THE WRITTEN TASK I and THE PAPER 1 COMPARATIVE ESSAY.
You let out a deep sigh as you feel the heavy weight of dread in your gut, and your entire attitude fades to black. It's as if someone has pulled a dark veil over your formerly sunny outlook.
Okay, maybe that's a BIT dramatic. But for many of us, writing the essay is a task that takes more gumption just to begin than to actually complete.
Year one scholars, we are now in the process of writing our final WT1, which is anything but the formal essay. If that isn't punishment enough, we also must include a rationale with it to clarify for ourselves and our reader just what it is we are doing, and how this great idea meets the course criteria (thus providing a possible highlight of where we have fallen short!)
Year two scholars, you are preparing for the Paper 1 final, which is a comparative (gulp!) essay! It involves looking at two strange texts you have possibly never seen or encountered before, and comparing them--attempting to discover every possible important detail from word choice to purpose/theme....all in just two hours.
Now, now, now. Writing an essay or a WT1 doesn't have to be such a downer. In fact, it can become something you look forward to! (Okay, maybe that's taking it a bit too far). At the very least, it can be a challenge you are ready and able to meet.
Like anything else worth doing, writing takes what I like to refer to as the three P's: perseverance, passion and patience. You need to eliminate the idea of "trying my best" and substitute that notion with "I will DO my best." Do not even entertain the notion of "this will be hard" or "I cannot do this well," or "my teacher will hate this." Do not put it off until the last minute or it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom.
Instead, set aside a quiet space, do some relaxation breathing like we learned in class, and ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS. Silence your phone. Do not allow yourself to text friends or scope out Facebook. It's just you, some paper (or a screen) and words. Take some time to go through your notes and quotes, and begin the process of writing. Don't put the pressure of editing or grammar on yourself at this stage. Writing is a process. Allow your subconscious creativity to flow first, uninhibited. You can fix it all later.
Be patient with yourself and your thoughts. Wait for the right words or search them out until you find the one you truly feel is best. Use a thesaurus for inspiration. DON'T SURRENDER.
In the case of the WT1, write something YOU like. Don't think about me (aka your teacher), or anyone else. Take your topic, and write about it in an interesting way that appeals to you and reflects your writing style.
With the Paper 1, start with an organizational plan, even before you truly begin to attack the prompt and write. Use what you know and have practiced in writing all year long. Start simply with TAP and funnel down towards the nitty gritty details in the creation of the texts. Go deep. Again, revision and editing will come in the final stages. The first stage of the writing process is....wait for it....PLANNING! When you do begin to put your ideas and plans to paper and write, find something fun in it...something that stirs your creative passion.
AND WIN.
Here are the links to writing tips for the essay, and just writing in general. Read through them--some of the tips in them may be repeated, but reworded in a different way. Sometimes, hearing the same thing multiple times and in different ways is key in helping to cement your understanding! Then, in your post, tell me the tips you found the most helpful or enlightening.
1. https://www.chegg.com/play/student-life/10-tips-for-writing-the-perfect-paper/
2. http://thewritepractice.com/writing-an-essay/
3. https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/advice-for-students-10-steps-toward-better-writing.html
Here are the links to writing tips for the essay, and just writing in general. Read through them--some of the tips in them may be repeated, but reworded in a different way. Sometimes, hearing the same thing multiple times and in different ways is key in helping to cement your understanding! Then, in your post, tell me the tips you found the most helpful or enlightening.
1. https://www.chegg.com/play/student-life/10-tips-for-writing-the-perfect-paper/
2. http://thewritepractice.com/writing-an-essay/
3. https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/advice-for-students-10-steps-toward-better-writing.html
The piece of information that I found the most useful was to write the body paragraphs first, then the introduction paragraph and then the conclusion paragraph. I usually get stuck on the introduction paragraph, because I do not know what to talk about, so writing the body paragraphs so I actually have the material and then being able to summarize it in the introduction paragraph effectively is a tip that I will be sure to utilize in the future.
ReplyDeleteAll of the articles pretty much said the same thing. The main thing I took from them is the whole distraction free environment. Surprisingly I work better when there are distractions, because it gives me the incentive to focus and drown out those distractions. Writing essays is much easier for me than WT1s because I can pop out essays in an hour or less. WT1s are harder because it requires me to get creative about something that sometimes I am not in the mood for. When writing this previous WT1 I had to take a break from writing because if I kept writing I would just be writing gibberish. WT1 I need a no distraction environment so I can focus creatively and these articles reminded me of that fact.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the articles had the same advice, which probably means I should follow the things that are most commonly said because they're probably also the most commonly ignored of the bunch. But personally, I always struggle with time management, crappy first drafts and proofreading/feedback. I always move from one thing/activity to the next and I rarely set out a plan for my writing documents and time, which is probably one of the reasons why I stress but don't stress about writing till the end. I also tend to not like crappy first drafts, I want it to be perfect on the first try and definitely perfect before I continue, but maybe I need to just write it all out and then look at it again with an editing eye. I also don't tend to like showing my work to others, because it makes me anxious. But getting someone else's perspective would probably help more than just looking at it over and over and over again, so I probably need to use my peers more than I currently am.
ReplyDeleteThere was a lot of advice in these articles, but it helps. The part in one of the articles that talks about external rewards forcing our subconscious to shut down really spoke to me. Half of the time I can't figure out where to get started because my end goal is just for the grade, not the information itself. Write first and then edit to the standards for the grade ensures that you have information that interests you, but also meets the criteria from your teacher. A lot of the time I write and edit at the same time just to try to save time, but it probably ends up taking me longer and my edits are thorough enough. I also keep my essay in my head. I am the only one who proofs my paper before it gets turned in. This probably results in more small errors than necessary. Typos, extra words and incorrect phrases slip past my guard because I know what I'm trying to say, so it gets corrected in my mind. The most useful tip I have ever used is starting in the middle. When it was put to me in a way I understood, I started using that method. How can you introduce something that doesn't exist yet? I start with my body paragraphs and conclusion and then write a correct and fitting intro for the paper I have written.
ReplyDeleteThese articles, although self explanatory, capture the ideals which many immature writers seem to overlook in writing any form of text.
ReplyDeleteFrom Dustin Wax's article, I found a key point to something that I tend to highly overlook. In the 10 Steps Toward Better Writing, I constantly forget to "write terrible first drafts" to see what I did incorrect, and additionally develop on those ideas. Sometimes I consider my first draft to be my final draft, which is incredibly stressful and placing my essay on one night. Not only does developing your first draft allow for a more read-through and cohesive essay, but a concise argument.
From reading the following articles, I discovered the act of reviewing and refining the essay causes for a developed and well written text.
