Far from inducing a series of yawns, a good essay grabs the reader's
             attention and leaves him or her satisfied, even changed. Through an essay,
             a writer can impart his or her ideas in an organized, structured,
             straightforward format. Although some opinions may be imparted through an
             essay, generally they are strongly supported by facts and evidence. The
             best essays inform readers about a specific topic while focusing on a
             strong central idea, or thesis. Because so many academic essays can too
             often be boring, writing an essay that is genuinely enjoyable to read
             requires a good deal of patience, planning, and practice. Moreover, essays
             can be about any topic and can be written in a variety of formats and
             styles; therefore, it would be impossible to provide guidelines for a
             universally good essay. For example, an essay about biology will look and
             feel totally different from an essay on political philosophy. Some essays
             are short, some are long; some are technical and involved, others are
             simple. Essays can be persuasive, argumentative, or informative. Regardless
             of the topic or approach, however, all good essays remain focused on the
             topic at hand. They must also be formatted, organized, and structured. Most
             good essays are also as concise and clear as possible; they do not include
             extraneous information or irrelevant data. Finally, a good essay is well-
             written, with proper grammar, punctuation, spelling and composition.
             Many essays follow a specific format and include an introduction,
             body, and conclusion. The introduction should begin with a dynamic opening
             sentence so that the reader becomes instantly engaged. Background
             information and reasons for discussing the topic can be included in the
             introduction, as well as an outline of what ideas will be discussed in the
             body of the paper. The introduction often ends with the thesis sentence,
             which concisely summarizes the main poin...