What Is the Ideal Length of an Essay?
What is the ideal length of an essay? Well, this question has about as many answers as there are people who can answer it. Some will tell you that 10 pages is the ideal length for your work. Others will say no! That’s too long, 5 pages is perfect! Still others will insist that 1-page essays are the way to go. There are many different schools of thought in the writing community about what constitutes an ideal essay length.
As is the case with most questions of opinion, the answer entirely depends on your audience. Depending on who you are aiming to convince, you may want to use a college-level 5 page essay or a basic 1-page piece. Audience is always key when it comes to creative writing, especially creative writing for public consumption!
If you’re wondering what is the ideal length for your next creative work, here are some things that might help you decide:
1) Be Honest About Your Audience’s Needs – Decide whether they have more time than attention span. Maybe your ideal audience is someone with a long attention span, laid back and easy going. In that case, a 5 page essay might be the way to go. If they have less time than you have attention, write an engaging 1 pager!
2) Be Honest About Your Content – Write as much as you need to make your point! Don’t feel like you have to write more if you don’t need it. But don’t feel like you have to hold back either. Give yourself plenty of space to prove your points and then some if needed!
3) Proofread & Edit – Nothing says “You’re not worth my time” better than a typo-filled essay about why something is awesome/terrible *cough* Donald Trump *cough*.
4) Consider Your Audience Again – Now that you’ve finished writing, read it from the perspective of your audience again. Are they still interested? Do they feel like you really had something to say? If not, consider revising your work until it captures their imagination and makes them eager for more!
5) Rinse & Repeat – For most creative works, there is no such thing as “one and done”. Yes, a single blog post could convince your audience whether or not to install solar panels. But for bigger projects like books or persuasive essays, you’re going to have to put in more work than that! Persuading people to change their minds takes time, dedication, and patience.
6) Pat Yourself on the Back – You did it! You wrote an entire essay (or whatever else it was that you needed to write)! Congratulations! Treat yourself to something nice. Maybe a nice meal out at your favorite restaurant? Or maybe some new shoes? Well, whatever it is you would buy with $500 if you had $500, go ahead and do it now! You’ve earned it.
When deciding what makes an essay length “ideal” it all comes down to your personal needs and how you can improve on them! Are you struggling with writer’s block? Need help revising a draft? Maybe editing tips would be of use to you! Or maybe you’re not sure what to write about? Consider signing up for a writing course like this one: https://www.coursera.org/learn/how-to-write-a-scientific-paper
It’s also possible that you might be struggling with more than just one of these things! It’s okay if it takes multiple tries until you figure out the perfect fit for you!
Regardless, I hope that this article was helpful in your goal of finding an ideal essay length! If so, please share us with your friends & family we would greatly appreciate it!