The basic element before starting an essay is choosing a topic. If you have been assigned a topic then you have an extra edge as you don’t have to worry about going through the process of choosing the topic which you can easily write upon and which u find interesting.

Topic given
If your topic is an overview you are ready to go to the next step, if your topic is general then you must choose a narrow subtopic to discuss.
For example, the topic “Britain” is a general one. If you are writing an overview then it is suitable otherwise conducting specific analysis you should choose something like “Britain monarchy” or “art in Britain”.

Topic not assigned
If your topic hasn’t been assigned then you have a boarder vision and unlimited choices. It may seem hard for you to choose a specific topic when your brain is going haywire boggling with all sorts of ideas. The best is to first find the purpose of your essay once you have determine that search as to where your interest lies evaluate all your ideas and then shortlist them selecting the ones you think you will write easily and with interest.

One of the best techniques that have come across recently is a four-question process. Basically, you take the four questions and write two on each side of a piece of paper. Use one piece of paper because then the white space is not so intimidating. If you think your guided brainstorming session will be successful, you may want to write each question at the top of a new piece of paper. Here are the questions:

 What possible topics do I already have experience in?
 What do I want to know more about?
 What goals do I have in life right now?
 What challenges and problems do I have right now?

And if all else fails you can search the Internet endlessly until an hour before it is due!