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On writing essays

Essay writing assignments are often given at the end of a particular chapter or lesson where students need to be tested of their level of understanding of the lessons or topics discussed in class. It often serves as a final requirement in which the students are asked to articulate their views and insights on the topic, and make critical analysis or arguments that would show their grasp of the learning objectives of the class. On the part of the teacher or course instructor, these written materials proves to be a great means of assessment of a student’s higher thinking skills and ability to put all their learning’s into real-life applications and studies on related current events. During the times when writing essay assignments are given, students are required to do their own readings and research on the assigned topic or on the topic they have chosen for their essay, provided that the premise of their essay is approved by the teachers or instructor.

So whenever I am writing my essay, I think about completing a material that will not only express my ideas and insights on a particular topic, but also show my teacher or instructor how much I have grown from the first day I attended my classes. I do challenge myself to do better and do more so my paper will be better than the ones I did before. For me, it is not about writing the best paper in class. It is writing the best paper I can manage writing essay within the timeline and level of learning that I gained from my ever-patient teachers.

Essays are easy

“A big lie!”

Whenever my teacher or course instructor gives us writing essay assignments, I often say with pride, “piece of cake!” But just when I am about to begin writing my first words, I find myself easily overwhelmed by the processes I have to go through—again and again, to complete this important school assignment. I though, I have spent all these years writing my journal and writing blogs, so why would writing paragraphs about my thoughts and my views would matter so much. Little did I know that essay writing was so much more than that.

So there I was—lost in the long list of tasks I needed to do to actually write my essay. In my to-do list, items like topic selection and approval, topic outline, library research, and interviews were included. Was writing supposed to be such a hassle for a student like me? Indeed, writing an essay is a long and tedious process that will extract everything I’ve got and everything I’ve learned so far and condense them into a single sheet of paper filled with words that I am yet to find. There was a time when I almost gave up and almost asked my best friend to do the paper for me–but not yet. I thought, this is just a phase and I can very well get through it.

My journey to easy essay writing was a tough one. First, I did everything by the book. I went through every single item in my essay writing assignment sheet. Little did I know that I could actually do shortcuts. For one thing, the first time our teacher handed out those assignment sheets, I should have already decided on the topic to write about. That could have saved me much thinking time and much of the time chasing my teacher for a consultation appointment after class. Somehow, throwing yourself into a topic would speed up the whole writing process. On the same day that I got my hands on the assignment sheet, had I chosen a topic immediately, I could have done my library research and topic outline on the same day. So for day two of the assignment, I could have been writing on my chair, typing words like breeze.

Steps for easy essay writing

You are welcome to disagree, but really, essay writing is easy. That is, if you follow these simple steps that I discovered on how to beat the hassles of writing:

1.  Make use of your teacher’s consultation hours. No matter how intimidating or domineering your teacher or course instructor may seem to be, you can’t deny the fact that he or she is the best person to consult when you are unsure about the direction of your essay discussion. Who knows? He or she may just be waiting for you to reach out and seek his or her advice on how to keep your paper right on track.

2. Read and read some more. When I was writing my paper, I thanked my lucky starts for all those years that my mother pushed me to read books and read some more. Essay writing requires a condensed copy of your insights on the topic you chose to discuss. One way of making sure that you got all the bases of your arguments covered is by reading as much relevant information sources and references as you can find. Come to think about it, you need to know something, if not everything, to complete a well-written paper.

3. Do your outline…really. A well-written essay is often the one that is well researched and written in a concise manner. When I was writing my essay, I discovered topic outline extremely useful in this regard.

4. Once you begin writing, don’t stop. If you have studied physics, you must have studied about momentum. The same idea goes with your writing. Once you started writing your first words, you’ll just be surprised to find yourself finishing a whole paragraph and starting another. Gaining speed or momentum when writing my essay wasn’t easy. When my dorm room isn’t the quietest place to write, I head to the library and spent the day writing my essay in peace.

5. Read your essay, from the first word to the last period. Ask yourself, “If I can’t really read my essay from start to finish, who else will bother?” I thought that if my essay makes a good read, it would certainly please my teacher.

6. Edit. Make sure that your paper has no typo or grammar issues.

7. Consult. When I was done writing my essay, I asked my friendly classmate, and even other teachers, to take a look at my essay and tell me what they though about it. That way, I can do the necessary adjustments and improvements before actually submitting my paper.

8. Be open to revisions. After submitting my essay, despite the preparations, the troubles and the steps that I took to make sure that my essay earns A+, it was still returned for minor revisions. Worst, my teacher called my essay a draft, which leads us to the last step

9. Keep an open mind. Keep cool. Avoid being to emotional about the critic given by your teacher on your work. Just keep your head on the goal—A+ paper. Don’t allow your pride to get in the way of your goal.