How to Start a Reflective Essay

How to Start a Reflective Essay

Amongst a great variety of essays, a reflective essay seems to be the easiest but really interesting to write. This is a very personal piece of writing, which is mainly focused on your own self. A writer should write a narrative about some event and/or people in his life that made a meaningful impact on his/her.

One may select among different themes. Thus, you may choose to write about celebration, parties, some sad moments, traveling, a visit to a museum and so on. Any rubric is allowed if you can compose a captivating story, which reflects your true feelings that mean a lot to you. In rare occasions, students write about other people and their feelings.

We strongly believe that a good start makes half of the whole success. All the next parts directly depend on it. Therefore, this guide will focus on the way you should begin this assignment type.

Reflective Essay Definition

Firstly, we would like to define the meaning of this paper type. What is a reflective essay? This is a reflection on your own personality, places you’ve visited, people you’ve interacted with, and various experiences that affected your way of life and world view.

You are welcome to write about any topic. You should say what and when happened with you, describe how and why it influenced you. For example, you may write about a visit to a zoo or if you’ve ever been to safari. You may describe a big elephant or classify different kinds of animals you’ve seen. After that, tell why you have memorized this event.

As you can see, this is not a scientific research. This is a description of your inner developments. This is an interesting and sometimes challenging assignment because not all are able to reveal their true feelings.

Reflective Essay Outline

As this essay is not a scientific project, you may wish to jump right into writing. Nonetheless, we do not recommend it. First of all, you need a proper plan.

A good outline is needed to see the picture big. It shows what steps you are supposed to undertake and their sequence. An outline sample for your reflective paper looks like this:

  • Title.
  • Introduction.
  • A thesis statement.
  • Main plot.
  • Introduction.
  • Reference list.

This is a standard example of any school, college, and/or university. It is commonly taught in every English class. If you have no time to craft it on your own, use online assistance. Any cheap essay writing service is able to provide you with it. In the meanwhile, we would like to continue. Shall we?

Reflective Essay Topic

The next stage of your writing process is to select a topic. Mind that it has a direct connection to the introduction section. You will not be able to compose it because you will not know what discloses your assignment.

As it has been already mentioned before, you are free to select any theme you wish. Shooting high, you may write about some philosophic thoughts and ideas you’ve received after a certain event or meeting with a person.

Nonetheless, most students look for some easier topics like “My favorite family tradition” or “The most memorable trip”. All you should know that your topic ought to be interesting and reveal something special about you. Describe what makes you happy or sad, who or what can raise your spirits, drag you out of depression, or that person had a strong influence on the shaping of your worldviews.

Reflective Essay Introduction

Only after you have a plan, select a topic, define your writing style, you should write the intro. Of course, you are not obligated to strictly follow the plan. Many folks begin with a conclusion or main plot and then return to the beginning. Nonetheless, such sequence may confuse.

Now, the time has come to talk more about the introduction writing. What makes a good introduction? It possesses the hook and a thesis statement. Let’s dig deeper into details.

You need to use a writing technique called “hook”. Its main objective is to grab the attention of your readers. Your introduction ought to be catchy. Otherwise, your readers will refuse to read your research. Try to make it really interesting. However, you should not spend too many sentences because the introduction is a single paragraph, which consists of three or five sentences.

Your essay may begin with something funny or very serious. For example, you may write: “Once we went on a trip with my friends and it pictured on my memory forever. This is was a frightening experience when I learned the real value of life. I have merely died due to an accident.” This is a really intriguing beginning.

The last sentence is your thesis. It may be like this “I know for sure that human life is the most important thing for everybody and a pure accident gave me the best lesson”. This is a brief statement, which shows your main purpose and explains to your readers what you are going to write about.

After you are through with this important stage, go to the main body and then, the conclusion. Mind that these parts are the logical continuations of your introductory section. The main body develops your main claim. Retell the full story and use some good descriptions so that your readers could feel as if they have been there together with you.

The conclusion is another short paragraph. It may contain from three to five sentences. Therefore, make a brief summary of the whole story. It is remarkable that it is dependent on the introduction. You should restate the thesis statement to remind your main purpose. Use the details from your intro, show how your main concept evolved during the narration. In the end, interpret the outcomes and tell what they mean to you.

Memorize these tips and recommendations for your personal reflective assignment. They are useful and will help to craft an impressive introduction to catch the attention of your readers. Use cheap essay writing service if you feel stuck to craft a quality work.

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Angelina Bennett

Angelina Bennett is a college adventurer, shopaholic and dreamer. She has, perhaps, the widest circle of offline friends, but despises aggressive online presence. “Be true” is her motto. She explains her life philosophy in her personal blog at CheapEssay.net – a website for international students.

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