10 Essay Writing Tips

Fears

Starting an essay can be intimidating for any writer regardless of ability. Fears can easily surface concerning performance. Typically writers fear everything from receiving poor grades, being misunderstood, revealing their emotions, or embarrassing themselves with poor punctuation and spelling errors. These fears may be rooted in a history of receiving poor scores, perfectionism, low self-esteem or generalized anxiety about meeting a deadline. Any one of these can cause writers to freeze and stare blankly at a computer screen or at their notebooks. Even students who know their topic well can feel intimidated. This is often referred to as writer’s block.

So now what?

-Put it off and hope that tomorrow will be better?

-Steal something off the Internet?

-Put your head down and sleep?

Overcoming Fears

1. Just Do It!

One of the best ways to relieve anxiety is to simply start writing and see what appears. Although this may seem too simplified, it works. Quite often as writers start writing, their ideas start to take shape and they gain more confidence and momentum with every sentence. One of the keys during this initial period of writing is to ignore spelling and grammar errors.

In addition, remember that one of the initial ways to overcoming a fear of writing is to not dwell on past performances, but simply come up with ideas. The revision stage is where dramatic changes to sentence structure, grammar and spelling can be made. Usually, once writers have something on paper, they are more at ease and can more easily recognize how to make changes for improvement.

2. Five Minute Timer

If simply writing does not work, try a five minute timer. Sometimes, writers feel as though they never have enough time to write a good paper. By telling yourself that you will only write for five or ten minutes, often is enough for writers to get started.

3. Listen to Music

Put on the headphones and start composing. It has been scientifically proven that listening to classical music fires up sleepy brain cells and helps writers create masterpieces. Well, maybe not world class writing, but certainly can get you through an assignment or two.

If classical music isn’t your thing, then listen to your favorites. Experiment with different songs that you notice fire up the creativity and get you in the writing mood. You might even set up a folder on your MP3 player that has selections simply for writing.

4. Exercise

Sometimes before sitting down to write a paper, writers will take a bike ride, go to practice, or go on a run. This helps put their bodies in a relaxed state so that they can stay more focused for an extended period of time. Releasing endorphins also helps the body and mind stay happy and re-energized for a difficult task.

5. One Word, One Sentence, One Paragraph

Instead of thinking to yourself over and over, “I have to write a 2-page paper and I don’t know what to write about,” or “I have to write a 10-page research paper and I don’t know where to begin,” try telling yourself to write one word or one sentence or one paragraph. Try not thinking of a PAPER, but a small little manageable task. If you can only write a sentence, write it, take a break and write another one a half an hour later. Keep at it until you can sit for longer times and stay focused.

6. Start at the End

Some writers panic at the thought of starting a paper. If you are one of these people, consider starting in the middle or the end of your assignment. In this way, you may realize that the beginning of the paper will come to you more easily.

7. Talk to Friends

Sometimes it helps writers to tell other people their writing plans. They then feel as though they have an obligation to write and don’t want to let them down. Friends might also ask about the writing assignment and offer insight about how to tackle the job. Be careful though, some friends can sabotage your efforts with negative comments.

8. Journal

Many students find that writing a letter to a friend, emailing, or journal writing helps them get in the writing mood. It also helps take their mind off the daily drama of high school life, family issue or overall stress. Using a strategy that unloads the daily stresses often allows your brain to relax and opens up your creative pathways. Think of journal writing as dumping the excess waste from your mind and starting with a fresh slate.

9. Outline

Outlining any essay is an extremely useful tool for any academic writer. It helps provide a road map for the writer, so when the writing gets tough, the writer can at least see where he/she is headed. For help on how to create an outline, see Writing Process

10. Draw a Picture

Some writers can get very distracted if they are unsure how to write a paper. Drawing a picture of what you want to say helps writers engage their creativity and thus, open up the writing channels. Don’t worry about being an artist, this drawing is for you only and you can decide how much or how little detail to add.