your content?) 3) I know most people think they can do better and I am the same… so many times I find myself not posting for weeks because I think I should always be improving till things are done 100% right before I make the post, that being said I now make the post (even if it it only 70% then go back and revisit and edit/update my post later on) Do you do things like that as well?

March 4, 2017 at 7:14 pm

Having one clear message is about structuring your content and considering what your post is really about: What action do you expect your reader to take after reading your blog post? Have you included everything he needs to know to take that action? Does he feel encouraged to do so? Have you included only relevant information to take that action? You may find this post about outlining useful: https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/how-to-outline-a-blog-post/

A blog post can always be better, and we can always find people who have a different view or additional information on what we’ve written. But it’s not about writing the best post out there, it’s about writing a post that is valuable for your readers and doing your best to make it as good as possible ***in the time available to you***.

We have to live with imperfection. 100% right doesn’t exist. Craft and art don’t do 100%.

February 20, 2017 at 8:39 am

Stats about rejections made me feel more enthusiastic and confident. I even google other author’s number of rejections. It’s pretty inspiring. Thanks for a great post!

February 20, 2017 at 12:06 pm

Yes, rejection is the norm. 🙂

Happy writing, Jane!

February 16, 2017 at 3:50 pm

I love all your posts, but this one really encouraged me to keep writing. Even though I do feel the gap between my writing and some of my favorite writers, it’s important to keep practicing and showing up. It’s important to view the inner critic with compassionate eyes. I loved that. Thank you!

February 16, 2017 at 4:32 pm

Yes, be compassionate to yourself and your inner critic. That’s so important when trying to improve a skill.

Keep writing, Jenn! Thank you for stopping by.

February 13, 2017 at 3:23 am

It’s amazing how something someone said to you years ago can impact your confidence. For me – it was a group member in my sophomore year in college who had something to say about what I wrote in my portion of the paper.

It took me years to shake off her rebuke and write anyway.

And now, as I’m writing more than ever – I find that the more I write, the less time I have to focus on whether or not someone else will think it is a masterpiece or even good. I focus on the job the article is designed to do.

Which brings me to my favorite advice of yours from this lovely article – to do your best with the time you have. I’ve been doing a lot more of that lately, and it’s been lovely. 🙂

February 13, 2017 at 9:09 pm

I love this point you make: “I find that the more I write, the less time I have to focus on whether or not someone else will think it is a masterpiece or even good. I focus on the job the article is designed to do.”

This is so true! Thank you for sharing. 🙂

February 11, 2017 at 6:19 am

“Each piece of writing is a snapshot of my current knowledge and skills. My ideas evolve. My skills develop. My voice matures. I might even change my mind. But I’ve written the best at this point in time.”

This is what I have had to make peace with. I used to fret because I could not hold the tension between having to put a newsletter or lesson out today, and knowing that in a month (or even a week) I would have more and deeper insights to offer.

Getting past that was a milestone for me.

Thanks Henneke!

February 11, 2017 at 12:45 pm

I’m starting to think that a lot of our procrastination (both in writing and business) is related to uncertainty or perhaps our appetite to learn more. In blogging, we can never know everything, so we have to write and publish based on our current knowledge. With business decisions, it’s quite similar. It’s so easy to get stuck because we don’t really know what the best option is. But we risk getting stuck in learning mode and then don’t take action (while from action we can probably learn more than from yet another course).

Thank you for your great comment, Alison. It made me think.

February 11, 2017 at 4:35 pm

Yes, uncertainty and also the ‘need’ to appear authoritative (in my case).

Sometimes my appetite to learn more is a smokescreen for feeling inadequate, too.

February 11, 2017 at 6:13 pm

Yes, I recognize that smokescreen!

I sometimes wonder whether authority is overrated. Aren’t readers also looking for a human voice? For someone who can relate to their struggles and frustrations? Of course, it’s helpful to have more authority than our readers, but too much authority might increase the distance to our readers.

February 10, 2017 at 7:04 pm

Thanks Kathy,Ray, Saed

I follow a rule in writing,this one must be better than previous one.

February 11, 2017 at 12:39 pm

That sounds like a useful rule, too, Hasan.

I might struggle to adhere to it, as I feel I can’t always better myself, but we all should choose the rules that work for us 🙂

February 8, 2017 at 4:57 pm

I need to write something that’s new to me.

