How to improve your writing skills First impressions have a big impact on writing. Readers should WANT to read your work, so it better make a good first impression. Make sure your essay has a purpose, good structure and is error free! Keep in mind that readers don't know what's going on in your head; make sure your ideas are clearly written. Here's acronym that can help: CAR ( conceive , author , revise ). C: Conceive Conceiving your work means looking at the big picture. It is important to generate some sort of plan before you actually put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). What is your subject? Who is your audience? What do they know about your topic? What is your take on the subject/assigned thesis? How do you intend to prove your thesis? . A: Author Using the plan you developed during the conception stage, start writing your paper. Introduction Your introduction serves many purposes, but it should rarely be longer than four to six lines. A good way to formulate an introduction is to grab the reader's attention, introduce your topic, present your opinion and briefly outline what you will be discussing. Body The body is the filling of your essay; this is where you will present your main points and back them up. Each of your body paragraphs should: Introduce the point of the paragraph. Offer proof to support your point (with references cited appropriately). Relate your point back to your thesis. Offer some