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How to Write a Profile Essay

Jordan Garrett793 10-Apr-2019

How to Write a Profile Essay


Let’s suppose that you have just arrived from a really exciting holiday in Europe. You spent the whole month travelling from country to country, you visited such cities as Rome, Venice, Athens, Paris, and Berlin. But most of your friends and relatives have never been to these cities. That is why they ask you to tell about every single place that you visited, with all possible details and explanations. They ask you such questions as what, where, why, when, how, how much, how long, and how many. The head-spinning situation, isn’t it? In order to satisfy their interest, you turn on your computer and start writing an essay which would cover everything your friends need to know about the journey. Well, that would be a profile essay. Therefore, since you have some general ideas of what a profile essay is, it is important to understand how to write a profile essay if you have never done this before.

First of all, what is the point of writing profile essays? A lot of people ask this question because without the precise realization of the purpose they cannot proceed their writing. Thus, the main purpose of a profile essay is to give your readers a comprehensive, complete description of the subject (for example, event, person, or place, you can read about it in detail on writingcheap.com ). Since the size of a profile essay is limited, a writer should select and describe only those details which would make the picture more vivid and clear. In other words, write only those details which would provide your readers with a glimpse of the subject. This, probably, is the hardest part. Many writers fall into the temptation to write as much as they know, but all of these details rather confuse than clarify. Consider reading good poetry in order to learn how to write only necessary facts and words. Since a poet is limited both to size and form of the poem, he or she must select accurate words and metaphors so that a minimal amount of words could communicate maximum of ideas. Be kind of a poet while writing a profile essay.

Secondly, who is going to read your profile essay? Or, where will you publish your text? Most often, profile essays are published in magazines and websites. The best profile essays are to be found on Guardian, The New Yorker, and Esquire. Readers of these magazines want to be both informed and entertained, and they expect the content of high quality. Thus, if you want to improve your writing, read other good profile essays. Learning from others’ experience is the best and the most reliable way of self-development. Try to understand how did the author compose the text, what words did he or she select to describe the subject, how did he or she combine different parts of the essay. Choose several profile essays and try to analyze them as a scientist. Make a dissection of the text to see how it was made, and then write your own profile essay according to the methodology of the best writers. Moreover, it is very important to keep in mind those people who are going to read your text while you still writing it. Always be engaged in an imaginary dialogue with your readers during your work. Take the trouble to predict their questions and reactions on your essay. Imagine somebody saying ‘so what?’ or ‘do you really mean that…’. This exercise will help you to escape vague descriptions and unclear transitions between paragraphs. Always think whether the information you are referring to is a well-known fact, or you have to explain what do you mean. In other words, be simple and profound at the same time. The best profile essay might grasp a teenager’s attention as well as an adult’s one. Your aim is not to demonstrate your education and scholarship, but to inform and entertain your reader, regardless of their age and capacities.

Thirdly, what is the structure of a profile essay? There are no strict rules with respect to the structure, but common sense suggests that there must be an introduction, body paragraph, and conclusion. Nevertheless, do not think that this structure is too easy. Good profile essays are always marked by structural flawlessness and simplicity. First of all, you have to intrigue your reader in the introduction. Make he or she be interested in the very first sentences of your profile essay. Ask questions, provoke thoughts, make a reader reason so that he or she will be obliged to read your text to the end. For example, you are writing about your trip to Europe. Ask your reader to imagine his or her perfect holidays. Suggest imagining old ancient city which is full of historic artefacts and monuments. Ask what do they feel about it. And just after that introduce your theme. As soon as your readers have engaged the process of dreaming, make them think about real cities which are about to be described in the profile essay. Further, you have to satisfy readers’ expectations. Write exactly what you have promised. Support your initial claims and thesis statement. Be consecutive. And, finally, briefly summarize everything you said previously in order to remind your reader some important ideas of your essay. By doing so you will write a really good profile essay.

In conclusion, now you know how to write a profile essay. Of course, writing profile essays is not an easy task because there are so many details which you should remember about. Nevertheless, it is absolutely possible to improve your writing. The best way to learn is to read and analyze other great profile essays. A writer who cares about his or her readers will necessarily write an excellent text.



Updated 04-Mar-2020

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