February 8, 2017 at 7:31 pm

Yes, find a new challenge! 🙂 Perhaps something you’re not sure whether you can do it?

February 8, 2017 at 8:13 pm

I was answering your question – new is my first measuring stick for a good post. My personal measuring stick. Of course I don’t always achieve novelty.

February 8, 2017 at 8:58 pm

Ah, sorry, I misunderstood you. Yes, me, too. I always need to learn something or be surprised by something, too. For me, that’s part of my do-I-want-to-start-writing-this checklist. 😉

February 8, 2017 at 3:10 am

Thank you so much,Henneke, for this relevant and helpful post. I think most writers and creative types are highly self-critical.

We study, practice, write, write, write, edit, and never think it’s good enough to send out into the world.

I know that is holding me back in my career, and I will try to follow your advice to get my best work out there as the time allows and keep learning as I do, instead of expecting it to be perfect from the beginning.

Thank you again. D.F.

February 8, 2017 at 7:29 pm

Yes, I don’t know why it is, but I agree with you – we all tend to be highly self-critical of our work. I guess being critical helps us to improve our skills, but we need to take care of our well-being, too, and be more self-compassionate.

Keep writing, and keep learning, Diane. Thank you for your comment. I appreciate it.

February 7, 2017 at 11:22 pm

A longtime question inside me has finally been answered! Even when people would tell me my writing is good, I still feel like they’re just trying to be nice. haha! Thanks for this! I should definitely forget about that high-school teacher… 😉

February 8, 2017 at 7:27 pm

I used to think that all the time, too. People would pay me a compliment, and I’d think: “yes, but everyone can do this, it’s easy.” There’s always be that ugly “but.” I learned to accept compliments more graciously and to stop myself as soon as I wanted to say or think “but.”

Happy writing, Gladys! And yes, forget about that high-school teacher. You know much better 🙂

February 7, 2017 at 11:08 pm

Wonderful, wonderful post, Henneke! And again that came in a perfect moment for me.

Just yesterday I read a post from someone in my niche that made me feel exactly that: That I need to shut down my laptop, pack my things and go do something else, because I’ll never be able to match that.

And although I know by now that it’s just a phase, a “nagging voice” (which is totally wrong), at that particular moment it’s not a pleasant feeling, dwelling on which costs hours in productivity.

So glad it landed in my inbox today 🙂

P.S. On a semi-related topic: I literally nourished my body “with a hearty meal of pasta, cheese, tomatoes, aubergines” a couple of hours ago. I tried a new recipe of lasagna with aubergines for dinner 🙂

February 8, 2017 at 7:25 pm

One thing to remember is that everything has been written already, but we’ve not heard it from you yet in your voice. So you don’t need to be original, you just need to find a different twist – fresh examples, a different perspective, a story or a metaphor.

Keep writing! 🙂

PS Your lasagna sounds yummy. I love aubergine 🙂

February 8, 2017 at 7:54 pm

Oh, I often think of this quote of yours (I even remember from which post it was). But you know, logical thinking is one thing, and emotions, another. I’ll certainly keep writing no matter what 🙂

P.S. I love aubergine, too. Anything aubergine – count me in! Another new thing I’ve learned from your post: I had no idea “courgette” is another word for “zucchini” 🙂

February 8, 2017 at 9:00 pm

Yes, so true. It’s hard to persuade our inner critics with logical thinking 🙂

Zucchini sounds much better than courgette, doesn’t it? I also much prefer the name aubergine to eggplant.

February 8, 2017 at 9:08 pm

Re eggplant: I know, right! It sounds so disrespectful to the aubergine! As if someone was too lazy to give it a proper name. “Well, it’s a plant. And it looks a bit like an egg. So…” 😀

Fun fact: In Russian, there are also two words for “aubergine”. One of them literally means “blue”. These guys didn’t even bother adding a noun to it! 🙂

February 7, 2017 at 4:52 pm

The bullet points at the end of the post (examples and 3 questions) are AWESOME thank you! They apply for my academic writing as well as blog content. Juggling self-promotion for my Etsy shop and my blog in addition to writing being such a big part of my job as a student can be really overwhelming. These questions will be super helpful.

February 7, 2017 at 7:39 pm

It sounds like you have a lot of work to juggle! And yes, those examples and questions apply to most types of writing.

Thank you for your comment, Bailey. I’m happy to read you found the post useful.

