Honestly, throughout most of high school and college, I was a mediocre essay writer.
Every once in a while, I would write a really good essay, but mostly I skated by with B’s and A-minuses.
I know personally how boring writing an essay can be, and also, how hard it can be to write a good one.
However, toward the end of my time as a student, I made a
breakthrough. I figured out how to not only write a great essay, I
learned how to
have fun while doing it.
That’s right.
Fun.
Why Writing an Essay Is So Hard?
Here are a few reasons:
- You’d rather be scrolling through Facebook.
- You’re trying to write something your teacher or professor will like.
- You’re trying to get an A instead of writing something that’s actually good.
- You want to do the least amount of work possible.
The biggest reason writing an essay is so hard is because we mostly focus on those
external rewards
like getting a passing grade or our teacher’s approval. The problem is
that when you focus on external approval it not only makes writing much
less fun, it also makes it significantly harder.
Why?
Because
when you focus on external approval, you shut down your subconscious,
and the subconscious is the source of your creativity. What this means
practically is that when you’re trying to write that perfect,
A-plus-worthy sentence, you’re turning off most of your best resources.
Just stop. Stop trying to write a good essay (or even a “good-enough” essay). Instead, write an
interesting essay,
write an essay you think is fascinating. And when you’re finished, go
back and edit it until it’s “good” according to your teacher’s
standards.
Yes, you need to follow the guidelines in your
assignment. If your teacher tells you to write a five-paragraph essay,
then write a five-paragraph essay! However, within those guidelines,
find room to express something that is uniquely
you.
I
can’t guarantee you’ll get a higher grade (although, you almost
certainly will), but I can absolutely promise you’ll have a lot more fun
writing.
10 Tips to Writing a Great Essay
Ready to get writing? Here are my ten best tips for having fun while writing an essay that earns you the top grade!
1. Your essay is just a story.
Every
story is about conflict and change, and the truth is that essays are
about conflict and change, too! The difference is that in an essay, the
conflict is between different
ideas, the change is in the way we should perceive those ideas.
That
means that the best essays are about surprise, “You probably think it’s
one way, but in reality, you should think of it this other way.” See
tip #3 for more on this.
2. Before you start writing, ask yourself, “How can I have the most fun writing this?”
It’s
normal to feel unmotivated when writing an essay. I’m a writer, and
honestly, I feel unmotivated to write all the time. But I have
a super-ninja, judo-mind trick I like to use to help motivate myself.
Here’s the secret trick:
One of the interesting things about your subconscious is that it will
answer any question you ask yourself. So whenever you feel unmotivated
to write your essay, ask yourself the following question:
How much fun can I have writing this?”
Your
subconscious will immediately start thinking of strategies to make the
writing process more fun. Here’s another sneaky question to ask yourself
when you really don’t want to write:
How can I finish this as quickly as possible?
Give it a try!
3. As you research, ask yourself, “What surprises me about this subject?”
The temptation, when you’re writing an essay, is to write what you think your teacher or professor wants to read.
Don’t do this. Instead, ask yourself, “What do I find interesting about this subject? What surprises me?”
If
you can’t think of anything that surprises you, anything you find
interesting, then you’re not searching well enough, because history,
science, and literature are all brimming
over with surprises. When you look at how great ideas actually happen, the story is always, “We
used to
think the world was this way. We found out we were completely wrong,
and that the world is actually quite different from what we thought.”
As you research your essay topic, search for this story of surprise, and don’t start writing until you can find it.
(By the way, what sources should you use for research? Check out tip #10 below.)
4. Overwhelmed? Just write five original sentences.
The
standard three-point essay
is really made up of just five original sentences, surrounded by
supporting paragraphs that back up those five sentences. If you’re
feeling overwhelmed, just write five sentences. Here’s what they might
look like:
- Thesis: While most students consider writing an essay a boring task, with the right mindset, it can actually be an enjoyable experience.
- Body #1: Most students think writing an essay is tedious because they focus on external rewards.