10 TIPS FOR WRITING THE PERFECT PAPER:
ReplyDeleteKnow the assignment - It's a simple tip but important to know nonetheless. Sometimes I jump straight into my essay and don't take the time to consider the basic things first.
Proofread and proofread again - When I'm done writing my essay, I'm tempted to be completely done and not look back on what I wrote. But, unsurprisingly, there are almost always a lot of mistakes I didn't catch when I look at my final copy, which is NOT a good habit. Proofreading is ESSENTIAL!
Write and revise - I feel that I don't revise my rough draft enough before submitting an essay. However, this tip helped me realize that I really need to take the time to read over my rough draft and revise everything I can to get the best grade possible.
Conclusion - Usually I think of my conclusion as just summing up the essay. While this is true, this tip says that my conclusion should be a "mic drop," so now I want to focus on writing better endings to leave a good final impression with my readers.
Writing an Essay? Here Are 10 Effective Tips:
Ask yourself, "How can I have the most fun with this?" - I need to start thinking of my assignments differently by asking this question. I often automatically assume all of my assignments to be boring and hard to complete. However, if I think of them this way, it may make it easier and maybe a bit more fun to do.
Body first, intro second, conclusion last - This tip cleared up a misconception that I was skeptical about up until this point. I have always written my body first, but whether the conclusion or intro followed often confused me. Now I know!
Wikipedia - This tip helped me because it clarified that Wikipedia is okay to use, but only when looking for sources. I realized that Wikipedia has many, many sources to offer on a variety of topics and would be extremely useful to me if I need to find more sources.
Advice for Students: 10 Steps Toward Better Writing:
Pace yourself - I often try to speed through my assignments, but if I learn to pace myself, I will probably get more quality and depth in my work.
Write crappy first drafts - I usually write really good, detailed first drafts, and spend most of my time doing so. But this tip helped me realized that I should shift a lot of that time into the revision and editing stages of writing my essay.
The tip that stood out to me the most was that revision should take just as long as writing the paper. Usually I just fly through it, but I feel like if I spent more time on it, I might catch more errors. Also planning out my papers, writing only 500 words a day, is very interesting and I may do that for the next paper I write.
ReplyDeleteWithin all three articles, I believe the tips that help me the most were to focus on getting my point across, to not dread the essay and enjoy what you're writing, and use vocabulary that is professional but not out of your vocabulary range. All three of these things I have a difficult time dealing with. Occasionally, I'll focus on something that isn't the main point and go out of the line of what I'm actually speaking of. For the majority, of things I usually enjoy essays but I do want to get it over with because I find myself busy and there are many things I must do. I believe if I sit down and really enjoy writing everything in it will improve. Lastly, I spend the majority of my worry on my vocabulary. I think that it could defiantly increase if I would hard on it which is why I use my time with essays as an outlet to work on it. However, I can see how this is a problem and how I should defiantly work on it. I will absolutely work on all these problems to allow my writing skills to improve greatly.
ReplyDeleteThe tips I liked the most from the first website were the two near the end that were about the words you should avoid and then getting feedback. In general I feel like getting feedback is something I need to do more of. Right away when reading through the second website I already like what it says about external approval and how all the distractions and things you’d rather be doing makes it harder to focus and actually start the essay. I also love how blunt the article is, like how it states “Just stop. Stop trying to write a good essay. Instead write an interesting essay.” I really liked that. I also like number five on this article and how it says to be source heavy, sources can be one of the most annoying or tedious parts in the essay process so I like that this was mentioned. Overall I love how this website seems to focus on enjoying the writing process and writing something you like. While reading through the last website the thing that first caught my eye is number three, ‘starting in the middle’. I liked how it mentioned that the first paragraph is usually the weakest because it’s the one that the writer kinda warms up on, it intrigued me. Overall these three websites were interesting to read through and I’m glad i saw some things that were cool to me.
ReplyDeleteAll of these tips are incredibly helpful and enlightening. I'll be honest, sometimes I struggle with writing, not because I don't like it, but because it's hard to get the wording to sound right. The most enlightening one for me is to write the five original sentences and then to build off from there. It interested me because usually, I just write the whole paragraph and edit it later but I think this might be helpful so you get a good grasp on the subject. I feel like this could start the paper and to weave in the information easier as well as to make it more powerful.I am going to have to take all the tips into consideration when writing papers in the future
ReplyDeleteI have always been a decent or good writer, and it never bothered me before because I have always gotten a passing grade. But after reading these articles and learning from these tips I don't just want a passing grade anymore, I want my essay to be amazing. One of the things that stood out to me in the second article was how the author mentioned "The biggest reason writing an essay is so hard is because we mostly focus on those external rewards like getting a passing grade or our teacher’s approval. The problem is that when you focus on external approval it not only makes writing much less fun, it also makes it significantly harder." I have never thought of it like that. I have started to notice that when you focus on getting the teachers approval you lose sight of where you want to take your essay. And then it starts to get stressful and overwhelming. thanks to these tips I will learn to not worry about external forces and only focus on the paper in front of me.
ReplyDeleteI had heard many of these tips on how to write an essay over my years in high school. However, calling an essay a dance and telling me to find something fun about it was new. It said that you should not think of writing as punishment (which I do) but as something you get to do. By finding something fun about it, I believe it will help me focus and organize my thoughts more effectively.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading these articles, I have learned many new tips that will be helpful for me in the long run. For instance, as a writer at times I find myself not knowing how to start my essay ( the introduction). The tip that I think I wil find myself taking most advantage of is to write body paragraphs first. I blieve this will help me drastically because it well help save me a lot of time when writing my essays. I believe that doing this will also help my essay create a better flow and transitions into paragraphs. This is not the first time I have eard about this tip however, I just never thought it would work effectively. Now that I have heard it a couple times I think this tip is effectve and I will be taking advantage of it.
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure what this says about me as a person, but writing essays has always been something that I have kind of enjoyed and felt comfortable with. Through writing them year after year and practicing the skills that they require continuously, I feel as though I am able to write my thoughts better than I would be able to speak them. However, this does not mean that essays are easy for me, because they definitely aren’t. I often struggle with organizing the layout of my essay which is usually the hardest part for me because I feel as though once I have my outline and quotes, the rest is able to just fall together. Some of the tips that I read within the three articles listed above really helped me to understand how I can organize my essays more efficiently and allowed for me to think about creating essays in a different way. I learned that focusing on my argument and what I’m trying to communicate in my essay rather than focusing on the grade I will receive or my teachers thoughts will be more beneficial for both me and my essay in the long run. I also liked the tip that talked about the type of vocabulary that we should use in our essays. Often times I look at my essays and notice the lack of large vocabulary words and think my essay looks juvenile. However, this tip helped me realize the fine line you have to walk when it comes to word choice. Overall, these tips were very helpful with furthering my understanding of writing different elements of my essays and I plan on using some of them from now on.