February 7, 2017 at 4:50 pm

Wow, another great post! Boy oh boy, there are so many times when I feel like I can’t write like my favorite authors, especially Stephen King. Then, I have to tell myself two things: 1. Calm down 2. Write I wonder if my procrastination from writing is actually a fear that I suck and I don’t want to embarrass myself. This post made me realize that each time I hit “publish” or each time I write a chapter, it’s all a growth process, and I’m just going to get better and better with practice. So thank you once again for this dose of positivity!

February 7, 2017 at 7:38 pm

I usually procrastinate either because I feel overwhelmed or because I’m fearful, too. To deal with feeling overwhelmed, I’ve learned to break down the writing process in doable chunks and focus on one step at a time. To deal with my fears, I’ve learned to be honest with myself, accept that those fears exist, and trying to move forward in tiny steps despite those fears. I found fighting fears hard, but it’s possible to build up courage over time.

Happy writing, Renayle! Thank you for your comment.

February 7, 2017 at 4:32 pm

I thought that the 18-inch stack of spiral-bound notebooks filled with the writings and writing exercises I did through the 1990s was proof that I was good. All of that certainly made writing easier, but I still find there’s room to improve. And there is no end to it.

Thank you for the reminder.

February 7, 2017 at 7:34 pm

For me, writing is more fun when I can see myself developing, either by trying out different writing techniques or formats, or by working on more challenging topics.

Thank you for your lovely comment, Steve. Happy writing!

February 7, 2017 at 4:27 pm

This one is your best yet, in an ocean of “bests.” I woke up this morning precisely to hear this. It will carry me all day. Thank you!

February 7, 2017 at 7:33 pm

What a lovely comment. Thank you, Catherine. Happy writing!

February 7, 2017 at 4:06 pm

Ever since coming across this website, I always wish I could write like you. I take each of your posts, write down the tips and advice, and then try to apply them to my writing.

It has not been easy, with that voice constantly telling me I could never be like you. But it is posts like this one, that encourages me to keep at it.

Thank you, Henneke.

February 7, 2017 at 7:32 pm

Here’s a different way to look at it: When you imitate badly, you find your own writing voice. That’s how it worked for me.

Don’t give up, keep writing!

February 7, 2017 at 4:01 pm

Great pep talk. Much needed for my week ahead. I’m migrating old blog posts from a site I darkened a few years ago.

I’m a bit nervous about the quality of the posts, because I’ve grown as a writer.

I started the blog as a challenge to myself. I spent a year writing between 5 and 8 posts a week.

I would now spend that much time polishing 1 to 3 posts per week. Quality over quantity.

But here’s the thing. Even though they were far from perfect, as many misses as hits, they got quite a lot of engagement. Lots of wonderful comments. A truly engaged community.

A truly engaged community. I had to say that again, because isn’t that the true rubric for blogging success?

Here’s to hoping I can recapture some of that magic.

But I’m doing more than just hoping. I’m workshopping it in Henneke’s course, Business Blogging.

See you in the forums.

February 7, 2017 at 7:26 pm

I’ve never been able to write that many posts in a week!

And you make a good point – if your content resonates with your audience, then it’s definitely good enough, even though you think you could do better. It’s similar to that post that Ann Handley wrote about.

I don’t think writing is magic – it’s about adopting the right process and doing the work 🙂

Thank you for stopping by, Lori.

February 7, 2017 at 2:45 pm

Dear Henneke, this post has the power to touch our deep soul and to give us the strength to win our daily battle against our ghosts. Thanks for giving us the chance to believe in ourselves in a clever way.

February 7, 2017 at 7:23 pm

What a lovely comment, Maurizio. Thank you. If this post inspires just one person to believe in themselves and to write more, I’m happy. 🙂

February 7, 2017 at 2:19 pm

Thank you ! Such an inspiring post 🙂

February 7, 2017 at 7:22 pm

Thank you, Shaun. Happy writing!

February 7, 2017 at 2:06 pm

“When learning a skill, the top of the mountain keeps moving farther away.” Yes. And although my readers love my writing, the fact that I do not, makes me question their taste! So I cannot win. Haha! However, I am realizing the mountain is always farther away, like a mirage, and the wise person does not chase mirages! So, neither will I. Thanks for this clarification!

I love this: “I am realizing the mountain is always farther away, like a mirage, and the wise person does not chase mirages!” It made me think: if we can’t enjoy the view from the top (as we never get to the top), we’d better enjoy the journey. 🙂

Thank you for your lovely comment, Katharine!