- Body #2: Students should instead focus on internal fulfillment when writing an essay.
- Body #3: Not only will focusing on internal fulfillment allow students to have more fun, they will write better essays.
- Conclusion: Writing an essay doesn’t have to be simply a way to earn a good grade. Instead, it can be a means of finding fulfillment.
After you write your five sentences, it’s easy to fill in the paragraphs they will find themselves in.
Now, you give it a shot!
5. Be “source heavy.”
In
college, I discovered a trick that helped me go from a B-average
student to an A-student, but before I explain how it works, let me warn
you. This technique is
powerful, but it might not work for all teachers or professors. Use with caution.
As
I was writing a paper for a literature class, I realized that the
articles and books I was reading said what I was trying to say
much
better than I ever could. So what did I do? I just quoted them
liberally throughout my paper. When I wasn’t quoting, I re-phrased what
they said in my own words, giving proper credit, of course. I found that
not only did this formula create a well-written essay, it took about
half the time to write.
When I used this technique, my professors
sometimes mentioned that my papers were very “source” heavy. However, at
the same time, they always gave me A’s. Like the five sentence trick,
this technique makes the writing process simpler. Instead of putting the
main focus on writing well, it instead forces you to
research well, which some students find easier.
6. Write the body first, the introduction second, and the conclusion last.
Introductions
are often the hardest part to write because you’re trying to summarize
your entire essay before you’ve even written it yet. Instead, try
writing your introduction last, giving yourself the body of the paper to
figure out the main point of your essay.
7. Most essays answer the question, “What?” Good essays answer the “Why?” The best essays answer the “How?”
If
you get stuck trying to make your argument, or you’re struggling to
reach the required word count, try focusing on the question, “How?” For
example:
- How did J.D. Salinger convey the theme of inauthenticity in The Catcher In the Rye?
- How did Napoleon restore stability in France after the French Revolution?
- How does the research prove girls really do rule and boys really do drool?
If you focus on how, you’ll always have enough to write about.
8. Don’t be afraid to jump around.
Essay
writing can be a dance. You don’t have to stay in one place and write
from beginning to end. Give yourself the freedom to write as if you’re
circling around your topic rather than making a single, straightforward
argument. Then, when you edit, you can make sure everything lines up
correctly.
9. Here are some words and phrases you don’t want to use.
- You (You’ll
notice I use a lot of you’s, which is great for a blog post.
However, in an essay, it’s better to omit the second-person.)
- Clichés
- Some
- That
- Things
- To Be verbs
Don’t have time to edit? Here’s a
lightning-quick editing technique.
A note about “I”: Some teachers say you shouldn’t use “I” statements in your writing, but the truth is that professional,
academic papers often use phrases like “I believe” and “in my opinion,” especially in their introductions.
10. It’s okay to use Wikipedia, if…
Wikipedia
isn’t just one of the top 5 websites in the world, it can be a great
tool for research. However, most teachers and professors don’t
consider Wikipedia a valid source for use in essays. However, here are
two ways you can use Wikipedia in your essay writing:
- Background research.
If you don’t know enough about your topic, Wikipedia can be a great
resource to quickly learn everything you need to know to get started.
- Find sources.
Check the reference section of Wikipedia’s articles on your
topic. While you may not be able to cite Wikipedia itself, you can often
find those original sources and site them.
In Conclusion…
The thing I regret most about high school and college is that I treated it like something I
had to do rather than something I
wanted to do.
The
truth is, education is an opportunity many people in the world don’t
have access to. It’s a gift, not just something that makes your life
more difficult. I don’t want you to make the mistake of just “getting
by” through school, waiting desperately for summer breaks and,
eventually, graduation.
How would your life be better if
you actively enjoyed writing an essay? What would school look like if
you wanted to suck it dry of all the gifts it has to give you?
All I’m saying is,
don’t miss out! but if still need help try Super Papers | College Essays, Dissertations, Thesis Writing & Editing Services
