{"id":3634,"date":"2016-06-27T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/?p=3634"},"modified":"2019-03-17T08:04:15","modified_gmt":"2019-03-17T15:04:15","slug":"explanatory-essay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/explanatory-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write an Explanatory Essay That Explains It All"},"content":{"rendered":"

Any reader of some or all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle\u2019s 60 Sherlock Holmes detective stories knows the author follows a certain formula.<\/p>\n

First, a stranger visits Detective Holmes and his sidekick Watson, presenting them with a mysterious criminal quandary. Then Holmes and Watson visit the scene of the crime where Holmes is able to come up with a hypothesis.<\/p>\n

Watson doesn\u2019t fully understand the theory, but he follows Holmes throughout the investigation to see if he can prove it.<\/p>\n

As the investigation progresses, Watson and other detectives fumble about, while Holmes is able to discover, analyze, and piece together certain elements that lead to the correct conclusion.<\/p>\n

In the end, Holmes is proven right, but still has to explain it all to Watson, who is left awestruck by the great detective\u2019s unsurpassed intuition.<\/p>\n

It turns out, a classic Sherlock Holmes story has a lot in common with an explanatory essay.<\/p>\n

In this example, you, the essay writer, are Sherlock, coming up with a hypothesis, finding evidence and clues, and explaining it all to Watson, your reader, in a clear and concise way that he can understand.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s go on an adventure to discover how to write an explanatory essay that, like Sherlock Holmes, explains it all.<\/p>\n

Brainstorm<\/h2>\n

Detective Holmes approaches each case with a blank mind, allowing him to come up with a theory uninfluenced by preconceived notions. I encourage you to approach the brainstorming<\/a> phase of your writing project with a similar openness.<\/p>\n

When I\u2019m looking for a good topic<\/a> for an explanatory essay, I like to find the right balance between what I already know and what I want to learn. It’s hard to write an essay meant to explain something in detail if you’re starting from scratch.<\/p>\n

For example, I would never try to write an explanatory essay on how to be a detective of an actual crime. I know nothing outside of what I\u2019ve seen on True Detective<\/em>. I\u2019m not sure that qualifies as a reliable source.<\/p>\n

If you know nothing about a subject, it’s probably better to explore it in your free time than to choose it for an essay topic.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, I would also advise you to avoid choosing a subject you already know everything about. For example, if you’re an actual detective, you could probably write a good explanatory essay on how to solve crimes. You’re unlikely to learn anything new in the process, though.<\/p>\n

And if you aren\u2019t learning something along the way, then what\u2019s this all for?<\/p>\n

Sometimes, you’ll be given a prompt<\/a> to follow when writing your explanatory essay. In those instances, you won\u2019t need to brainstorm a topic.<\/p>\n

If you’re not given a prompt, then you need to come up with an idea on your own. Feeling stumped? Explore some example expository essays to get a feel for what a good topic might look like fleshed out into a full paper. Try these to get started:<\/p>\n