February 7, 2017 at 1:34 pm

Thank you for sharing this. It’s wonderful.

I think one of the hardest things about creativity is coming to realization you won’t please everyone, and being okay with that. You might not even agree with yourself down the road, but writing and art are expressions of what is in you at that moment. The technical elements of writing are important for clear communication, but it’s the life you breathe into them that matters.

February 7, 2017 at 7:17 pm

Yes, that’s true: you can’t please everyone (case in point: I just got an angry unsubscribe message of someone complaining about my robotic writing!).

I love how you put this: “The technical elements of writing are important for clear communication, but it’s the life you breathe into them that matters.”

Thank you for adding your thoughts, Kathy. I appreciate it, as always!

February 7, 2017 at 1:24 pm

Hi Henneke, Great article, This is SO me because yes my inner critic tells me to keep perfection in every writing I do and that initiates the procrastination and obvious havoc. (I am following your trick to beat procrastination and it is helping like charm, though).

Thanks -Swadhin

February 7, 2017 at 7:15 pm

I’m so happy to hear that you’re beating procrastination. Yay!

Thank you for stopping by again, Swadhin. I appreciate it.

February 7, 2017 at 1:05 pm

HI, I want to improve my writing skill. I have no issue in writing length statement, but I do some grammatical issues in my writing. I need someone who can help me to come over the problem.

February 7, 2017 at 7:14 pm

In that case, you want to look for someone who’s good at teaching grammar. Even though, I’ve written a few posts about grammar, it’s not really my field.

February 7, 2017 at 1:03 pm

Great article Henneke. I know I am a good writer, as a freelancer for inbound agencies and to drive more traffic to websites, but I am battling to push through to being an exceptional writer. I give it my all, and I spend a lot more time than other writers, to get it “just right”, but it’s not enough. I suppose trying my best, and reading posts like yours, will eventually get me there. I am positive. But slightly frustrated 🙂

February 7, 2017 at 6:51 pm

In “on writing” stephen king says that exceptional writers are naturally born. You can work your way to “very good”.

February 7, 2017 at 7:13 pm

This is such a difficult debate where experts are clashing. Do you need talent or not? Several scientists say talent is not required; what counts is deliberate practice.

I’m a little on the fence. I think with hard work (and the right coaching) everyone can become an exceptional business writer. But writing fiction feels like a different game to me. I do think that requires some aptitude or talent.

February 8, 2017 at 9:06 am

Now that is an interesting thought tzvi…it may be why I just can’t push through to exceptional…

February 7, 2017 at 7:11 pm

In my experience, the key to improving your own writing is to understand what exactly you want to improve. Why do you feel it’s just not right? Does it lack persuasiveness? Is it a tad dull? Does it not sound like you? Do you not like the rhythm?

Reading and analyzing other people’s writing can help understand why you feel it’s not exactly right (or hiring a coach can help, too). Once you know what exactly you don’t like, improving it becomes a lot easier.

February 8, 2017 at 9:07 am

Thank you Henneke, that makes sense. I will need to ponder that.

February 7, 2017 at 12:47 pm

Another excellent and useful post, Henneke! And Kathy, Ray, Syed and Bernice – you were right 🙂

February 7, 2017 at 7:08 pm

Thank you so much, Ken. I appreciate your comment (and your tweet!).

February 7, 2017 at 12:32 pm

Fab Article! I am always fighting who to write good pitch emails. It is really hard to not only sell but be happy with your content and style. Thank you Kathy, Ray, Syed and Bernice for nudging Henneke to write this post.

February 7, 2017 at 7:07 pm

Yes, I’d like to add my thanks to Kathy, Ray, Syed and Bernice, too.

Thank you for stopping by, Sushma. You may find this post about writing emails useful: https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/how-to-write-persuasive-emails/

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Research essay: good enough is enough.

Avram Alpert teaches writing at Princeton and is the author of the forthcoming Global Origins of the Modern Self. He is working on a screenplay about the life of the activist and writer Saul Alinsky.

Ideals of greatness cut across the American political spectrum. Supporters of Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” and believers in Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again,” for instance, may find themselves at odds, but their differences lie in the vision of what constitutes greatness, not whether greatness itself is a worthy goal. In both cases — and in most any iteration of America’s idea of itself — it is.

