My professor asked us to interview someone and then write an essay about that person. The problem is that now I have no idea on how to start my essay. Can someone help me!! :( :confused:

You need a theme to construct the essay around and something interesting about the person to start with. But first think about what you want to show about them. For example, if they have changed a lot, you might want to emphasize how they have changed or matured over a certain amount of time. Or if they have an unusual characteristic. The first paragraph should be compelling, something unusually interesting. Read the first paragraphs of some profiles in People or the New Yorker. Just read a few "leads" (first paragraphs) to get a sense of how it's done. Then try to write one yourself. Don't worry if your lead is no good at first. Just keep writing.

The best writers just put "bad words on paper." When you have a rough draft you can go back and try to make the lead better and any other parts you arent' happy with. The important thing is to have a theme and to get a draft roughed out.

Good luck!

Thank you biology expert I appreciate you helping me

You are welcome! I hope it helps. Have you started writing?
That's the hardest part. ;)

(I am a professional writer and editor.)

Oooh I see ;)... not yet... I don't know what happened I went blank :( this is sooo hard for me

Just start. Write anything that comes into your head and keep writing for 20 minutes. See if that gets you started. If not, try again in the morning...
You can do this. Don't forget to read some lead paragraphs to give you a sense of how people write profiles.

Here's a lead from Salon.com. The writing there is good. I couldn't find anything at people. I don't know what kind of profile you are writing. Maybe not political like this, but you can see how the writer has created interest in the person he's going to talk about.


Oct. 16, 2007 | For some, it can be tempting to lay the blame for the Iraq war at the feet of a small, disingenuous neoconservative cabal. In reality, the debacle was a collective effort, involving legions of people, some dishonest, others well-intentioned. But there is one man, still obscure, whose claim to being the prime mover in the selling of the war is at least as strong as that of any Beltway hawk, and whose agenda was wholly personal, not political.

How Curveball started the Iraq war | Salon Books (http://www.salon.com/books/int/2007/10/16/curveball/)

My essay is on this guy... he is a soldier.. he lives in saudi arabia.. I need to write verything I saw about him... I need to also write the answers to the interview questions as an essay and not let my reader know it was an interview... I don't know if I'm explaining myself correctly. :( I need to turn in a rough draft tomorrow and I have nothing.. I did every single essay before with no problem and as soon as I got to this one I went blank... I read the leads you told me but I only got one sentence and I think I'm not supposed to start like that

Hi, mgtz83!

I do have a couple of questions for you, and that would be what type of essay is it that you are supposed to write, please? Are there any other, specific instructions that you were given by your professor besides the ones that you've already shared here?

Thanks!

The essay is a writing profiles essay... and some other instructions are not to include myself in the essay or if I do not to do so a lot. And to do this in a frame or framing way.. can't remember the exact word...

Start with a zinger -- an attention-getting question perhaps. "Did you know that..."

Thanks!

Your rough draft is just that, a rough draft. The problem is that it's due tomorrow. (Today?)

I would keep the subject simple and not something that would be very complex.

You could interview me. I'm a professional musician as well as into a lot of other things as a profession.

Is music something in which you're interested? If you are, then coming up with the questions might be something that would be easy for you to do.

If you just write the questions that you might ask of a musician, then that might suffice as far as a rough draft as to what you are needing to do. I have provided a start for you, below.

I can't volunteer Asking. But, maybe Asking might also be willing to be interviewed?

You're receiving some "live" help here like you won't find on most other sites.

You might like to title your essay, "Profile of a Professional Musician", if you were to interview me.

You could then start it with something like, "This paper will profile [Name] who is a professional musician. Examined will be qualities that [Name] exhibits that make him a performer and leader of people in music.

Then, you could list the questions that you might ask.

If a rough draft, then I'm sure that nothing needs to be "written in stone" at this point.

Thanks!

Clough, I'm pretty sure the OP already has someone they interviewed--the person in iraq, and it's probably better to stick with plan A at this point.

For some reason this essay is harder to write than some others mgtz83 has done. It's a form of writers block. The solution is painful, to just start writing even though the essay doesn't seem good enough. Some of the best writers in the world have to go through this.

MGTz83, I hope you are writing. :)

MGTz83, I hope you are writing. :)
What scares me more than anything is that this assignment is down to the wire in getting finished. I too hope mgtz83 is on top of things.

Hi... its me again... well I did start with something but for some reason I'm having trouble putting things in order. I start wth something them at the middle of my essay I'm like no! This other thing should go first. So I've been struggling with that. I'll just leave it like that and have it edited by my classmates and professor and see what suggestions they have. Thank you all for the help!

Congratulations! Glad to hear you were able to finish a draft. Structuring an essay is often hard. Hope the editing goes well and glad we could all help a little.

Yes I'm glad too hehe.. pad myself in the back...

I'm glad too that you were able to get something done, mgtz83! :)