• By Jason Bacot
• Published 11/29/2010
• Writing

A custom essay is like a custom-tailored suit: it is designed and made specially for the customer. That said, sometimes you’ll be asked to write a custom essay and be provided with numerous, detailed guidelines, a suggested point of view, and keywords and concepts that must be included. Other times, you may simply be given a topic and no other guidelines. Regardless of how detailed your instructions are, you must keep the customer (or your instructor) in mind throughout the writing process. This means that, unless you’ve been instructed to write a highly opinionated piece, you should make yourself as a writer “disappear” from the content. This may mean setting aside your own point of view in order to deliver what the custom essay demands. The first step when you’ve been assigned to write a custom essay is to take stock of what you know about the assignment. You can make a start by answering these questions: 1. If you’ve been given a title, great! But if not, what will you use as your working title (which you can change later if necessary)? 2. How long is the custom essay supposed to be? If you don’t know, ask. 3. Are you expected to take a certain point of view? 4. Are specific resources for your research given, or will you find resources on your own?

5. What keywords, phrases, and concepts are expected in the fin

al product? Once you’ve answered these questions, it’s time to get started. Of your assigned word length, delegate 10 to 20% to introductory and concluding remarks. The other 80 to 90% is where the “meat” of the essay will be. Aim to cover three to five main points within the heart of your essay, and try to devote around 100 words to each of those points. That’s not a lot of words, but with the exception of scholarly essays, most essays are fairly short, usually under 1,000 words. When you have your draft done, it’s fine to have your word processing program do a grammar and spell check, but then you have to go back and catch the errors it doesn’t. You also need to reread your essay to ensure that it flows well and your statements are laid out logically. Before turning in your essay, the last critical step is to reread the specifications you were given and make sure you met all of them. If you were asked to include specific keywords and phrases, use your word processor’s “Find” function to make sure they are all there. If you find any specifications you didn’t meet, go back and edit your essay so that it’s completely up to par before sending it off.

Writing a custom essay takes initiative, but it helps to read your instructions thoroughly, and ask questions if necessary. Research, writing, proofreading, editing, and finalizing are the steps that get you from facing a blank screen to having a satisfied instructor or customer.