ReplyDeleteFor most of the advice from the articles, I had already received from either you, Mrs. Caraway, or other people. In the first link, much of the information was on revision strategies that writing. In class we've been following some of the advice such as asking for help and also taking time to edit and revise. From the second link, (Writing and Essay?) I already learned from 7th grade to write sentence outlines prior to an essay and even this years I've been reminded that writing the body of the essay first is the easiest. In the third link, a lot was also said from the first two articles such as starting in the middle. I do tend to follow the crappy first draft style of starting off. I of course do this because I know that it's easier to get thoughts on paper even if they aren't well written. In short, I'm very grateful for this blog post as it's allowed me to feel less stressed when it comes to large writing assignments such as the written task one. It also allows me to know some things that will help for the comparative essay in the future.
ReplyDeleteWriting was always seemed to me as difficult puzzle game that I can't quite finish. In a way, its fustrating to have an idea in my head but when expressing them through writing onto my paper. It ulitmately becomes a conjointed mess of vague thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI believe the inefficiency in my writing skill is mostly due to organization, a lack of motivation, and a hard hitting conclusion to tie up my essay in big bow tie, ready to present. And by reading the texts given I was able to bring a few tips that would help me improve my proficiency.
10 Tips For Writing The Perfect Paper
8. Write & Revise - I always make a mistake to revise my writing pieces. Yes, I know. I'm a dummy for not
9. Get Feedback- Don't Be Afraid to Get help
10. In Conclusion
thewritepractice.com
3. As you research, ask yourself, "What surprises me about this subject?"
6. Write the body firstm the introduction second, and the conclusion last.
The conclusion of the blogger- "something I had to do rather than something I wanted to do" - Education should be enjoyable and should not percieved to be a chore.
The number one tip that I found enlightening and helpful comes from looking at the article “Writing an Essay? Here Are 10 Effective Tips” by Joe Bunting. This article helped me see that the process of writing doesn’t have to be boring, it can be fun if you allow internal fulfillment to be your priority instead of external. What I mean by external fulfillment is writing your essay closely to what your teacher wants to read, approves of, or considers as a passing grade instead of writing it the way you want too. And, I’ll be honest this is something I really struggle with when writing essays, I tend to always focus on the external forces rather than my own creative fulfillment when writing. Now, I’m not saying I would ever forego the WT1 criterion marks, guidelines or even teacher/student comments, all I’m saying is that I can write an essay while having fun AND getting a great grade if I focus on internal fulfillment instead of external fulfillment. Meaning, I don’t need to turn off the creative subconscious that makes all writers create spectacular pieces of writing because of the worry of a perfect grade or approval. If I do this it will honestly put more pressure on myself as a writer ultimately making my writing more stressful. And, since I’m currently working my WT1 for Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, this is something I’m dealing with. I’ll be honest I always seem to limit my creative flow because I want the passing grade instead of focusing on what I want to write. So, that's why moving forward especially within WT1, I want to focus on the creative flow that helps me write what I want to not what the external fulfillment factors persuade me to write. Likewise, individual fulfillment also pertains to the heart of the WT1 which is creativity and moreover using that creativity to demonstrate my understanding of the text. It’s also important to note that in doing what you want within creative writing, you will create a powerful and individualized piece of writing without the external factors clouding the creative flow that makes your writing yours.
ReplyDeleteI also found the proofreading and conclusion writing tips in the “Advice for Students: 10 tips Toward Better Writing” article helpful too. The proofreading tip helped me realize that proofreading my paper is both different from revising my writing and that it’s the last step before declaring my paper officially finished. Similarly, the conclusion tip also made me realize a huge error in how I write my own conclusions. As conclusions “Should be a strong resolution to the paper” (Advice for Students: 10 tips Toward Better Writing) not a weak summarization of all the points discussed within the writing. And, although it should include the points discussed within the writing, the conclusion should serve as the bow that ties the essay together. This should help the reader understand questions like “why?” or “how?” meaning the conclusion should tie together the significance of the writing not summarize it. Additionally, these tips can also help me in my other DP classes like Theory of Knowledge, by focusing on the “how?” how does this essay prove/demonstrate my knowledge of a literary text, what’s the significance? how does the text show this? what’s the connection between the points? etc. Proving and discussing these points can help me write a creative, constructive and interesting essay that shows the significance of something greater. I also found it really interesting that one pro-tip indicted to have your paper read back to you from Google translate. Which I found really cool since hearing your paper read out loud can help gain a new perspective on the paper to make it better. All in all, these tips are very useful ways to help you create a piece of writing that captures your individuality whilst also helping to obtain a great grade too.
The tip that I found the most helpful was #8 in the article "10 tips for writing the perfect paper". It advised that during the revision process you should read your paper out loud, I was doubtful that it would make a difference but it did. When reading out loud you stumble over words and realize your phrasing is off, it really helps to catch mistakes. There were a couple other tips that stood out to me, such as writing your body paragraphs before your intro. I have always struggled with writing my intro paragraphs so I plan on trying this tip to see if it improves my writing.
ReplyDeleteIn these articles I found out alot of little details for making an essay better that I never really thought about. In the second article there was a section where it was verbs and phrases that you should not use. I also found it helpful that alot of these tips made it very simple to to creating an essay. The tip of what to write first which is your body paragraphs and then your introduction and conclusion made sense because you would base your introduction off your body paragraphs.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe tip that I found most helpful was the tip to write the body paragraphs first then the introduction, and lastly the conclusion paragraph. I always get stuck in writing an engaging introduction so writing the body paragraphs will help with a good introduction. The body paragraphs will give me more background information to discuss and include in the introduction which will make it easier to write my papers. I will definitely be using that tip when completing my future assignments.
ReplyDeleteThe tip that stood out most to me was the idea that your first draft doesn't have to be perfect. That mentality often keeps me from putting words on the page and slows down my writing process. It's ten times more effective to just put it all down and fix it afterwards. With that being said though, revision is even more important. Most sentences are only good concepts, and some might even have segments that are well written, but it might not all fit together into a cohesive piece of writing. Good revision takes patience, and that's difficult. It's hard for me to go back and read what I've already written, especially when it isn't particularly good writing. I just need to get in the right head space to realize that my writing doesn't need to be perfect, and that revision will be my best chance at getting there.
