 |
| Image Source |
Any class that requires essay writing
can be a massive time investment for the average student. Considering
this blog is all about reducing time investment while increasing
grades, this is a subject that's essential to understand. With many
classes, essay writing is pretty much the only form of studying
required. (Yes. I'd argue essay writing is just another form of
studying.)
Early in my high school years I
struggled at essay writing. I struggled, not because I was a bad
writer, in fact, I got great grades (not that I think that should be
the only criteria,) I struggled because a single page essay could
take me a whole night to write. I had to invest a ridiculous amount
of time to produce a quality essay.
Eventually it hit me. Of all that time
it took to write a good essay, less than a quarter of it was actually
used for writing the essay content. Most of that time was me staring
at the page thinking about how hopeless this essay was. I could
barely think of the next word I had to write. A simple full-page
would end up draining me of all the energy I had.
After a short period of giving up on
trying hard for essays, eventually I started to learn some of the
basic formulas to creating a great essay without all the writers
block and preparation.
Using these 11 strategies will change
the way you write. If you're following them closely enough they can
increase your grades dramatically while you work less than ever.
(While basic mechanics of writing are
essential, they're barely mentioned in these tips. If you genuinely
don't have the basics down then these tips will help but only as much
as you can follow the basic mechanics of writing. )
1. Unforgettable
Don't try to look for a great idea to
write about.
Instead look for something
unforgettable to write about. It doesn't matter if it seems a little
like a stupid idea. (The better a writer you are, the more stupid an
idea you can get away with while still scoring high. )
Unforgettable is key. The average
teacher does not want to give a great score to a student with a
boring essay. They're human beings too. If they find themselves
thinking deeply about your essay then you're winning. You've just
made your essay stand out above 90% of the essays in the class.
2. Enjoy Writing. (Enjoy Reading It.)
 |
| Image Source |
I know. This title alone sounds a
little irritating but stick with me for a moment.
Is there anything you actually enjoy
writing? If not, is there anything you actually enjoy reading? If you
deliver a strong no to both these statements then this tip won't help
but for the rest of you, it can blow your mind.
Forget about writing what the teacher
wants you to write. That is a never ending road to writers block.
Instead write it in a way that you enjoy writing or reading. You can
always adjust it to fit the teachers needs later (or screw the
teacher's desires and enjoy your good essay.)
If you enjoy writing something or you
enjoy reading it, you've written something worth writing.
The average student gets caught up
writing something they hate. Then, of course, when they review what
they wrote, they still hate it. That kills their ability to write in
the first place. Just write what you love from the start and you'll
have a much better paper to work with in the future.
3. Start With A Hook In Mind
While I recommend having a general
outline before you start writing, I've regularly started without one
and created good papers. There is one thing that you absolutely
should not start writing without: a hook. (Don't be too picky about
how good it is.)
A hook is something that makes the
reader feel the compulsive need to read on. It's kind of like a
cliffhanger at the end of a television show. Even if you hate the
television show with the cliffhanger, you still end up curious of
what's going to happen. Of course, in your essays you're not going to
want to leave the ending out (unless you planned some interesting
metaphor or something.)
There are a ton of ways to write a
hook. One of the quickest ways to make a hook is to say something
that sounds absurd and attempt prove it. Depending on the kind of
essay you need to write, you will need to adjust this accordingly.
4. Fast Is Natural
Many students struggle to write because
they write too damn slow.
It's a really simple problem that
plagues hordes of people. The slower you write, the more time you
spend reviewing what you're writing. As you review what you wrote or
are planning to write, you're trying to work out the details when you
don't even have the basic plan finished. Write first. Review after.
Constant reviewing ends up with most
students creating boring articles that have absolutely no natural
flow to them.
Write faster. Type as fast as you can
possibly type. Accept that you're going to have to change it later.
That's going to leave your essay sounding more natural. It's also
going to be written in much less time.
One final bonus: it gives you a strong
incentive to review your work later (after you know the whole plan of
the paper.)
