So college is beginning for most people between the ages of 18 and 24 within the next month or so, and if your college experience is anything like mine, that means essays. A lot of essays. Now, as an English major my writing-based workload is a lot heftier than the average students; I write about one paper a week, on top of anywhere between 500 and 3,000 words in forum posts, reading responses, editing, and critiques. Most students won't ever come anywhere near this much writing in their college experience, but everyone has to write something, and for some that task is too daunting. I'm here to help with that. If you're the kind of student that writes because they have to and dreads every second of it, or even if you love the process but just don't feel like your work is as strong as it could be, here are three simple things to keep in mind while writing your next ten-pager.
Writing is all Momentum
The number one issue that I see my friends and suitemates struggling with when a paper is due is writer's block. The topic is dull, the class is awful, and let's be honest: you haven't read the books that were assigned. So how on earth are you supposed to come up with something to say? More importantly, how are you going to come up with four pages of something to say in the next four hours before the deadline? So now you've found yourself sitting at your desk, staring at your laptop with an empty word document on one-half of the screen and your favorite YouTuber or computer-based card game on the other and you've got nothing. Your fingers hover over the keys, and you've typed the same word four or five times before deleting it and starting all over again. The wheels are spinning but you can't get anything to move. The thing that you need to keep in mind when writer's block hits is that writing is all in the momentum. You'll find that if you can get yourself started, you'll have a much harder time stopping. Most everything you have to say is stuck in your head somewhere, you just need to get it out. So close Netflix, put on some instrumental music, and maximize your word doc's window: it's time to write. Just write the first word that comes to mind, and then fill it out into a sentence. Don't worry about it being related to your essay; it won't be. Just write. Once you've gotten into a rhythm, and your fingers are finding the keys, start to move your thoughts toward the topic, write what comes to mind. Before you know it you'll have a paragraph, then three. The essay will practically write itself.
Your Verbs Suck
When writing an essay most people don't consider quotations or references as being a dialogue, but they are. You're creating a conversation with the sources you cite, bringing their voices into your work to strengthen your argument. Any avid reader will tell you that one of the main things that really truly makes a dialogue worth reading are the words the author chooses to introduce what the character has to say. You can have the best conversation in the world and it'll still drive your reader crazy if every other sentence has the word "said" in it. So go through your essay before you hand it in, and every time you're about to introduce a quote, check to see what verb you're using. Try to see if you can find something stronger, or if you can add a little more variation to the text. Instead of everything being "Faulkner wrote" and "Lincoln said," try throwing in words like argues, contests, pleads, implores. With a ten minute scan and a few seconds searching for a better verb, your essay will improve tenfold.
The Middle, Beginning, and the End
In editing my suitemates' essays, one of the biggest issues I'll find is that the introduction and conclusion are incredibly weak. Not only are they far too short, but they're dull, repetitive, and provide little of the information that the essay will be covering. An introduction, ideally, should list out every point you intend to make, as well as the sources that you'll be relying on to further your argument. But how are you supposed to know what those points are or what sources you're going to use before you've written the essay? Well, doing your research ahead of time and creating an essay outline might help with that, but as an English major of three years and a veteran essay writer I will admit I've never done either before, so I wouldn't expect you to. Failing preparation, the best way to guarantee a strong introduction and conclusion is to write them last. Write out your body paragraphs, make your arguments and fill them in with citations, and when you're done, read them over. Made a mental note of the people you've quoted and the points you've made, and then go back to the top of the page and write out your introduction with those things in mind. Once your introduction is done, scroll down to the bottom and pound out a conclusion. As for the conclusion itself, it should read somewhat like your introduction, but with more punch: if you don't feel like you're dropping the mic when you finish out the essay, your conclusion needs some work.
And so, with these three simple tricks in mind, go and write yourself a kickass paper.