ReplyDeleteThe two writing tips that stood out to me the most out of all of them were to create a distraction free environment and not worry about writing a good draft the first time around. Most of the time I have difficulty starting writing, but once I begin I’m fine to write for a long time. Creating a distraction free environment that I feel that I can work in is really important for me to be able to start, because there’s always things that I’d rather be doing instead of starting on an essay or paper. Once I’m comfortable and have set up an environment where I’ve eliminated everything else I could be doing and basically have no choice but to write, I’m content to keep writing for a while. The other tip also ties into my difficulty with starting writing. I don’t like to start writing because I have difficulty writing something down if it’s not high quality. I would write much more quickly and create more content and ideas if I just put down whatever came to mind for my first draft. There’s always time to edit and correct, but the ideas have to be down on the page first. Overall, I just have difficulty with starting my writing, so the tips to create a distraction free environment and not worry about the quality of the first draft are helpful to me.
ReplyDeleteI found that the most helpful tips were some of the ones I catch myself doing the most often. I noticed that I have a habit of listing events with "first, second and third'. I didn't realize how choppy it sounded until reading these articles. Definitely going to watch out for those from now on. I also preach Mrs. caraway's own advice to set aside distractions and find a quiet place to get that writing flow. When I know I have a piece due in class or I simply have this lingering cloud of thoughts hovering in the back of my mind, I set everything aside to jot those thoughts down. I can not go about my day knowing I have a paper to write. Not everyone can set these distractions aside and on some occasions neither can I. I found that tip very helpful. I hope to see these tips and tricks to organization shine through in my writing.
ReplyDeleteThe articles had a lot of helpful tips that I will use from now on and throughout my academic career. The piece of advice that was very helpful was to organize your syllabus assignments by blocking out time at the beginning of the semester. (e.g. 2 weeks for research, 2 for writing, 2 to let your draft “sit” and a few days to revise and proofread.) I am a very structure-oriented person and I have been nervous about college because a syllabus seem overwhelming. However, this system seems to be effective and well organized. I will definitely use it in my college career.
ReplyDeleteThe most enlightening tip was to put your paper in google translate so it can read your work back to you. I actually used this tip during the revision process of my Written Task 1. The google translator’s voice is smooth and it allows me to see my paper in a new light. I can hear the errors and places where it doesn’t flow. I can definitely see myself using this a lot in the future.
After reading these articles I will be keeping these tips in mind from now on whenever I am writing something. The first one that i found helpful is to not worry about writing a good first draft, I often find myself trying to make my first draft perfect instead of allowing mistakes and fixing them in my final draft. The second tip I found very helpful was the one about not listing things because it doesn't flow right, which I never realized until after I read it, and I found I do it often in my own writing but I will be keeping it in mind to not do these things anymore.
ReplyDeleteThe three articles definitely had a lot of helpful tips to use when writing a paper. A lot of the tips mentioned I feel is what I already use already, except two that stood out to me the most, which was writing an essay is a story and ask when you're about to write ask yourself "How do I make this fun" and exciting for the reader. I never really thought about that when writing a paper, may be a little bit for the WT1 anyways, but that one is force ably; don't write an essay, make it entertaining type thing. But with my regular essays I never felt or thought this way. I think it's a good way to look at it from a different point of view. I think by looking at it in this way, you would feel less stressed when writing a paper, plus I feel when you get to writing it and jotting your points down things will start to flow naturally and before you know it you will have an essay at your fingertips. You might need to go back and change somethings but during that whole writing process everything just flowed and you weren't stressed at all when you wrote it. Pe
ReplyDeletePersonally when I'm writing a paper, I first figure out what I want to talk about and how I'm going to organize my paper to benefit my concept or thesis I have. After doing so I just start writing, just writing down my ideas before they go away, but in doing so my paper is still in a format that is required (essay or WT1). After doing so I go back and change everything, may reorganize some things, but I would structure it in a way that I would find best fit for what I'm trying to pursue with my assignment. I feel looking at these tips and reading them, helped me with how I should approach an essay, we in the future may give me a little more confidence than what I may have had before. When writing an essay I might refer to this and look at the tips some more, to get my clock (brain) ticking.
I almost always get distracted. Even if its the wind blowing you can count on me getting distracted but these tips do seem useful. it always seems hard to just sit down and write. One of the reasons I love IB so much is cause it forces you too look deeper and forces you to learn how to just sit down and write. I liked the tip on organization and how to keep this fun, if you use the tips for everything then you'll be on your way. When I write a paper I have to think about what I have to talk about to make this match the word count and be considered as critical thinking. When you think of it like that it's hard to get done but if I find a way to make it fun I could probably get it done in a snap.
ReplyDeleteI found all of these tips very helpful actually, especially the one that states that writing your body paragraphs before your introduction. When I write an essay the hardest thing for me to write is my introduction, I never know what to talk about. But once I have all my body paragraphs I'll have a main idea to speak of and develop my introduction better.
ReplyDeleteThese tips seem to be very helpful when writing a paper because they can help you focus in on your topic and let you have the best possible outcome. The tips I found helpful include: Not writing to reach the word count - you want to write to prove your topic. Proof Read your paper and revise! Use many sources to show where some of your ideas came from which can be used to see how they evolved. Outline what you're going to write before you write it. And finally, give yourself enough time to take you time in writing it - Pace Yourself.
ReplyDeleteThe tip that I found most helpful was the one where it said that the revision process should take just as long as writing the actual paper. I personally don't really revise anything so this is something that is new to me. I think that if I were to do this and use this tip, my writing would become much better. I also think that I would find a lot of errors in my papers before I turn them in. This is something that I think I will definitely bee using in the future.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the Chegg.com article on the "10 tips for writing the perfect paper" I found that the best tips for writing include a lot of re-reading, proofing and revision. Though this tip may a no-brainer, it is critical mostly because I never do it. I know that I need to reread my paper and proof everything I say but that is really the hardest part for me to complete with any paper I have ever written. It's easy to get everything out on the paper but to start to see if what I wrote was well put or necessary is always the most tedious.
ReplyDeleteUsually when the time come to write an essay or do a long assignment, I lose motivation. Procrastination takes over and I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders even though all I have to do is complete an assignment.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the articles I found three tips that seem the most helpful.
The first tip is from thewritepractice.com, ‘write five original sentences, if you’re feeling over whelmed’. This tip is basically suggesting you write an outline before you begin writing. Outlines do help me immensely because they allow me to see my essay laid out and it helps me organize my thoughts. I don’t create an outline every time I have to write an essay and that’s when I get overwhelmed.
The second tip is also from thewritepractice.com, ‘write the body first, introduction second, and the conclusion last. Two things that I have the most trouble with when writing an essay is writing the intro and conclusion. Intros and conclusions are difficult for me because i’m not sure what to write or how to write it. By writing the introduction first though, it could be easier because then I have guidelines to figure out what to write.
The third tip is from chug.com, ‘get feedback-don’t be afraid to get help’. When it comes to getting feedback I often find myself not wanting to ask someone to look over it. I know it could make my essay 10 times better even if I just have a couple typing errors.
