Your choice of topic is extremely important.
An essay is an answer to a question, and choosing the proper question to answer is arguably the hardest part of writing an essay.
You must choose a topic that is important to you. This should be formulated as a question that you want to answer.
Phrasing your topic as a question is important because it helps organize your thoughts toward the goal of answering the question.
Perhaps your instructor has provided you with a list of topics, and you think you are off the hook.
Unfortunately, you’re not. You still have to determine how to write about one of those topics in a manner that is compelling to you.
It’s a moral, spiritual endeavour. Choose a topic or an approach that speaks to your soul.
If you properly identify something of interest to you, then you have put yourself in alignment with the deeper levels of your psyche, your spirit. If these deeper levels do not want or need an answer to the question you have posed, you will not possibly be interested in it. So the fact of your interest is evidence of the importance of the topic. You, or some part of you, needs the answer – and such needs can be deep enough so that life itself can depend upon them.
It is extremely important to ensure your topic is lined up with these deeper parts of your mind. This interest is what will motivate you to do a good job of writing and editing.
Don’t waste your time with ideas that do not grip you.
If you can’t find a way to become interested in a topic, it’s possible that you need to read more. If you’re experiencing this feeling consistently, it might be worth considering whether you are pursuing the wrong field of study.
There is no such thing as reader’s block. If you can’t write, it is because you have nothing to say. You have no ideas. In such a situation, don’t pride yourself on your writer’s block. Read something. If that doesn’t work, read something else – maybe something better. Repeat until the problem is solved.
You can begin the process of choosing a topic in two ways.
List the topics you have been assigned (or list ten or so questions that you might want to answer if you are required to choose your own topic).
Start creating your reading list.
If you think you can already identify several potential topics of interest, start with topics. If you are unsure, then start constructing your reading list.
If you can’t do this, then you have to do some more reading (which you will likely have to do to complete the essay anyway, so don’t fret).
When you have listed your topics of interest, the last step is to choose one.