Some basic guidelines to writing a (somewhat) successful academic essay
I've compiled this because I have had some friends ask me for tips, and when I extended the offer on Twitter to make a public post, I got a few responses. I graduated from college this last December with my B.A. in PoliSci, so this post is basically only aimed at undergrads and/or high school folk who might be seeking out some writing tips.
Overall, the basics of a good essay involve always making the purpose of each paragraph clear, being concise, and making sure the essays have a defined structure.
1. Always let your first draft just be a massive brain dump. I don't know how you're accustomed to writing, but I found that when I stopped writing and editing simultaneously, my work got better. Writing and editing as-you-go personally didn't allow me to get all of my thoughts down on paper right away. A lot of the time you kind of have a good argument sitting in your head, but if you keep distracting yourself by going back after each sentence to see how you wrote it or phrased it, you'll lose the argument's momentum. So initially, don't worry about correct sentence structure, grammar, spelling, etc. For that first draft, just empty everything you have sitting in your brain on to the paper and as long as you can understand it when you go back, that's what matters. At this point, I would say the only defined structure you should have is that you should know what direction the argument is going in. Basically, work top to bottom, don't start with writing the paragraphs for point #3 and then start on the intro and then move to point #2. It's easier to write well when each point you're making stems from what you've just previously written. If you don't like the idea of this, you can also write an outline before you start your paper. No matter what, just do something to make sure that you get all of those brilliant thoughts down before they leave your head. Something like this might be helpful to you.
2. After the brain dump, go through the draft and make sure its logically cohesive. The basic structure of practically any type of essay is Intro (with the thesis), Point, Point, Point, Conclusion. Depending on the argument you're making or the type of essay it is, you'll sometimes have less than three points, sometimes more. Sometimes one of those points will be a refutation of another argument (which makes any argumentative essay stronger). This will be one of most of the important things you do for your essay because if a reader can't clearly follow your argument step-by-step, the argument won't be as definitive by the time they reach the end. This should be one of the most vital aspects of your process if you want to get a good grade. Again, look at the link I posted above and you'll see how the structure is generally set up.
3. Start the first rewrite, with a focus on precision and content relevancy. For the first edit, try to focus on extraneous language and making sure the minutiae of each paragraph serves the thesis. Basically, work on being concise and clear. This part is hard because it is essentially taking each individual paragraph and making sure it fits in the sum of the whole. Treat each one like it is its own little argument unto itself. Each paragraph should have a purpose, usually stated somewhere in the first two to three sentences. After that, each sentence/piece of evidence in that paragraph should serve that purpose/topical statement (then those topical statements of each paragraph should serve the major point in some way, eventually linking back up to serve the thesis. Look for those linkages). In this first edit, take out ANYTHING that seems even vaguely tangential, these unnecessary bits of info will distract the reader from the real point you're trying to make. Sometimes we get tempted to add in extra info that sounds good, but we have to remember that as the essay writer we know our argument and "what we mean to say" because we're the ones writing it, but the audience isn't inside of our head. To relay what is in our brains, we have to be as sharp and specific as possible. This also means getting rid of flowery language, one of the toughest parts of the process for me personally because I love thesaurus.com. Sometimes we like two adjectives and think using both of them will make us smarter and more descriptive. In actuality, the words aren't more helpful, it just convolutes the point trying to be made. In the end, pick one adjective, and make sure to only be moderate with the amount of adjectives/adverbs you use in total. At the end of the day, what you really want to use are very strong nouns and verbs that will inherently describe what needs to be said within those nouns/verbs' definitions. An example:
Sentence one: In the campaign, her aim was to find a way to make the candidate popular with the 18-25 demographic.
Sentence two: In the campaign, her aim was to popularize the candidate with the 18-25 demographic.
Sentence two is shorter, more to the point, and sounds better. This is because the verb 'popularize'describes the process succinctly instead of using the rambly 'find a way to make the candidate popular.'
4. Second rewrite, with a focus on mechanics, grammar, and citations. Chances are that on the first rewrite you've already caught a lot of spelling/grammar mistakes, but try to take a whole reread of the paper to focus solely on the details. Content is important, but mechanics are the polish and can ultimately hinge on a whole letter grade if they're ignored. Good grammar can take a maybe B+ content paper to a higher A-, and can potentially drop an A content paper to a B if the grammar is messy. Aside from the basics of spelling, punctuation and verb-noun agreement, some specific pointers:
Always make sure to use active voice over passive voice. I've had a couple of professors who have nailed me on this one. Active voice always makes the subject of your sentence the actor in the sentence, passive voice makes them a subject that is acted upon. Some teachers might not catch these mistakes or just might not care that much, but some professors abhor the use of passive voice in academic writing. For more, go here: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/passive.htm
Try to alternate sentence lengths. It's kind of a challenge, but to have a breezy flow to your paper, always make sure you don't have too many long sentences in a row or too many short sentences in a row. If your paragraphs are following a pattern of too many long or short sentences subsequently, the paper is either gonna be way too longwinded (long sentences) or too uninvolved (short sentences). Just be mindful of that. Sometimes you can't help it if you're trying to cram a specific argument into a required page length, but do your best.
CITATIONSSSSSS. Make sure all of your in-text citations and/or footnotes are correctly done. Plagiarism--even accidental plagiarism--is just bad form and some professors might really double down on it. A bibliography isn't enough.
5. Final polish. If you're not exhausted from the first two rewrites, get creative before you turn it in. Ask someone to read it for you and tell you if it makes sense (preferably a colleague). Read it aloud and see if it sounds good. Send it into a T.A. to look at. Go through a last once over. You know.
Finally, some random tips:
Write how you write best and where you write best. I always write best somewhere quiet (most do I'm sure) in the morning or night, and I write my best when I start well in advance and concentrate only on one essay part per day.
Try to spread the essay out over at least two-three days. If you cram all rewrites in one day, your paper won't be as polished. What one needs to do is do a rewrite, sleep on it, and then come to it fresh after a good period of time, at least twelve hours. An unjumbled brain that refreshes itself anew to the paper each day is the closest you'll come to reading it with clearer objectivity. But who am I to know, if you're genuinely someone who can write a good essay in one day, then have it. This is simply the way I work best and personally how I think a lot of people, even great writers, can improve their skills. A lot of it is just time management.
Write about what excites you. I can guarantee you will write a better essay if you write about what interests you. If you have to write about a topic you don't know much about, find something in that topic that can relate to you.
Don't get too sentimental in your writing. A lot of us write about things we're passionate about, but remember not to let the fuzzy feelings distract from clear writing. On one of my theses, I had a whole concluding paragraph that was just an impassioned plea for women's economic rights and it just didn't go down well. Show your passion through your argumentation skills, not overwrought pathos.
Of possible use: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/01/, http://courses.durhamtech.edu/perkins/aris.html
That's what I've got. If you ever want me to do a read and/or edit of a paper, I would be happy to do so. I LOVEEEE reading papers and I LOVEEEE editing so don't hesitate because you won't be bothering at all.
Rules: In a text post, list ten books that have stayed with you in some way. Don’t take but a few minutes, and don’t think too hard — they don’t have to be the “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you. Tag ten people, including me, so I’ll see your list. Make sure you let them know you’ve tagged them.
Tagged by: sam
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Phoenix Rising by Karen Hesse
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Night by Elie Wiesel
The Once and Future King by TH White
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr Paul Farmer by Tracy Kidder