While each of these articles had really useful ideas, the second website stood out to me the most because it was focused on changing minds to make essay writing fun. This is something I've been attempting to do recently because I know that I enjoy learning and writing, but as soon as I have to do something, I no longer want to do so. I also loved the idea the author presented in this article to not write the paper for the teacher or just for a good grade, but for yourself with a topic you personally find interesting.
ReplyDeleteAs for specific helpful points, I really liked the third article for some of its points such as to plan before writing (which I have to do otherwise I get nowhere, and yet I still try to skip the planning stage), to focus on communicating your purpose, and to actually conclude your essay (both of which give meaning to the essay).
These are all especially helpful not just for school, but because I know I have a passion for writing and ideas I want to write about, but I struggle with the drive to pursue or finish such projects.
One tip that will help me out is the fact that your rough draft does not have to be perfect. Usually when I write I like to just do one copy and make it perfect but actually writing a rough draft that I can get my thoughts out can be very helpful. For me it seems like it wastes time but in reality it increases my writing and makes the ideas flow better.
ReplyDeleteAfter looking through the articles, there were a couple of tips that I took as advice for myself. Specifically, the key points I noticed were the ones discussing to begin by knowing your assignment, start in the middle, include a clear conclusion, and to focus on what you as a writer are attempting to say rather than focusing on what the instructor will like. These tips are often things that I forget to think about especially when writing a last minute essay, however they are very helpful when it comes to making clear and well structured points.
ReplyDeleteWriting essays or WT1 can be dreadful because I never really have an idea I can fully commit to. Reading these tips, I reflected on my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to approaching these assignments and I noticed that sometimes I do an overview of the text we read. But I need to start with a good argument and delve deeper into that rather than looking at it as an overview. I thought of ideas that would challenge my writing skills making it more exciting for me to write. Proof reading is everything. I can catch little grammars and reading it allowed helps me edit and make those changes. They can be small things such as format or style as well. Proofreading it makes it flow all that much better. Also, I tend to have a habit of procrastinating or going on my phone until an idea hits me, but turning off all my distractions forces me to work on my tasks efficiently.
ReplyDeleteIn these articles, the points that stuck with me the most were the distraction free environment and using your conclusion as a resolution or "mic drop" instead of a summary. Even when writing this blog post, I got distracted multiple times, so it's important to write in as distraction free an environment as possible. For the second point, conclusions are typically my weak point when writing essays, so thinking of them as an addition to my essays rather than just a rehash of my previous points could help me write them better.
ReplyDeleteThough I actually am writing this after I wrote my Written Task One, it’s always good to read some writing tips, especially essay, since it feels like we are constantly writing essays. Thank you for sharing these sites!
ReplyDeleteSomething that really hit home (though I wish it wouldn’t) is the advice to proofread and then Proofread again to ensure no typos. I have definitely become a little too reliant on spell check and always seem to have one or two typos seek their way into my essay. While it doesn’t significantly detract from the flow of my work, they really bother me! Especially when I put so much time into my work and typos make it look sloppy.
Something that I really need to implement is that it’s okay to “Write crappy first drafts”. I always find that my rough draft and final draft are pretty similar, with only one or two points cleaned up. This is probably why it takes me forever to write my rough draft; I try to make it perfect in the first go which gets in the way of any writing flow I had. It’s time for me to start by writing a rough draft and revising it before I participate in critical friends instead of taking forever to write a rough draft and then not revising it until critical friends.
This topic is really helpful to look into as exams come closer (yikes)! What really interested me within these articles was the discussion on writing a conclusion. I know for many, writing an engaging introduction can be difficult, but these points really highlighted to me the importance of a solid conclusion. I tend to take conclusions pretty seriously, as I see them as a last chance to really tie everything together and emphasize the point you need to make. They also can be unique, and leave the reader with something to really think about.
ReplyDeleteWhat also was really interesting to me was the tips on having fun and using creativity in essays. I feel to many essays are tedious, and do not really appear to be "creative" in any sense. However, reading these articles showed me that it is possible to take a fun route when writing essays, and to enjoy the process. Along with this, it is possible to really put your own twist on a topic that cane be creative and engaging.
The tips I found most helpful were:Instead of writing a good essay, write an interesting essay and then make it good. I feel like this really spoke to me a lot. I'm usually focusing on trying to make an essay sound good only to end up having the outcome being bad. If I took the time and made it interesting first then editing it to make it sound good to meet the standards, then perhaps I may have a better chance at getting that good outcome I have always wanted.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the second article was more helpful to me than the other two. The first one pretty much covered the basics of what I already knew and the third was more about pacing and a bit like the first. Those two things I have pretty much noticed as I learned to write these past years.
But this second article gave more advice that isnt like the regular other two. For example avoiding such words, jumping around, and the best essay example.
After reading the articles, the tips that stuck out the most to me were, proofreading (and re-proofreading), finding a quiet distraction-free environment, and that every rough draft doesn't need to be perfect. These all may be simple tips, but seem to me the most important. I feel like these are the most efficient ways to not only get an essay done quickly and efficiently, but by proofreading continually can get my assignment to the most refined as it can be. By going through draft after draft, it can be more encouraging because now you have something to work with, and then the cleaning up the edges comes in.
ReplyDeleteIt’s very easy to brush off the tip given by the last article about pacing yourself and not leaving everything until the last moment, but it is most definitely a very critical piece of advice that should never stop being given. One of the authors even remarked on the idea that student’s feel like they do their best work when their rushed right before the deadline, which is what I’ve found myself personally believing, saying that it is simply not true and a way worse alternative than planning it and doing it over time. Another tip I found really enlightening of which at least two of the articles gave was how you don’t want to start your essay in the introduction, but instead in the middle or first body paragraph where you can just start tackling the essay and not have to worry about the perfect intro and attention grabber. To me, this is such a huge realization because I have never really thought of doing that, even though it seems so helpful now in retrospect. The final tip I want to address is the “be ‘source heavy’” tip which is something I never really thought I’d hear, but also which makes a lot of sense. The fact that you may as well use the words of an author who thought and wrote about something much better than you would is advice I definitely think I will carry on into college. I think my prospects look good too, as I don’t even think that when I use this it will end up being super-excessive or “source heavy” because I feel that I am a good enough writer to be able to add some original thoughts and insights into a subject so that it wouldn’t be just other people writing my essay for me.
ReplyDeleteWhat stood out to me the most was the very last thing I wanted to see when looking through these articles, proofreading. I absolutely despise proofreading my own papers and most probably aren't revised unless someone else reads through it and suggests edits for me. I need to improve on looking over my work more and more in order to catch small silly mistakes I've made as well as major ones.