The desire for greatness also unites the diverse philosophical camps of Western ethics. Aristotle called for practicing the highest virtue. Kant believed in an ethical rule so stringent not even he thought it was achievable by mortals. Bentham’s utilitarianism is about maximizing happiness. Marx sought the great world for all. Modern-day libertarians will stop at nothing to increase personal freedom and profit. These differences surely matter, but while the definition of greatness changes, greatness itself is sought by each in his own way.

Swimming against the tide of greatness is a counter-history of ethics embodied by schools of thought as diverse as Buddhism, Romanticism, and psychoanalysis. It is by borrowing from D.W. Winnicott, an important figure in the development of psychoanalysis, that we get perhaps the best name for this other ethics: “the good-enough life.” In his book Playing and Reality, Winnicott wrote about what he called “the good-enough mother.” This mother is good enough not in the sense that she is adequate or average, but that she manages a difficult task: initiating the infant into a world in which he or she will feel both cared for and ready to deal with life’s endless frustrations. To fully become good enough is to grow up into a world that is itself good enough, that is as full of care and love as it is suffering and frustration.

From Buddhism and Romanticism we can get a fuller picture of what such a good-enough world could be like. Buddhism offers a criticism of the caste system and the idea that some people have to live lives of servitude in order to ensure the greatness of others. It posits instead the idea of the “middle path,” a life that is neither excessively materialistic nor too ascetic. And some Buddhist thinkers, such as the sixth-century Persian-Chinese monk Jizang, even insist that this middle life, this good-enough life, is the birthright of not only all humans, but also all of nature as well. In this radical vision of the good-enough life, our task is not to make the perfect human society, but rather a good-enough world in which each of us has sufficient (but never too many) resources to handle our encounters with the inevitable sufferings of a world full of chance and complexity.

The Romantic poets and philosophers extend this vision of good-enoughness to embrace what they would call “the ordinary” or “the everyday.” This does not refer to the everyday annoyances or anxieties we experience, but the fact that within what is most ordinary, most basic, and most familiar, we might find a delight unimaginable if we find meaning only in greatness. The antiheroic sentiment is well expressed by George Eliot at the end of her novel Middlemarch: “that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.” And its legacy is attested to in the poem “Famous” by Naomi Shihab Nye: “I want to be famous to shuffling men / who smile while crossing streets, / sticky children in grocery lines, / famous as the one who smiled back.”

Being good enough is not easy. It takes a tremendous amount of work to smile purely while waiting, exhausted, in a grocery line. Or to be good enough to loved ones to both support them and allow them to experience frustration. And it remains to be seen if we as a society can establish a good-enough relation to one another, where individuals and nations do not strive for their unique greatness, but rather work together to create the conditions of decency necessary for all.

Achieving this will also require us to develop a good-enough relation to our natural world, one in which we recognize both the abundance and the limitations of the planet we share with infinite other life forms, each seeking its own path toward good-enoughness. If we do manage any of these things, it will not be because we have achieved greatness, but because we have recognized that none of them are achievable until greatness itself is forgotten. 

“The Good-Enough Life” by Avram Alpert originally appeared in The New York Times Feb. 20, 2019. Reprinted with permission.

What Readers Are Saying

Respect for what’s great, accepting our modest roles.

Is my essay topic good enough?

I am having a lot of issues with the essay portion of my application regarding essay topics. One idea I had was reflecting on a parents’ immigration experience and comparing it to my own way of growing up. Though I worry if writing about my parent being an immigrant is too cliche and if the essay will sound more focused on them instead of myself. Im also not sure if there should be a clear ‘lesson’ I have to explicitly state (I also have no idea what that could be, input would be greatly appreciated).

Any input or ideas would be great, thank you!

Earn karma by helping others:

Hi! Different colleges may have different types of applicant they love most, but all of them like to see how you overcame difficulties in the past being somehow reflected in your essay. Did the challenges that arose out of your parents immigrating force you to grow as a person by overcoming them? What were these issues? How did you overcome them exactly? What did you learn along the way? How exactly did you do it? Do you think your experience is different in some way from that of other kids of immigrants? Try to think of something along these lines and write down ideas and details as you think of them.

Along the way, you might see that, for instance, you are focusing too much on a particular aspect of your journey or you think of another topic mid-brainstorming for this one, in which case, try switching them around, or even combining topics together, for example, your parents' immigrant story with your search for belonging in and outside of school, or the challenges you faced growing up in a household where your parents may not be able to help you with schoolwork because they are unfamiliar with the system with the challenges you hope to help other people overcome in your volunteer work. Honestly, I would say the best essays are more nuanced then just focusing on one topic, so be open to combining a few (although note, this doesn't work for all topics!)

