Write an essay about what you believe in. While the topic may seem basic, it is not a simple idea if you pour effort and originality into the composition. National Public Radio, a news agency in the United States, has a program called "This I Believe" based on a 1950s radio program of the same name. Use the essays and recorded audio of the program to help you choose a creative, genuine theme for your essay. For instance, instead of writing about a religion or a general moral value, write about the power of believing in being a good neighbor, the practice of creative writing or the daily appreciation of nature's processes, like a bee pollinating a flower. Whatever you choose to write on, be specific. Include examples, personal experiences and insight into why you believe so steadfastly in your belief.
Compose a descriptive essay going through a morning in the voice of your sense organs, such as the ears, eyes, nose, mouth or fingers. Describe how the morning routine would go from the perspective of the eyes, for example. Use the first person voice. For instance, with the sense of sight you can write "I felt a white, faint warmth on the hairs above me. I then began to blink, letting the light completely into my retina and iris, which is bright green like a fresh cut lawn." Or, if you use the sense of smell you can write "I inhaled the scent of a burned, tangy chocolate liquid brewing and the scent of freshly washed laundry tickled my hairs." Depending on the sense you choose, use descriptive language that will bring your reader into the account and produce a powerful appreciation of the sense.
Write an expository essay on research about love. An expository essay explains a subject or theme, without taking a side or stating an opinion. Direct the essay in an assortment of directions. For example, concentrate on the brain chemistry rationale for the experience of "falling in love" or how oxytocin, when released in hugs, kisses and love making, produce a chemical that brings a couple closer and can produce more monogamous behaviors. Or opt to write the essay on the historical context and use of love in ancient Roman stories or the symbolic meaning of love in 17th century German poetry. Another route is to discuss the theory of genuine love between animals, such as ant-eaters or mules. Whichever direction you take, stick to one: because the theme of love is so broad, you need to make a firm decision on one single area.
Write a narrative essay about a time in your life when you felt particularly challenged and needed to change who you were. The event may be one that happened to you in school, when you started dating, when you made a decision that differed from your friends' decision or a person in your life that affected the way you changed. Use the first person narrative voice to tell the experience. Or, opt to share the story in the third person, using she, he, they so that the story sounds like one you heard instead of experienced. Include details and the senses. For example, if you are discussing a time when you challenged your fear of jumping from diving boards, talk about the cold wet cement against the bottoms of your feet, the hair raising on your bare arms, the silvery ladder and your weight jostling the board, which felt like a plank, when you stepped up to the fear.