ReplyDeleteThe two tips that stood out to me the most were (from the first and second links), From link one; the tip was: avoid using words you don’t know. It’s hard to break a writing habit that you learned literally your entire elementary years on; use “big kid words.” As early as I can remember, my teachers were always insisting that I expand my vocabulary, even though I wasn’t comfortable, but from time to time I still like to attempt. In link two, the tip was: don’t be afraid to jump around. Which I do anyway, I am just glad it is a tip because for me it is so much easier to write what comes to mind than forced to write in a specific order.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many grammatical errors...I'm so sorry Mrs. Caraway.
DeleteI really appreciated the very first tip from the first source, "know the assignment," because so often we are told by our teachers (mostly history) that we have written a beautiful essay that just does not answer the question that was being asked, and I think we should all remember that tip as we go into our tests.
ReplyDeleteI also really like the tip from the second source, "Overwhelmed? Just write five original sentences," because often times when I am staring down a long essay assignment and all that's in front of me is a blank sheet, I find myself very overwhelmed. So thanks to this tip, I now know a great way to overcome that overwhelming feeling inside and get the assignment done and out of the way.
Some tips that I found useful and helpful when preparing to write the Written task 1 in class is in the first article when it says proofread and proofread again. This is important to me because I rarely ever do it. I know it sounds simple and an easy fix, but for some reason when I’m done writing I’m just so done and want to move on so I rarely read through the entire thing once or twice. Which is just me being lazy, and I need to fix that! Especially when I go to college. And if I did, I would probably have pretty good papers. Also another cool tip that I have never thought about I copying you paragraphs into google translate to hear it out loud. That is super helpful and I am definitely going to use this in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think that a lot of these tips are actually quite helpful to know. I realized that I never really took the time to put words to a lot of these tips which I practice, but haven't really preached.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I would like to choose tips which I already use but I find extremely helpful. These are:
- Know the Assignment.
- Start With A Good Argument
- Conclusion: Make sure your paper leaves a good impression
- Most essays answer the question, “What?” Good essays answer the “Why?” The best essays answer the “How?”
Finally, some tips which I found quite helpful that I haven't really given a thought to or haven't yet implemented (but will soon!) are:
- Your essay is just a story.
- Pace yourself throughout the assignment.
- Proofread your paper backwards (while I don't normally need much proofreading, I found this one interesting!).
Overall, I think this blog has definitely provided me great insight into the world of essay-writing, a world I am not going to leave anytime soon as I continue my journey of life into college. Thank you Mrs. Caraway!
The piece I definitely found the most beneficial was the portion about taking a breath and building a structure. Sometimes my mind and life in general are going a million miles a minute and I cant keep up, which results in sloppy work that sound good in the moment, but in reality, is very hard to comprehend, or just doesn't tackle the task at hand. By taking a moment to just breathe and compose myself, I feel as though I could probably produce more meaningful work that isn't sloppy. In addition the actual planning and building of a structure was something that I found very interesting. Often times in timed essays, or any timed writing assignment, I usually go with the first idea in my head and run with it. This usually leads to a lot of erasing along with addition re phrasing and sometimes even just having to start again because my first idea didn't work out. By taking the time to organize my writing and plan ahead, my thoughts and ideas will be clearly laid out for me to follow and elaborate on without losing focus or going into too much detail.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading each article, a handful of tips stuck in my brain the whole time. These included "Know the assignment", "Get feedback- don't be afraid to get help", and "Ask yourself "How can I have the most fun writing this?"". The WT1 can be pretty intimidating if you don't know exactly what it is that you're doing and is SO MUCH easier when you understand the task. I have a hard time asking for help and I'm always anxious about the feedback people may give me (Critical Friends? My worst nightmare) so being able to ask for help and accept it makes writing so much easier. As for the last bit of advice, when you're writing something like the WT1 where you have tons of freedom and the ability to do basically any format of writing you can imagine (within reason, of course), it's easier to write a good paper when you choose something that you thoroughly enjoy writing and will have fun doing; no one wants to write something in a way that they don't care about.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite article was the second one by Joe Bunting. I think it's my favorite because it reshaped how I approached writing an essay. My favorite tips were 1 and 8. Originally, I always thought of essay writing as a means of getting from point a to point b with facts and sources in the middle. The idea of addressing it as a story has never come to me, and using conflict and the element of surprise to engage not only the reader but also myself. Tip 8 is "Don't be afraid to jump around". I feel as if that is something that I personally struggle with when I write then I become stuck when I can't stick to a straight line. This gives me reassurance to explore my ideas and to come and if anything doesn't flush out completely I can fix in editing. These tips were very useful. I already bookmarked this page to reference to in the future when I need inspiration.
ReplyDeleteGood!! I am glad to hear it may become a helpful resource!
DeleteI thought the tip about starting in the middle funny, in a coincidental way. I absolutely hate writing introductions to my essays and I tend to like starting with the body paragraphs because they are just so much easier for me to write. The introduction to me is in the top two of worst paragraphs to write (the other being the conclusion). I thought that the tip from another article to "Write the body first, the introduction second, and the conclusion last" was really helpful and matched the process I seem to follow more. I also found it funny that another tip for writing essays is not to use Wikipedia as a source. I've always been taught this so to use Wikipedia as a source for an essay seems ludicrous to me. I find it hard for me to understand how to not plagiarize since there are only oh so many ways to word certain sentences. So I'm always paranoid that I will get docked because what I think is original writing turns out to not be very original. I find the conclusion to be one of the hardest parts of writing an essay. I wish there had been more tips about how to better write a good conclusion that isn't a summary.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the part about the subconscious way we view the goals of our written works and how that effects the outcome. Along with that, the idea of leaving a good impression. It made me think about how i view my assignments. Normally, I do my very best because it represents me, but sometimes I know I'm doing the minimum for an A. I will keep these tips in mind for the future.
ReplyDeleteOne tip that stood out to me was from the second article that said “your essay is just a story,” only the conflict is between ideas. I never thought about essays this way before, and I think that doing so will create a better argument as you understand the relationship between the ideas that you are trying to compare and/or advocate for. I also feel that if you think of your essay more like a story, it will be less painful to write. For example, when I think of an essay I get overwhelmed, but when i think of something story-esque, such as a Written Task 1, it is fun to write and ultimately easier to complete.
ReplyDeleteThe second tip that stood out to me was mentioned in all the articles, but better developed in the third one. It was about the importance of editing, how its process should not be rushed, and the idea that “when you’re done with your first draft, your understanding of your subject will be much greater than it was when you started writing; use that deeper knowledge to clarify and enrich your writing” through editing. It can be really easy to brush past this step with a looming deadline and I think that I should utilize this tip more within my own writing.