Another way to make your essay stand out would be to write it in a more creative format, which you totally do not have to be an experienced writer to do, by the way. Here are a few strategies that come to mind when thinking about writing the 'immigrant essay:'

1. Try drawing a parallel between your parent's journey towards immigration and your own journey towards a particular goal. Has their determination inspired you to keep going even when things got harder and then harder? Did they give you a piece of advice you will treasure forever? Something along these lines...

2. Consider being creative with the actual structure of the essay, for example, writing it as a letter to your parents where you thank them for all the sacrifices they doubtless had to make in their immigration journey and pulling in your own accomplishments as something you owe partly to your parents.

But really, if you have time, the best advice I can give you is to write a few totally different essays and chose whichever one you/your teachers and friends find the best.

Hope this helped in some way,

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I’m Not Perfect; That’s OK

As i learn to accept my imperfections, life gets easier..

Posted September 12, 2021 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

• Perfectionism is overrated.
• Being able to see gray is preferable to only black-and-white thinking.
• We can love people and other creatures who are imperfect.

My former psychiatrist and therapist Dr. Lev and I spent a lot of time discussing how my thinking and behaviors exemplified a black-and-white or all-or-nothing stance. I had a difficult time being anywhere in the gray area. The thought of being mediocre was unfathomable to me.

After my parents divorced in 1982, my mother returned to school and updated her knowledge of computer science. She learned the then-current languages like FoxPro and Dbase. She obtained her first job writing software at a research company on Long Island. After six months, she got her first review. When she didn’t get “excellent” across the board, she quit and started her own custom software firm that was extremely successful.

Anorexics are often perfectionists . We can’t tolerate being anything less than the ideal. In recovery from anorexia, it’s been difficult for me to tolerate my body, which I see as imperfect. Since my stroke in mid-2018, I try to come from a stance of body neutrality, rather than one of body positivity or loving my body. Body neutrality allows me to appreciate my body for what it is capable of doing, instead of focusing on its appearance. Since having the stroke and having to basically relearn to walk, I’m much more appreciative and aware of the miracle of the seemingly simple capabilities of the human body (and mind) and less likely to take them for granted.

As a writer, the deadline often comes before I’m ready to relinquish my submission. When is my essay good enough? Never. I make revision after revision until I can’t stand to look at it one more time. I cringe and hit the “submit” button, as the deadline is closing in.

I came across this poem that resonated with me. I felt like sharing it.

Love for Imperfect Things

By Haemin Sunim

It’s okay that you have flaws. How could our lives be as clean and white as a swan? Life naturally takes a toll on our bodies, our minds, and our relationships. Rather than choosing a life in which you do nothing for fear of making a mistake, choose a life that improves through failure and pain. And shout out loud to your struggling self, “I love you so much.”

I hope you enjoyed this poem as much as I did.

Thanks for reading.

From LOVE FOR IMPERFECT THINGS by Haemin Sunim, published by Penguin Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2016 by Haemin Sunim. English translation copyright © 2018 by Deborah Smith and Haemin Sunim.

Andrea Rosenhaft, LCSW-R is a licensed clinical social worker.

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Good Enough is Good Enough: Let Go of Perfectionism to Get Things Done

• The principle of good enough suggests that you should identify the point past which putting more resources into something won’t improve it in a meaningful manner, so you should finish with it and move on.

Essentially, this means that you should embrace the idea that good enough is good enough , instead of wasting valuable resources—such as time, money, and effort—by pouring them into a place where they won’t make a meaningful difference.

• For example, if you’re revising a paper that you wrote, there will be a point where it’s already good enough that going over it again won’t make a meaningful difference in its quality, so you’ll simply be wasting your time by doing so, time which you can instead spend on more valuable activities.

The principle of  good enough can be useful in a variety of situations, particularly when it comes to boosting your personal productivity, so it’s worthwhile to understand it. As such, in the following article you will learn more about this principle, and see how you can implement it as effectively as possible.

