Writing an Essay: Buck Up and Do It!

Now, as an English Major, I might be a bit biased about writing essays. They probably flow from my brain, through my fingers, into Word a bit easier than some. Just like Calculus problems make sense to Math Majors, words make sense to English Majors. Yet the realm of essays extends to most students, be it out of major-necessity or GE-necessity.

My thoughts on essays: No, they are not overly fun. I’ve had my challenges with them to say the least. My study buddy for essays is a store-bought Starbucks Frappuccino mocha drink in the cooler section of the fast food mart. I need to be on a serious coffee-hype to get big chunks of essay done.

There’s a method to the madness of essay writing. My biggest piece of advice would be to buck up, sit down, crack those knuckles, and get those fingers tapping and keys clacking. You’re not helping anyone, especially yourself, when waiting to the last minute. I know teachers and parents have been telling us not to procrastinate since schooling began, but I believe it rings even truer in college. Save your professor some hair tearing out and save yourself the headache of the poor grade by giving it the old college try (a real college try, not the “it’s midnight and Wikipedia is my best friend” try).

If you know you can’t sit down and pump out six pages in a few hours, then break it up. This is, for me, especially helpful with those bulky research papers we all know and loathe. Break it up and before you know it, you’re already finished and doing the editing process. Paragraph a day keeps the professor away.

Editing is your best friend. I’m not joking—demote your current best friend to second place and say hello to editing. Editing can make a mediocre paper grades better. When you finish, close Word and take a break. Let it percolate. Have a snack. Drink some Starbucks. Catch up on The Big Bang Theory. Let your essay stand a while and come back to it with fresh eyes. And make sure to ask your second best friend to listen to it as you read it out loud—and in doing so you’ll hopefully catch any awkwardly phrased sentences and see where your writing needs some work.

Now, at college, and having different professors and TAs every semester or quarter, it’s hard to gauge how to write an essay. Everyone has different standards. I say go with what you know. For example, citations are always a toss-up and dependent on your TA or professor’s predilection; however, I’ve always been safe with MLA (except for the science classes). I know MLA like the back of my hand and it works for me. Write to your strong suits and take it in to your TA or professor to discuss your weaknesses.

And lastly—no I’m not going to tell you to mess with font or period sizes—don’t give up on yourself! It may seem like the page never ends no matter how much you type, but know your material, have a blue print with choice subjects and quotes, and go with the flow. Take a breather if you need to stop and think (breathers DO NOT mean Facebook-ing). But just remember, you will have to write and use analytical skills for a very long time—keep them sharp with a little essay effort.