Something that really stood out to me in this is that your first draft of your essay doesn't have to be perfect. I am a perfectionist when it comes to certain pieces of work, and when I know people will be reviewing my rough draft I try to make it so perfect, so that the person editing my rough draft doesn't think I suck or that I don't know what I'm talking about. I also thought it was a good tip to write what you want to write about, do or say, and do that rather than just thinking about what the reader or grader will like. It's your work so write what you want.
ReplyDeleteThe tip that stuck out to me most focused on the idea that a conclusion is not a summary and, "should be a strong resolution to the paper." My first four paragraphs are usually quite balanced, but the last paragraph usually falls short because I'm not sure what I should write. Conclusions are typically where I struggle most because I do not want to introduce new ideas and bring up new points that have not been presented in my argument, but this means I end up with a short, bland summary of everything I have just written. I feel like keeping this tip in mind will help me find a balance between tying everything together and bringing clarity to my essay without simply summarizing it.
ReplyDeleteAll articles overall discussed the same tips, and two contradicted themselves. I did find that some of the tips were indeed helpful while others were more common sense and generally a well-known tip. For example, "Most essays answer the question, “What?” Good essays answer the “Why?” The best essays answer the “How?” This tip is something I myself personally feel would help me in writing my essays and ensuring that they stay relevant and are written in a deeper level. Examples of tips, that I feel are generally common sense are obviously, don't plagiarize, revise your essay, and lastly, plan, then write. Other than some tips that most people would already know, the articles were very beneficial as to how to write and strategies on writing a good essay. The tip that stood out the most to me was the tip on managing my time. I have never been accustomed to planning out and breaking large assignments into chunks as for a while throughout my youth and even in High School I didn’t do so. I have gotten better over time, though it is something I feel me and many others still need work on. Overall these tips were helpful and simply, would help me writing any future essays, not just the Written Task 1.
ReplyDeleteI think the most interesting tip that I read for writing essays was the idea that your essay itself should be interesting. It's an idea that I don't think I ever really thought about as most of the time when writing essays, I just try to get it done and over with so I can move onto my next assignment or do what I want. I also believe that planning before writing an essay is the most helpful thing to do. It's never a good idea to just jump straight into an essay without all your ideas and thoughts written out. Overall, essays are something that take a lot of concentration and thought if you want them to be good, so planning and thinking outside the box is always a good idea and it's good advice that should be passed down to others who struggle with writing essays or need tips.
ReplyDeleteThe most profound things can sometimes be the most simple. This holds true in the tip that I found most important: Keep your writing interesting. While I always try to keep this in mind, practicing it takes homework, and breathes joy into it. In my experience my writing is lackluster when I plan too much ahead, as it becomes very restricted. I'm at my most creative and productive when I exert large amounts of spontaneity. This is probably because I write things that I would want to read. Keeping this tip in mind is, in my opinion, the best way to develop a unique and enjoyable style of writing.
ReplyDeleteCreating a good argument is probably the most difficult part - backing it up well is the next. Good research is hard, and integrating research well in your own words is quite a feat. These are both things I think could improve my writing the most if I mastered them. (I also find it interesting that the second article suggests being "source heavy," while the third suggests you avoid it.)
ReplyDeleteI noticed all of the articles said to plan before you write. The last two also said to write your first draft before you edit. These are both incredibly difficult for me. It seems easier to write linearly without pausing, editing as I go, but it makes it so much harder, because I'm trying to focus on getting the words out and making them perfect at the same time. It scrambles my brain, and definitely doesn't produce the best result. I think it all comes down to time management, as they mentioned, at which I am also terrible.
Some other points that jumped out at me were "Your essay is just a story," "Don't be afraid to jump around," every point about writing non-linearly ("Start in the middle"), "Focus on communicating your purpose," and "Conclude something." Out of those, concluding something with substance is probably the most difficult.
Overall, I most liked the second article's unique perspective and the third's practical, no-nonsense advice.
After reading the articles provided, I think my thoughts and outlooks on writing essays were both confirmed and expanded, because while there were a lot of points for me to take away from the readings, some of the advise I already follow when writing. For example, when discussing the format of writing body paragraphs first and then going back to work on intro and conclusion paragraphs (which was a common point throughout the articles) I realized while I usually write a thesis first, most of the time I stick to this pattern. Having the substance of an essay written before trying to create the intro to set up the text and conclusion to wrap it up makes coming up with what you want to say much easier. One thing that I did take away from the articles that I think is going to help me in the future was specifically found on thewritepractice.com when the idea of essay writing being just like writing a story came up. I do feel like a lot of my procrastination tendencies derive from feeling like I don't have the proper tools to complete a task perfectly, and it often leaves me with a pile of homework to complete the night before or sometimes even the same day that the assignment is due. But, I do think that being able to look at essay writing from a new perspective and using creativity to see how to have fun with the work will help me accomplish my goals with time to spare.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the listed links providing advice on essay writing, I came away have come away realizing the structure of my essay writing, meaning the way I designate time to writing and do it in an environment in which I can focus, is as crucial as the actual writing structure in my essay. That said, here are the following tips which I plan on using for writing essays in the future:
ReplyDeleteCite #1: 10 TIPS FOR WRITING THE PERFECT PAPER
“Avoid Words You Don’t Know” - I am a big time culprit of using the thesaurus and shoving in sophisticated-sounding language into my essays to impress my colleagues and teacher/assessor, however, reading it over, the advanced vocabulary selected either becomes too overwhelming, in that it sounds super forced in the sentence, or it the word doesn’t fit the context. Going forward, I plan to restrict myself from doing that so much in the actual drafting of my essay.
“Get Feedback – Don’t Be Afraid to Get Help” - I am always terrified when we do critical friends to get really terrible feedback. As much as enjoy a good roasting session of my work, in which my classmates shred it to death, I also dislike it for the fact that I feel like it won’t ever be good enough. Even just before submission, I have some old friends of mine review it and they find flaws with in and it makes me feel like my works won’t stack up. However, I need to realize that revision is a crucial part of the process (though sometimes it doesn’t feel like it).
Cite #2: Write and Essay? Here are 10 Effective Tips.
“Overwhelmed? Just write five original sentences.” - Being the Type-A planner gal I am, I always like to be ten steps ahead, and this, especially in the writing process, is a challenge. When I write, I always feel that the rough draft needs to be the final product, when really, the rough draft is what I’ve come to term “The Vomit stage,” in which I ‘throw-up’ all my ideas onto my paper just to start a decent outline and figure out the direction I want to go with my writing. I have been working on this for quite a while.
Cite #3: Advice for Students: 10 Steps Toward Better Writing
“Plan, then write.” - I cannot tell you how much of a love-hate relationship I have with planning. I like to think I am an organized person, until it comes to planning the structure of an essay. I love writing and my natural inclination when handed a prompt is to just jump into writing with no structure, and it always turns out to be terrible work. I need to come to realize that taking a moment to just think and plan out what to say will be better for me in the writing of the essay.