Examples of ‘good enough’

Some examples of situations where the concept of good enough can guide people’s work are the following:

• For someone looking to start exercising, figuring out an initial exercise plan that’s good enough for their purposes, at least initially, can help make sure that they’ll actually start exercising, rather than procrastinate by trying to develop the perfect workout program from the beginning.
• For someone writing a book, figuring out when the work is good enough that they can start asking for feedback from others can help them avoid a situation where they keep revising it endlessly without ever putting the work out there.
• For someone writing new software, figuring out when it’s good enough to move forward during the initial stages can help them make good progress, instead of wasting a lot of time and effort doing premature optimization of code that is likely to be significantly changed later.
• For someone looking to test a new product, making sure that the product is good enough, rather than perfect, can help avoid investing a lot of time and money into a product that ends up not having a good market fit. (Note: such a product is often referred to as a an MVP— minimum viable product ).

However, note that in all of these cases, it’s important to make sure that the level defined as ‘good enough’ is actually good enough for your purposes.

For example, if your exercise plan isn’t actually as good as it needs to be, it might be so ineffective that you end quitting from demotivation, or it might be so dangerous that you end up injured.

Similarly, if you send a book out for feedback before you’ve actually revised it to a level where it’s good enough, people might not be willing to finish it, or won’t be able to give you helpful advice. Likewise, if you launch a product that’s not actually good enough, it might fail because of this, and therefore cause you to lose resources and miss out on a good opportunity, simply because it was missing some crucial features that you should have included.

Overall, these examples highlight the value of the  good enough principle, while at the same time demonstrating the importance of making sure that when you implement it, you should do so with proper care, by making sure that the level that you designate as ‘good enough’ is actually good enough.

Implementing the principle of ‘good enough’

Implementing the principle of good enough does not mean that you should necessarily strive to do low-quality work. Rather, it means that you should clearly identify what good enough means in your particular circumstances, based on the outcomes of your work and what you’re hoping to achieve. This will vary in different scenarios, and in some cases your standard for good enough might end up being quite high.

For example, when preparing an academic paper for publication, the end result will generally have to be of high quality in order for it to get accepted in a prestigious journal. Since your first draft usually won’t be good enough for this, you will likely have to revise the paper several times in order to get it to the necessary level.

This is where the concept of  good enough comes into play. While revising the paper is certainly necessary, eventually you’re going to hit the point of diminishing returns, where going over the paper no longer leads to any significant improvements in quality. This might occur on your 3rd, 5th, or even 10th draft, but in the end, you will reach a point where additional revisions result in only minor, inconsequential changes, that do not substantially increase the quality of the paper.

In this situation, the key to using the principle of good enough is to identify at what point you will no longer benefit from additional work on the paper, and to then submit it to your target journal once you get to that point.

If you know that you generally struggle with letting go once you reach the ‘good enough’ point, you can decide to set hard deadlines in advance, before you start your work, based on your prior experience. For example, in the case of writing a research paper, as described above, this can include things such as:

• Deciding how much time you’re willing to dedicate to writing the paper, in terms of total hours.
• Deciding on a date by which you have to submit the paper.
• Deciding how many drafts you’ll go over before you settle on a final version.
• Deciding that after the second draft is done, you’ll send it to a colleague for external feedback, and then reassess the situation based on that feedback.

Most importantly, you should remember that there is always a cost to doing extra work, whether it’s in terms of time, money, effort, or some other resource. When this cost isn’t worth it, that’s the point where you should stop working, and move on to the next thing that you need to do.

Overall, the key to implementing the principle of good enough is to identify what your good enough point is, and then stop once you get there. The standard for what good enough means for you can be as low or as high as necessary; the important thing is to set this standard using a proper reasoning process.

Note : one thing that can help you implement this principle in practice is reminding yourself, where appropriate, that ‘done’ can be far better than ‘perfect’.

The 80/20 rule and your ‘good enough’ point

The 80/20 rule can be a helpful concept to keep in mind when it comes to determining what good enough means for you in any particular situation. Specifically, this rule states that roughly 20% of the work that you do will be responsible for 80% of the outcomes, which means that the more work you put into something past a certain point, the lower the return you will get on your investment of time and effort.

When implementing the  good enough principle, you can take this rule into account, and decide at what point your efficiency, in terms of cost/benefit ratio, becomes low enough that additional work doesn’t lead to enough benefits in order to be worth it. This doesn’t have to be exactly based on an 80/20 distribution; for example, in your case it might be that 30% of the work will give you 90% of the benefits, and so you choose to set your good enough point there.

