What Is A Reflective Essay
A reflective essay describes the writer’s feelings and experiences of anything that they’ve gone through. It is intended to encourage the reader to feel it similarly because it mirrors the writer’s perspective.
The writer must explain the event and how it influenced their life experiences and thoughts.
Reflection essays are the kind of writings that appear to be both simple and difficult to write simultaneously. So said, reflective essays are a critical evaluation of a life experience, and they aren’t tough to write if you have the correct guidance. A reflective essay example can be easily found on the internet, and it is just like a diary entry, except that others will read it, so it must be well-structured. In that sense, a reflective essay is similar to any other essay.
People sometimes confuse it with narrative essays; a narrative essay is not the same as a reflective essay. It demonstrates how you went through events of your life and their influence on your growth, rather than simply presenting the story. A narrative essay is different as it focuses solely on telling a tale; as a result.
In this blog, we’ll go through every aspect of a reflective essay.
How Can We Write A Reflective Essay?
These are the simple steps to write a reflective essay, also known as a reflective paper.
- Come up with the best reflective essay topic
If you haven’t been allocated a topic and don’t know what to write on, look through the list over the internet for ideas. Choosing an issue is the first part of writing a superb reflective essay, so try your hardest to choose the best one.
- Study the topic in detail
For the topic you have chosen, study in-depth and do research; if necessary, spend a few minutes thinking about or reliving your subject.
- Have a brainstorming session
Make a list of everything that comes to mind about your topic because you have to describe this subject as much as possible. For assistance, look for words that describe what you’re feeling. These can be written in sentences or phrases.
- Picking the refection questions
It would benefit you if you never skip this section; question yourself about certain things to answer them later in the essay.
- Respond to the questions you’ve chosen
After you’ve prepared your questions, respond to them. It does not have to be in the form of a formal essay or perfect phrases. You have to write down as many thoughts as possible.
For assistance, here are reflective paper example questions that most writers focus on;
- What did I notice this time? – “The sound of birds and families talking to one another gives the feeling of life, couples were walking together, hand in hand which gave the feeling of love. Sand crabs were hiding in the holes in the sand as the parents were playing in the sand with their kids.”
- What impact did the beach have on my life? – “The beach is my happy place from the beginning, and I love going there from the start. I recall feeling calmed by the waves when I was going through the ups and downs of growing up. It’s comforting to know that there’s always something to which I can look forward. It’s important to remember that both laughter and tears are a part of everyone’s lives. Also, the waves encouraged me to trust in God.”
- Determine the Importance of Your Experience
It would help if you first decide on the essential lesson you gained from this experience before writing your essay. So, the thesis of your paper will be the “most crucial thing.”
How To Start Writing A Reflective Essay
It may seem unusual, but planning determines the effectiveness of an essay before writing it. Unfortunately, many students disregard the prewriting part as a waste of time and skip it altogether. As a result, they become exhausted when writing it and work ineffectively.
It is recommended to set aside some time to plan and prepare for the writing process and the elements you will include in your reflective essay.
Here are the actions you should take to start writing a good reflective paper.
Please do not work on your essay until the night before it is due. You may believe that you will complete your essay correctly, but this will not help you receive a good grade. Instead, start your essay early so you can easily meet the deadline.
A good topic is the first step of writing a good essay. Browse the internet and make a mind map of all the linked essay themes and write down the main subject or issue you wish to write about. If the essay topic is decent and written in a well-structured way, you can get good grades.
- Gathering Information and Conducting Research
When you’re done with the topic, it’s time to study and collect all important data. It does not require much research, but the writer should always back up statements or thoughts with reputable references.
It will increase your credibility and show your teacher that you are not making false claims.
- Organize Your Research Material
Gather all of your research materials for your essay and organize them. Rather than simply adding them to your writing, choose which sources are important to the content of your paper and stick to them.
- Make a rough reflective essay outline
Make a clear outline of the essay before writing. Then, to each part, add the relevant points you want to include. Finally, stick to a few more crucial and closely related ideas and arguments instead of going into too much detail.
Making an essay outline will help you focus and stay within the essay’s word limit by limiting your stream of thought.
What Is The Reflective Writing Structure
Many people are confused about the reflection papers format, here it is;
Reflective essays have an “introduction” at the start in which the speaker explains the topic of the paper deeply, either directly or indirectly.
The reflective essay’s “body” explains how the writer has grown or what they have learned. It also discusses what influenced the writer’s decision to change.
A strong reflective writer will describe the change and provide examples to back it up. For instance, if a writer mentions growing more optimistic in life, what caused this transformation should be included, such as discussing an occurrence in which the writer used a positive approach to resolving an issue.
The writer summarizes how they have changed or the impact of those changes in the “conclusion” of a reflective essay. The writer may also look forward or backward. If the writer is looking ahead, they discuss how the events in the writing piece will affect them in the future. Most of the time, the writer compares past and future selves to highlight the effects.
It is the reflection essay structure that every writer follows.
EXAMPLES OF REFLECTIVE ESSAY TOPICS
There can be various topics, but it should be one that must be related to the writer’s experience. Therefore, we have gathered some of the topics to help you:
- The feelings you had when meeting a family member after several years.
- It was a pleasant surprise.
- The best Christmas ever.
- Your zoo trip.
- Obtaining a new position.
- The best trip of your life.
How To Write A Reflective Essay Introduction?
Writing an introduction while writing reflection essays is the most asked question as an introduction is the opening of the paper, and it helps your writing piece be a hit or a miss.
In the introduction, the writer should give a detailed picture of the topic and explain a bit of their experience directly or indirectly. Unfortunately, many well-known essayists may be shifty regarding their principal theme or the aspect of their lives on which they will concentrate. But it is crucial to keep the interest of your reader.
By focusing on them, you can give a good start on your essay.
An Example Reflective Essay
Here is a sample reflective essay for assistance:
My Favorite Book
When it comes to literature, I’m not sure what the allure is. I’d read a book one after the other. However, it was as if my literary eyes were opened for the first time when I read Pride and Prejudice. It sparked a passion for classics in me that I had no idea existed. When the teacher assigned the reading of this book, I internally assessed how much time I’d need to read the book and write a report. I sighed at the thought of missing out on time with my friends.
I started reading, and I was ready to give up by the time I got to page 3. However, there was something about the characters that caught my interest subtly. I’m not sure where it happened, but instead of slogging along, my eyes gulped the pages somewhere along the route.
I felt pleased and disappointed at the same time when I reached the finish. The conclusion was flawless, yet I realized I would miss the characters.
Tips To Write Your Reflective Essay
Here are a few easy tips that will help you write a good and engaging reflective essay:
- Plan your writing.
- Do deep study.
- Write module by module.
- Include your experience but in an engaging way.
- Do it in a peaceful place.
- Do not switch to another task while writing.
- Take feedback on your essay from others.
- Try to learn from your mistakes.
For more writing samples, you can visit the Uk Assignments Help website.
