What Makes Essays Similar & Different from Other Writing Forms?

Essay-writing is something to dread about in schools. In fact, most students hate it because of the sheer amount of work he/she has to put in. It’s such a drag! Unfortunately, you cannot escape them unless you want to intentionally fail your academics.

Besides, aren’t research papers, news articles, essays… all the same? Sorry to burst your bubble, but they are completely different. For the curious student out there, let’s compare and contrast essays with each writing form:

Creative Writing (Ex: Stories) vs. Essays

Creative writing

Creative writing is used to entertain and appeal to the imagination of the author’s readers. It is more artistic as opposed to essay writing. The use of vivid language is essential to paint a mental picture in your audience’s mind.

In creative writing, you can:

• Build worlds
• Create characters
• Develop out-of-this-world stories

You don’t need a parenthetical citation or a reference page, just let your imagination run wild!

Essays

Generally speaking, essays are more technical. They cater to the intellect of the reader, instead of his/her artistic side. Logic plays a significant role in producing a powerful essay. Moreover, “conducting” internal debates are a norm in school essays. For example, it is a requirement to provide a counterargument to your main argument in persuasive essays.

Also, it’s common to see the following signal phrases in an essay:

• “According to…”
• “In my opinion…”
• “As stated by…”

Parenthetical citations are also a common sight in essay writing. Of course, another signature trait of this particular form of writing is the reference page. Failure to document your sources in your essay is considered as plagiarism.

Essays vs. News reports

News reports

News reports are more focused on delivering facts to its readers. Its target audience is the general public.

The objective of a news report is to update your readers about current events neutrally. It means that a reporter must extract information from various sources who hold different perspectives on the issue at hand.

Let’s look at the structure of a news report:

• Attention-grabbing headline
• Lead (The “what”)
• Details of the report (Context, recent developments, expert’s opinion, and etc.)

Try to search for news articles online. News are structured in a way to make it readable and engaging to the audience. As a matter of fact, it is okay to write a one-sentence paragraph for news articles. Style-wise, news writers don’t use first-person pronouns or even “the reporter”.

You don’t need to add your opinion. Actually, you stay out of it.

Essays

In essays, the target audience is often the instructor. The rationale is to teach you how to organize your thoughts and put them on paper logically. Essays are grounded on facts, but it also allows you to form your own opinion (situational). For example, a teacher might ask you, “What is your favorite scene in the movie Les Miserables? Why?”

On the other hand, let’s examine the structure of an essay:

• Introduction (includes the thesis statement)
• Body
• Conclusion

You will not see a thesis statement in news reports. In the body, there are:

• Topic sentences
• Examples
• Evidence
• Concluding sentences

It would definitely bore the reader if a news report is formatted like a school essay. In essays, one paragraph has to contain at least three to five sentences. It can be written in first person or third person point of view. Like creative writing and news articles, essays have to be engaging to the reader as well.

Theses vs. Essays

Theses

It is part of the college or high school endgame — a typical requirement for senior students. When you write your own thesis, you are required to do the following:

• Contribute new perspectives to your field of study
• Conduct interviews or surveys
• Do a data analysis
• Form conclusions based on your data
• Offer recommendations

Hence, it is not surprising to draft more than 20 pages of text in a thesis. You are own boss in thesis writing, as you have the privilege to choose your own topic, scope and limitations, framework, and etc. Although it is acknowledged that a thesis coordinator may occasionally help you in drafting your thesis.

Essays

Fortunately, you don’t need to interview someone or survey a group of people for your essay. Instead, here are the tasks you need to do in essay-writing:

• Write an opinion (Depending on the requirements)
• Persuade your reader
• Demonstrate your ability to write clearly

Supporting your claims with evidence and researching relevant materials are the common denominator of essays, research papers, and theses. Bear in mind that the last two writing forms are written in the first person.

On the other hand, the length of your essay may depend on your teacher’s requirements. It can be one-page or a two-page essay. Truth be told, the ball is in your instructor’s court.

Research Papers vs. Essays

Research papers

Research papers are more comprehensive than essays. Interestingly, the Suny Empire State College defines it as,

| “… an expanded essay that presents your own interpretation or evaluation or argument.”

Here’s why:

• There’s more room for you to explore the topic. Hence, intensive research is required to fully understand your subject matter.
• It means that you have to read numerous sources and be an expert on your own topic.
• Sometimes, the main topic can branch into multiple sub-topics.

Not only does a research paper improves your analytical and writing skills, but it also builds up your current knowledge about the topic.

Essays

According to the Suny Empire State College, essays enable you to use everything you know about the subject. There’s also research involved, but you are not obligated to comprehensively understand the topic.

Final notes

Let’s have a short recap on what makes an essay similar and different from other writing forms:

• Essay-writing is part of academic life, and are essential for learning.
• Essays, along with theses and researches, are more technical than creative writing.
• Like creative writing and news reporting, they have to be engaging.
• It allows you to voice your opinion.
• It follows the introduction, body, and conclusion template.
• Academic essays must contain high-quality resources.
• The author uses only what he/she knows about the topic.

Essays are the building blocks of academic life. It’s not always about obtaining high grades or fulfilling your professor’s requirements, but it’s also to acquire the necessary skills needed for the future. Such skills include writing, logical thinking, analysis, and more. By the end of the day, it is up to you if you choose to appreciate the art of essay writing or not.