Note that this is a slightly different approach than looking only at the outcome that you hope to achieve when determining what your  good enough point is, since this also actively takes into account the resources that you have to utilize.

This can be advantageous, since it can help you assess the situation from a new perspective when determining what your good enough point is. At the same time, however, it’s important to not allow such considerations to lower your  good enough point to an unacceptable level, simply because this highlights the work that you will have to do in order to get there.

To avoid this pitfall, make sure to always ask yourself whether your  good enough point is actually good enough given what you hope to achieve, and avoid allowing  almost good enough to become good enough for you.

The ‘good enough’ principle and Parkinson’s law

Parkinson’s law  is the adage that “work expands so as to fill the time which is available for its completion”, which signifies that the more time we dedicate in advance to a certain task, the longer it will take to complete it, even if it could have been completed in a shorter period of time.

Implementing the principle of good enough can help you avoid this issue in some cases. Specifically, by deciding on a clear  good enough point from the start, you can decide how much time you truly need to dedicate to a task, which will help you set realistic time constraints for yourself from the start. Furthermore, by identifying a clear good enough point, and stopping as soon as you get to it, you will be able to save time when you end up finishing a project early, even if you didn’t plan to do so originally.

Dealing with perfectionism

The problem with perfectionism.

“Perfect is the enemy of good.” — Voltaire

Perfectionism is a personality trait that is characterized primarily by striving for flawlessness.

This trait can manifest in a relatively positive way , when it pushes people to set high standards and work hard. However, it can also manifest in a relatively negative way , when it causes people to pursue unattainable goals or to waste time focusing on unimportant details, while often also being overly critical. This negative form of perfectionism is both inherently problematic, and furthermore is also associated with various mental health issues, such as stress, anxiety, and depression.

In addition, in many cases, a general problem with perfectionism is that it can serve as an excuse that we give ourselves in order to procrastinate and delay the moment when we have to take action and risk failure. For example, if we’re afraid to make our work public because we worry that it will be accepted badly, we might keep developing our work indefinitely, under the false guise of trying to perfect it.

Note: there are some criticisms of the concept of positive perfectionism, such as that “attempts to define and conceptualize positive perfectionism may have blurred the distinction between perfectionism and conscientiousness”. However, this distinction isn’t important from a practical perspective, particularly when it comes to implementing the principle of good enough , which focuses on avoiding the issues with negative perfectionism.

Letting go of perfectionism and accepting ‘good enough’

When it comes to implementing the principle of  good enough , perfectionism can be both a reason why you would want to implement this principle, as well as an obstacle that you have to overcome in order to do so successfully.

Essentially, if you’re prone to perfectionism, implementing the principle of good enough can help you avoid many of the common pitfalls associated with this trait, such as the tendency to wait too long before making your work public. At the same time, however, being a perfectionist can also make it harder for you to implement this principle, because it contradicts your desire to make sure that things are as perfect as possible.

When it comes to successfully implementing this principle despite your perfectionism, there are various techniques you can use, such as:

• Clearly identifying what your goals should be in practice, and showing yourself that your work doesn’t have to be perfect for you to achieve them.
• Asking yourself what you’re afraid of with regard to finishing your work at the ‘good enough’ point, and then thinking through your fears to see if they’re unfounded.
• Considering how you could spend your resources, such as time and effort, if you would stop wasting them on projects that passed the ‘good enough’ point.

Note : a related concept when it comes to decision-making is the concept of  satisficing , which involves trying to make decisions that are good enough given the circumstances; this is is contrasted with maximizing , which involves trying to make the best possible decision in every situation, no matter the cost.

Summary and conclusions

• Implementing the principle of good enough does not mean that you should necessarily strive to do low-quality work; rather, it means that you should clearly identify what good enough means in your particular circumstances, based on the outcomes of your work and what you’re hoping to achieve,
• If you know that you generally struggle with letting go once you reach the ‘good enough’ point, you can decide to set hard deadlines in advance, before you start working.
• Other techniques that can help you implement this principle, particularly if you’re a perfectionist, include clearly identifying what your goals should be in practice and asking yourself what you’re afraid of with regard to finishing your work at the ‘good enough’ point.

Other articles you may find interesting:

• How to Improve Your Writing: A Simple but Comprehensive Guide
• Premature Optimization: Why It's the "Root of All Evil" and How to Avoid It
• Parkinson's Law: Get More Done by Giving Yourself Less Time to Do Things

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