Writing papers is a big pain in the ass. And the longer you put it off, the more it’s going to hurt. If you’ve been having trouble getting good grades on your essays, give yourself extra time to get it right. The key to writing a good paper is to go back and edit it several times after you think you’re done. To be able to do that properly, you should leave enough time to let it sit for a while before you go back to reread it.
If you can, look back on essays that have already been graded. What kind of comments and suggestions did your professor make? Are you losing points mostly for typos and grammar errors, or is your weakness organization? Are you having problems with comprehension, or are you not providing enough evidence to back up your conclusions? If you understand what kind of errors you tend to make, you’ll be able to fix them in your next essay. More on this later.
The best way to write a solid paper is to get organized. You might get impatient with this because it seems to have less priority than actually writing the essay. Trust me, organizing first will save you a lot of time and agony in the end, especially if your essays tend to lack a cohesive structure.
Note-taking
Gather up all the material you need to write about and set yourself up near a computer. Open an empty document so that you can take notes as you read. I like this method because you’re actually saving a step. You don’t have to type up handwritten notes. Instead, you can just copy/paste or rearrange everything easily.
Type the title and author of the first work you’re reading. It really helps if you’ve already highlighted important passages. As you’re reading, take notes under that heading, and type the quotes you may want to use in your paper -don’t forget to note the page numbers too. Look for quotes that both support and contradict the points you want to make, or interesting passages that you might want to analyze. Do the same thing for all the other pieces you have to read, and be as thorough as possible. It’s better to have plenty of material to choose from than not to have enough and have to start all over again.
Outlining
Look back over all the notes you’ve taken. By this time, you should have a more specific idea of what you want to talk about. Open a new document and write down your topic and then the points you want to make. For each point, go back to your notes and copy/paste whatever ideas and quotes apply. Rearrange your points in the order that makes the best sense. Each point should lead logically to the next in order to build your argument. Now, you should have a nice, specific outline to work from.
Here’s an example:
Topic: Pets are great for many reasons, but dogs are definitely the best.
Point 1: Dogs make great pets. Quotes and notes to support that statement.
Point 2: Because dogs are great pets, you’ll be happier if you have one. Quotes and notes.
Point 3: Because you’ll be happier, you’ll live longer. Quotes and notes.
Obviously, this is a very silly, simple example, but it still leads to a logical conclusion: People who want to be happy and live longer will get dogs as pets. Ideally, by the time you’re done with your outline, your points will lead you to an obvious conclusion.
Intro Paragraph and Thesis Statement
To give yourself better focus, write your intro paragraph first but don’t obsess over making it perfect. Your intro should start with a few general sentences on your topic and include the authors and works you want to cover. Your thesis is generally the last sentence of this paragraph, and it is the specific focus of your paper. Make it similar to your conclusion.
Once you’ve got the whole paper written, you can go back and tweak your intro until it matches what you discuss in your essay.
Writing the Paper
Flesh out your outline into paragraph form. Don’t worry about style and spelling yet, just get all the information out on paper. As you write, make sure you’re noting the author and page number of each quote. If you don’t do this as you go along, it’ll be a pain to figure out later.
Rewriting
Once you’re done, get up and do something else for an hour and then come back to your paper with a fresh perspective. Watch out for the kind of mistakes you tend to make and check your grammar and spelling. Read it all the way through to see if it’s clear and logical. Now’s the time to fix any awkward sentences. Pay particular attention to transitions between paragraphs because these tend to get muddled as you rewrite and add more ideas. And remember, the more you rewrite, the better your grade.
Common Problems and How to Fix Them
Commas: Not sure if you should put a comma in? Read the sentence out loud. The comma goes where you would normally pause.
Grammar:
its/it’s – -its is possessive, it’s is “it is”
their/there – -their is possessive, there is a place
your/you’re – -your is possessive, you’re is “you are”
If you have more serious problems with grammar, ask for extra help. Either your professor can help you and direct you to some resources, or there might be a writing center at your school where you can get a tutor for free. If you know exactly what your problems are, you can also search online. You can usually find a guide that will explain how to avoid making your particular mistake.
Word Choice: If you’re not sure what a word means, don’t use it. Also, don’t try to sound smart by using big words unless they really have the exact meaning you want. Be clear and concise. There’s no need to use a fancy word if a simple one will get your point across just as well. Watch out for using the same word too many times, and keep your language formal.
Supporting Your Points: Writing a couple of sentences isn’t enough. You need specific quotes from your sources. One of the things your grade depends on most is your ability to find evidence in the text to support your conclusions.
Quote Transitions: Don’t just pop a quote in by itself. You have to introduce it. For example: According to Dr. Pepper, dogs are “a positive influence on the health of senior citizens” (pg 43). You don’t need to quote a whole sentence, just quote whichever part you’re interested in.
Weak Analysis: To really analyze a piece, you need to pick some quotes and think about them. Don’t just explain what’s going on. Explain why something is happening and what it means in a larger context -that is, how does it relate to other issues or themes in the piece, in other pieces, or even in society. Don’t be afraid to ask questions in your essay or to offer several different or contradicting interpretations.
Comprehension: Sometimes, you can misinterpret a piece. Avoid this by reading closely, highlighting important points, and asking questions in class. Sparknotes.com is also a great resource because it has summaries of most major works of literature that will help you understand what’s going on -just don’t copy. Most of the time, though, you can pull off a misinterpretation simply by supporting your points adequately from the text.
If you’re having trouble getting started, try writing a couple of informal paragraphs as if you were e-mailing a friend about your topic. This can be helpful in focusing your thinking.
Good luck!
