[header] How to avoid common essay mistakes [title] Choose a topic with appropriate scope. [step] Sometimes a topic will be assigned to you, but if that is not the case, you must select your own topic for the essay. You might be inclined to choose a topic that is overly broad or too narrow, which is a common pitfall. 
Instead, try to choose a topic that is both focused and will also allow you to compose an essay in its entirety. [substeps] For example, you do not want to compare all of africa to all of asia because that topic would be too broad or too general.