“Write crappy first drafts.” (Going along with the tip from Cite #2) - I hate to produce bad work at first, especially because when I fail or do something bad when I try it for the first time, I always feel embarrassed, but I am coming to realize that it takes failure at first to learn what to do better.
“Focus on communicating your purpose.” - Revision is something I have always done, however, I have always edited for punctuation and grammatical errors while casting aside looking for cohesiveness throughout my essay. This is something I strive to switch in my editing routine, in the future.
The most interesting tip that I found was with regards to the conclusion. For all the years that I've been writing essays, there has been a misconception on what the conclusion is supposed to entail. Conclusions are meant to leave the reader with a bigger idea rather than restating what was previously explained. With this, I personally feel like completing this portion of an assignment is one of the most difficult portions simply because there are instances where I am unsure on what else to elaborate upon. If the topic relates to an idea that I'm not interested in, it becomes almost like a scavenger hunt to see what greater idea to present. With this in mind, I do believe that having a strong conclusion leaves readers thinking about what they have just read and the implications that the idea has in a real world scenario. In a sense, it makes the piece of writing more memorable.
ReplyDeleteThe first and third sites gave, if I'm being honest, very cliche tips that anyone could have pulled out of their underpants. The second actual made some great points that really made me ponder their application to my writing in the past. What stuck with me most was the point that one should write for themselves rather than to impress, whether that be a peer or a teacher. The task of writing can be most demeaning when writing simply to satisfy the teacher and with that one will unintentionally begin to under produce. As such, the inverse then logically proves to be true as a writer will become motivated by his/her will to write and in turn will write most magnificently.
ReplyDeleteI've heard countless writing tips and they all follow the same general guide lines, fall in love with your writing and learn from your mistakes. But the most substantial advice would have to be what you said in your own blog, get rid of distractions. No matter what you are working on, a book, a song, an essay, or even cooking. Distractions make things take longer than they should, and for the most part make what could've been an A work, into a C work at best.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest tip that would benefit for me would be to re-read, re-read and re-read. I have such bad spelling that re-reading would help find the mistakes that can make my writing sound more childish. Its not that I do not like writing but for me its hard to find the right words. The words that can describe exactly what I want to say. I promise that have good arguments that I want to talk about however, words tends to trip me up when it comes to putting them on paper.
ReplyDeleteWhat I try to think about a lot when I'm writing a paper or anything for school, I've been able to edit my work in about half the time it took to write it. The tip that stated that editing should take about as long as writing the rough draft really stood out to me, as doing this would allow for me to catch more of my mistakes or add in any points I might have missed. I also really liked the tip to just enjoy what you're writing as opposed to dreading it. Typically, I just write to get my work done and I'm never truly passionate about the given topic, which almost always leads to writing with dread. I'm always looking to improve when it comes to anything, especially my writing, and I'm definitely going to take a lot of these tips into consideration next time I have to write anything for school.
ReplyDeletePROOFREAD!
ReplyDeleteI cannot express how much proofreading has helped me in the past and even today. Reading and re-reading what you wrote can really help to see what you said makes any sense.
Also I have found that having other people read what you wrote can also help. Knowing that other people can follow along with your ideas on paper can really help in knowing that you can be confident, and if people don't understand they can help explain what ideas are hard to follow giving you the best opportunities to get the things in your brain onto paper. Also avoiding words that you don't know. I feel like I'm the type of person that, If I don't actually think a word will work or don't know a word exactly I will completely change the sentence to just avoid the word.
I also personally think that doing as much research as you can will really boost your confidence in your writing. It gives you that extra moral to your writing and you can really tell when you know what you're talking about.
I think that the most important tip is to read over your finished product multiple times before submitting it as well as having other people read over it. This is especially important because they may find mistakes that you yourself did not catch the first time. Also, listening to someone else read it can also help you hear how the essay flows. I also think that being very knowlegable about your subject can vastly improve the quality of your writing. If you sound like you know what you're talking about, people are more likely to take your word for it.
ReplyDeleteThe tips that I found most helpful were understanding the assignment and using lots of quotes. They are important because misunderstanding the assignments can ruin the final grade and using quotes fluffs a paper without weakening it.
ReplyDeleteI think that from reading these tips some of the most important thing to remember is keep calm, know the assignment and make sure you proofread. When tackling an assignment it is important to keep a level head. At first it might seem that they assignment you're doing is too much to handle but all you have to do it stay calm. Secondly it's important to fully know the assignment and plan what you're going to write. Finally the most important is to make sure you always go back and proof read your work. Especially having other people proof read it.
ReplyDeleteThe tips that I found most important is to continually re-read and backing up my arguments with quotes. I need to make sure that all of the information flows, the quotes are integrated effectively and there are no spelling errors.I spend a lot of time researching what I want to write about so when I am sharing it may sound like a history report, which is not as interesting as it could be. I use quotes in my arguments but sometimes have trouble allowing to let the quote mix into the writing instead of sticking out like a sore thumb.
ReplyDeleteThe tips I found most important is staying level headed and proof reading. Staying calm and not being overwhelmed and trying the entire essay all at ones. Instead I could structure it and tackle multiple chunks of my essay that I want to cover. Proof reading is something simple and important. Just proof reading your paper just ones allows you to sit back with a calm mind and really read what you put down and fix it which is important when wanting to turn in a paper that your proud of.
ReplyDeleteThe two tips that I found most helpful or interesting were that of getting feedback and enjoying or being interested in what you're writing about. What I struggle with in improving as a writer is not going out of my way to do so in the first place, following an essay or a writing task I don't think to further or change how I write I'm just okay with it being done. If I were to seek out new ways or strategies to write it not only would make my work better as a whole but would also let me enjoy the writing process more. Touching on enjoying writing also brings me to making the topics of my literature more interesting to me. Personally I think the reason essays seem so monotonous is because I do not seek to find a topic or topics that I like but rather ones that would get me closer to finishing.
ReplyDeleteThese tips are all incredibly helpful and interesting, presenting possible ideas that I hadn't ever considered doing so myself. What affected me the most was to PROOFREAD and to thoroughly understand the assignment. I don't like my own writing and tend to blast through assignments and only give them a preliminary read through after finishing them before I turn them in. That means a lot of little mistakes that could easily be fixed slip past me and thus the quality of the paper is brought down by a little hold up of mine. When I don't fully grasp an assignment or what it is asking me, I typically don't ask questions. I just go through it with the best understanding I have and HOPE that I get it close enough for a good grade. I need to work past my hitch on asking questions and understand that a better understanding is more important than my false belief that I may be bothering people with my questions.
ReplyDelete