Most people agree - writing is a difficult task. It takes a lot of concentration and hard work to put together a coherent, well-worded, thoughtful essay.
By following a few simple guidelines, you can make things a little easier on yourself and finish with a better product.
- Give yourself ample time to write AND revise your work. This includes time between the two tasks - a minimum of 24 hours is recommended.
- Find a quiet spot with few distractions.
- Set up before you write: get your outline, your resources and notes, and any other pre-work you have together and keep it handy.
- Re-read your outline and establish a clear picture in your head of your thesis, your argument and the flow of your essay.
- Review your sources to immerse yourself in the language and ideas of your topic.
- Think about your audience. Picture your instructor and/or your classmates, and imagine that you are writing this directly to them.
- Just write. Don't worry so much in the initial stages about finding the exact word or phrase, get something on paper. You can revise later.
- If you're having trouble with the introduction, start with the thesis statement and the body. You can come back and craft an intro later.
- Writer's block? Get up, go for a walk, read a magazine, talk to someone, have a snack. Get refreshed, return to work.
