Mastering The 300 Word Essay: Writing and Editing Tips

Most in-class writing assignments students see is the 300 words essay. This is because the prompts are straightforward, deal with a personal topic that does not require research, and can be organized and written within an hour. From the moment you reach middle school, you will have to do dozens of these and will have seen more than one 300 word essay example. It’s good to keep a few of these around so that you can get a better sense for its structure and its flow of a well-written short piece like this.

How to Write a 300 Word Essay: The Basics

1. Stick to the rules! Read and re-read the requirements carefully. If the prompt says 300 word essay limit, don’t think there is any gray area with which to work. Aim for 300 words exactly.
2. Always brainstorm for a few minutes and then create an outline. Pick 2 – 3 important points to bring up in the essay body, and consider a straightforward approach of communicating ideas.
3. Unless your writing is timed (e.g., on a test), you should leave sufficient time for revision. Put your paper away for a few days or at least a couple of hours. This allows for a fresh approach.
4. Don’t be overly academic or serious. Most of the time your audience will have to read hundreds of essays per day. It’s easier to stand apart by writing about something unique and off-kilter.
5. Avoid clichés at all costs. Your writing should reveal something about yourself and not be a piece that just anybody could have written if they happened to choose the same topic. Be original.

How Long Is A 300 Word Essay?

One of the questions we hear a lot is “How many pages is a 300 word essay?” Usually, it’s one page. It depends on the spacing between the lines. The 300 word essay format doesn’t allow for tangents. You must stay focused and ensure every word you use counts. You may benefit from practicing a little creative writing, where you eliminate words and phrases that “tell” but don’t “show.” Obviously, this will come more naturally to those who have studied literature or have pursued some kind of personal writing – but with solid revising, editing, and proofreading you should be able to condense your writing so that you fall below the maximum word count. Adjectives and adverbs are great modifiers that can help bring your writing to life, so don’t be afraid to use a dictionary or thesaurus while keeping your eyes out for a more clear and concise way of expressing yourself.

The 300 Word Scholarship Essay

The scholarship or grant application essay gives you the opportunity to introduce yourself and show a review committee why you would make the best recipient for a specific monetary award. It’s persuasive writing with much of your personality thrown in. It’s a way of making you stand apart from other applicants in a matter of a few minutes.

The 300 Word Article Assignment

A 300 word paper is something that is usually meant for publication digitally on the web or in a physically in a print magazine, newspaper, or journal. Similar to the question above, the answer to “300 word essay how many pages?” is that it doesn’t matter. Each publication will have its own design and format rules and will apply an approved piece in whatever way is possible to maintain flow. Just be sure you follow the precise rules and you can submit articles to your favorite publications in any subject.

The Short Narrative Essay on Something Personal

So far, we’ve discussed using a simple 3 paragraph format to structure your essay. But when it comes to 300 word stories you might want to try something different. Applying a 300 word paragraph or 2 – 150 word paragraphs perhaps is a better approach if your piece is addressing a single component (i.e., not a multiple part question) and the material stays on a single track. You find this in a lot of narrative pieces that are chronological in nature and don’t have many parts to the story. It can be a bit tricky and you might still want to use a 3 paragraph format to arrange your assignment – but you should always look towards trying something new and evaluating its effect.

The Short Argumentative Essay on a Piece of Writing

Writing a persuasive short essay about another piece of writing (e.g. literature, science, history, etc.) is common. Parameters of rubrics for grading vary – but our focus will be on writing an argumentative assignment on select 300 word poems. No matter how the poem you choose is organized you should plan to dedicate a paragraph each to the beginning, middle, and paragraph each to the beginning, middle, and end of the poem.

15 Thought-Provoking Short Essay Topics

The following topics can be used to inspire you to write for any of the assignments described above. What is most important is that you remember that you’re given a lot of freedom when doing a short essay like this, so have fun with it and create something memorable.

• If you could bring any celebrity back to life, who would it be and why?
• Why don’t dogs and cats get along? Which of the two do you prefer?
• Describe your favorite family tradition and give the history for its origins.
• Describe an academic subject you enjoy and talk about how it impacts your personal life
• If you had the opportunity to play a professional sport what would it be?
• Is it a bigger accomplishment to win a Pro League Championship or an Olympic Gold Medal?
• Would you bypass a college education if it meant starting your dream career early?
• Describe a piece of art that you feel inspired by and want to tell others about.
• If you were to reference your biggest disappointment, what do you want readers to know?
• What do you believe to be your creative side? Is it artistic, professional, thought-process, etc.?
• In what ways have you positively impacted your community, place of worship, or school?
• Describe a relationship that you have had with someone who inspires you to excel?
• If you could have starred in any movie from the last decade, which would it be and why?
• What has been an experience that has changed or challenged your perspective of people?
• Who is your biggest hero or heroine? Is the personal fictional, historical, or familial?

This kind of writing is really fun to do – and even though it’s easy to hit the word count you must be careful that you stay within the requirements. Read a few short essay examples until you get a feel for how an assignment like this should be structured and formatted. There isn’t a lot of room for you to digress and go off on tangents, so you need to learn how to maximize the punch in your writing. Hire a professional service to give you a 300 word essay sample on your topic which you can use for reference. It’ll make the process much easier for you and you’ll get to see exactly what it takes to create an excellent and memorable piece.