Tips for Tackling Your Essays and Papers

The Keys to Effective Writing

Writing skills are essential for succeeding in high school, college, and on the job. If essays and papers stress you out, keep in mind that writing is not just an end result, but also a process that helps you develop your ideas and think logically.

Get Started

Begin by brainstorming topics, collecting information, taking a lot of notes, and asking a lot of questions. Keep your notes and sources organized as you go.

When developing your topic, look for patterns and relationships. See what conclusions you can draw. Try discussing your ideas with classmates or your teacher. A new perspective can help shake up your thinking, and keep your momentum going.

Organize Your Writing

Develop an outline to help you stay on track as you write, identifying your main points and your conclusions. Keep in mind basic essay structure:

• Introduction:  Give your reader an idea of the essay's intent, including a basic statement of what the essay will discuss.
• Body:  Present the evidence that supports your idea. Use concrete examples and avoid generalities.
• Conclusion:  Summarize and make sense of the evidence you presented in the body.

Draft Your Essay

You may find, as you write, that you end up with a different idea from the one you began with. If your first topic or conclusion doesn't hold water, be open to changing it. If necessary, rewrite your outline to get yourself back on track.

Other important writing tips:

• Keep your audience in mind:  Write for the general reader, unless your teacher tells you otherwise. The general reader refers to anyone of average intelligence with a fairly sound, basic education.
• Get acquainted with the vocabulary:  Become familiar with the vocabulary of your subject. For example, when writing about fiction, drama, and poetry, critical writers use words such as syntax, tone, attitude, voice, speaker, and thesis.

Refine and Proofread

When you're done with the rough draft, take a break so you can come back to your writing with fresh eyes. Ask yourself:

• Is the writing clear?
• Do the ideas make sense?
• Are my ideas supported by evidence?
• Are all of my requirements fulfilled?
• Did I avoid repetition?
• Have I used proper grammar and spelling?
• How does it sound read out loud?

Leave enough time to show your draft to others—use your school's writing center, if possible. A fresh perspective can help you polish your paper, and catch inconsistencies and mistakes.