5. Pimp My Essay (Thesaurus)
This is a tip that you've probably
heard before but there are a few important notes that are rarely
mentioned.
When you're writing your essay on a
computer, within seconds you can check a thesaurus for a better word
using your word processor. While you're reviewing your essay, use
that thesaurus to find better word choices. Every time you find a
word that you think can be improved on, use the thesaurus.
That being said, never replace a word
in your paper with a word in the thesaurus without being 100% sure
it's the better word. If you're not super careful then your essay may
end up looking like a verbose quantity of excrement.
6. Check The Grammar (And The Obvious)
 |
| Image Source |
You aren't a good writer until you use
good grammar. No, you don't have to be writing perfect grammar (this
is particularly true if you get to write a blog,) but you need to
make sure your grammar isn't interrupting the average person's
ability to read your work.
In most cases, this can best be done
getting a third party to review your work before submitting it.
Of course, don't forget spelling. One
spelling mistake isn't so bad but it can really ruin the flow of an
otherwise perfect piece of writing.
7. Read It!
Seriously! This is obvious but few
students actually do it. I know when you finish writing you're
usually stressed and couldn't care less. If you followed these
strategies then that shouldn't be happening. You should be ready to
read your article after you write it. If you don't, you're passing up
on some of the easiest points you have.
8. Borderline Bad
Trust where your writing takes you.
If you're writing an essay and you
realize you're saying something that can be interpreted badly (or
sounds bad,) that doesn't necessarily mean you should stop. If you're
staying on topic and writing well, you can write controversial stuff
and still get a great grade. That being said, I wouldn't recommend
going too far down into the societal hate category but don't be
afraid of getting on the border of inappropriate.
Some of your highest grades may come
from some of the most controversial stuff you write. (It actually
helps in the unforgettable aspect.)
9. Start From Scratch
 |
| Image Source |
With this strategy, occasionally,
you're going to write a crappy essay. That's alright.
Don't waste your life polishing a turd.
If you think an essay you wrote is hopeless and you have the time to
write a new one then write a new one. It's worth it.
This might sound crazy but it's
essential to the strategy. Once I started implementing just a few of
these strategies into my essay writing, I was able to write better
essays in less than a quarter of the time I previously invested. That
being said, occasionally, I would write crap and need to spend
another quarter of the time to get a new essay.
If you're not willing to trash your
crap then you're not utilizing this strategy as efficiently as you
could.
Heck, usually your second essay goes
much smoother because you're all warmed up.
10. Purpose
No matter what you're writing, always
have a purpose.
With most non-fiction essays, it's easy
to have a purpose. You propose a thesis and you provide the evidence.
Anecdotal essays are where most
students forget to add in a purpose. If you're telling a story then
know what point you're trying to emphasize and use the space you have
to emphasize it. It can be very difficult in practice.
If you write a story about a family
repeatedly screwing over a child in different ways, you can try to
prove the point, “family isn't all it's cracked up to be.” (Of
course, don't say it that obviously though.) You can emphasize that
point by repeatedly having the characters discuss how wonderful
family is (all while family is causing one person to suffer.)
Take note of the slightly controversial
tone of that story. That helps hit a number of these strategies.
11. Make It Yours
Fundamentally, forget about writing for
your teacher. It's just going to drive you nuts.
Write as if this is an essay you want
to write for you. The more you focus on pleasing someone else, the
more you're going to run in circles trying to figure out how to
please them. Guess what? You aren't your teacher. No matter how hard
you try, you're not going to be able to please them completely. For
all you know, the teacher will wildly disagree with anything you
write.
The only choice you have is to write
something that you can derive pleasure from. While you should try to
fit the basic assignment criteria, don't be afraid to push it closer
to something you care about. Perhaps that can lose you a few points
but it can improve the writing so significantly that those couple
points will mean nothing.
Do you want to know how you can study
in less time with better results? Be sure to follow this blog. If you enjoyed this article then please
share it to help spread the message.
Posts
