How to Make Paper Longer (Not Just Look Longer)
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m a big procrastinator. I’m not the biggest procrastinator I know, but I am writing this as I am supposed to be writing a 1200 word history paper that’s due in, oh, two days. Should it have been done by now? Yeah, but that’s not the point. The point is that I’m writing it and since I’m not the best under pressure, the words aren’t just coming to me. So, how do I lengthen my paper from about 700 words to 1200?
Some say to use those tricky editing skills of yours and change font and margin size, add to the header and footer unncessarily long, use fluff sentences and whatnot. And to that I say- if you can get that past your teachers, great, if that works for you, go ahead. But my teachers can literally tell a .5 font difference and they can also tell when sentences are fluff or not. So, how do you add actual content to your paper without adding extra ideas? I’ve found a few ways.
If your paper is lacking, it’s probably because you don’t have enough quotes. Use at least two per paragraph, preferably more, especially for literature papers (Lit teachers love citation). It helps back up your point and shows that you’ve done a fair bit of research, especially when you use quotes from multiple sources. For history, use quotes from famous figures, and for literature papers, use secondary texts, if they are allowed.
Not all of us are Ernest Hemingway and use simple sentences like “It was amazing champagne” (I mean, it worked for him, so more power to him), but most sentences can be elaborated. This can give you the benefit of clarifying ideas and making absolutely sure that your teacher knows exactly what you’re trying to say. Take “the women’s rights movement was similar to the Abolition movement” (yes, this was an actual sentence from my paper). This can be elaborated and clarified into “Similarly, the women’s rights movement had a argument based on the natural equality of the sexes and the end of privilege”. BOOM. Double the words. Do that to most of you sentences and you not only sound smarter, but also you make yourself clearer as you add to your word count.
3. CONNECTING YOUR PAPER TO THE MODERN DAY
If there’s one thing that teachers love in a paper, it’s a connection to the present day, If you can do that, it shows that you understand how important what you’re talking about is and how it is relevant today, For most history topics (racism, globalization, civil rights, industrialization, war etc) it is not too hard to talk about the past’s continued effects on today’s world. For literature, it’s a bit harder, though some works, like war novels, are easier to bring back that connection to. This can add anywhere from a paragraph to a page to your paper and elevates it to a whole ‘nother maturity level. Understanding how what you’re writing about is important to you today is a big plus for just about any paper.
Obviously, this won’t work for some papers (lab reports and such) but the idea is the same; you need to make sure you’re absolutely clear and elaborate as much as you can, while still providing new information. If you just elaborate by say “very” five times, you’re not adding to the content of your paper; you’re writing fluff. With these tips, you add to the quality of your paper while not adding too much more as far as new ideas go. That way, if you’re in a writer’s block or simply need an extra hundred or so words, you won’t be overcrowding the paper.
I hope these tips help you as much as they have me! Thank you for reading!