Writing an Essay
(with half the stress!)
No matter what field you choose to major in, you're going to have to write at least one essay/paper. It sucks, but it's inevitable. I'm here to help you guys write your papers with half the stress. I've accumulated these tips over the years, and they've saved my ass more times than I can count. Sometimes when you sit down to write an academic piece you just get stuck. Hopefully, if you're in that predicament right now, these will help you get started.
The Introduction
First of all, don't start with the introductory paragraph. Where is the rule (written or otherwise) that states you HAVE to start your writing process with the introduction? I mean, yeah. You have to have an introduction when you turn in the final piece, but who said you have to start there when you start writing? Starting here right away is a sure-fire way to get frustrated quickly. Think about it - in essence, you're trying to write the introduction for a paper that hasn't even been written yet! Start with your first body paragraph and move on from there. As you write, you'll start to formulate your introduction.
With that being said, there are a few things I would recommend when you actually do start writing your intro:
>> Don't open with a quote.
>> Avoid generalizations
>> Your intro should address the topic of your essay and then narrow down to what you want to talk about in regards to that topic.
>> Don't forget your thesis! It should include the argument you want to make about the narrowed-down topic you've chosen. It explains who, what, and why in a concise manner.
The Body
>> The order of the arguments in your thesis is the order of your paragraphs. It's so much easier to follow when you're writing, and when someone is reading your paper, it flows much smoother.
>> Be sure to have clear and concise arguments. Don't be flowery, and use words accurately. It's great to use a thesarus, but make sure you're using a word that captures exactly the message you're trying to convey. If you don't, you could change the entire direction of your argument.
>> Cite anything and everything that isn't yours. There is always room - and need - for paraphrasing, but you have to make sure you cite whatever isn't your own original thoughts. And quotes are great to have, but you have to make sure you use them properly. You can't just have quotes hanging out in your paper; you need to talk before and after a quote. Make sure your reader(s) understand why you chose to use this quote.
The Conclusion
>> Synthesize. Don't summarize. Show your reader how your arguments link back to your thesis.
>> Don't copy and paste your thesis into your conclusion. Restate that information in a different way.
>> Don't add any new information! All your arguments should have been outlined in the body. If you get to the conclusion and find you have information to add, you're not finished. Take that additional information and create a new section for it in the body.
>> Your final sentence shoudl tie up your essay, but it's best to avoide cliches. I'll be the first to admit that I have a horrific time figuring out how to end my papers.
Index Card Planning
This is a method I've tried in the past but never kept up with. I'm trying it again for my final art history paper this semester, and I think I've found a way to make this method work. It's pretty simple, and I think it makes organizing information and sources a hell of a lot easier than just scribbling notes on a piece of paper. I'm using this method paired with my essay plan (which you can find on my resources page) and it is working wonders.
The photo on the left is the front of my index cards. In the top right corner I number them. As of now I only have four sources, but I'm working on building my source pool so I'll probably end up with six or seven source cards. I hightlight the source so that it stands out to me when I'm flipping through them. In the center is the bibliography information, and I write it out in whatever format I'm going to be using for the paper I'm writing - typically MLA style. The decoration is just because I don't like plain white space; so I have leaf-like parentheses around the information. I also do this because it helps to draw my attention to the bibliographical information.
The photo on the right is the back of my index cards. This is where all the information from the source goes. If it needs to have some kind of title, I jot that at the top and then all the important information gets written on the lines. Most of the time I make a bulleted list, and then when I write the actual paper, the information gets written out in full sentences.
