Writing essays is probably the most dreaded thing in any high school/college career. The impending doom of having to construct a clear thesis and form your thoughts into understandable paragraphs is enough to turn anyone into the best procrastinator out there. Being an English major, writing an essay has become a second hand talent of mine, yet I didn't get there easily. Here are 4 simple tips that I learned through trial and error that has helped me master my fear of the essay.
1. Reading Aloud
Though this may seem silly, reading out what you wrote is a great trick to finding awkward phrases and words that might not fit. Sometimes when you read things in your head, you skip over words and other technical errors because your mind knows what you're trying to say. To avoid this, reading aloud keeps you hyper aware of the words and the ideas that you're trying to convey more clearly.
2. Peer Editing
It took me awhile to succumb to the idea of my friends or other people besides my professors reading my papers. It made me uncomfortable and I was afraid my peers would think I was a bad writer, but this was probably the best thing I could have done for myself. Having a strong community who is willing to read and edit my papers is really inspiring and very helpful. Whether it be your friend or your sister, having someone read your paper with a fresh set of eyes is really good for grammar errors and even reasoning issues.
3. Talk To Your Professors
Though office hours are sometimes a thing of nightmares, having the ability to go in and talk ideas out with your teachers is super beneficial since they will essentially be the ones grading your paper. They'll also be super glad to see you in their office and see that you want to do really well in their class. They'll help you talk out your ideas and give you a bunch of materials that you can use to create a more concrete argument.
4. Don't Wait Till Last Minute
I know, I know. You hear it all the time. But putting things off until the last minute, especially essays, will never turn out well. You'll feel more stressed and your ideas might not flow out as clear as you'd want them to. Doing it a few days in advance, or even a week if you're a real go getter, will let you finish with a clear mind and you won't feel as stressed as you would the night before. This also allows you more time to go back and revise your paper a few times.
Even though writing essays are inevitable and painful, these tricks should hopefully ease the stress you might feel for your next paper. Your professors won't bite if you go visit them and ask a few questions and you'll body will thank you if you don't pull an all nighter the day before the essay is due.
