<p>Outline, outline, outline.</p>
<p>Outlining does not help; it's a complete waste of time. The only thing you really need an outline of is what you will cover in the body paragraphs. Make a 1.5 page intro to "outline" the paper and discuss the subtopics in more depth in the body. When you start writing the body, although it may take some time, it will just come to you. If you bother to waste time making an outline, you might as well just be writing the damn paper. Also, it helps if you don't restrict yourself to page requirements. I always write 6-7 page papers for 3 page English papers because it's necessary for me to use a lot of detail to thoroughly prove my thesis. Understandably, in a 12 page paper, if you really believe there's a shortage of information, I wouldn't be averse to the period trick.</p>
<p>Outline is a good way of organizing and brainstorming thoughts.... it's not a waste of time. What's a waste of time is just sitting at the computer staring at a blank document not knowing what to write.</p>
<p>Outlines definitely** are not** a waste of time. They keep your ideas organized so you're not all over the place when you write everything is in order. As for the 12 pages, keep writing and adding more info? lol im sorry =/</p>
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Ok to whoever asked, we had to write the paper on an american author and read 3 of their works, read criticism from 5+ sources per work, and write on the literary and social history when the author was writing and how the criticism of their work illustrated how their writitng reflected the time period they lived in or paralleled that of another time period which their works were about.
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<p>well that makes sense then. It was a history paper. History papers can obviously be as long as you want. You could write that much (or a whole book) about 1 day in history and the circumstances around it, much less about years and years.</p>
<p>Wow, thank you for the great suggestions on how to pull your thoughts together! (Which is probably why this thread is in the CC hot topics header.) </p>
<p>BTW, I also thought it is odd to get through high school without writing some 10+ page papers. I was pleasantly surprised that there were not as many rude comments as I expected after reading the OP's posts.</p>
<p><<btw, i="" also="" thought="" it="" is="" odd="" to="" get="" through="" high="" school="" without="" writing="" some="" 10+="" page="" papers.="" was="" pleasantly="" surprised="" that="" there="" were="" not="" as="" many="" rude="" comments="" expected="" after="" reading="" the="" op's="" posts.="">></btw,></p>
<p>It seems that the OP was homeschooled. The curricula chosen by her family may have something to do with it.</p>
<p>The maximum paper length required by my high school is 7 pages for seniors. I've written longer papers myself, but people who just use the minimum requirements won't have any experience writing a longer paper. In fact, most students I know complain when we have two page requirements, as that's just so much work. It is really not out of the ordinary for the OP to not have any experience writing a long paper, especially if the OP comes from a rural high school (like mine) or a school that's underfunded.</p>
<p>"The only thing you really need an outline of is what you will cover in the body paragraphs."</p>
<p>So, for like at least 9-10 of a 12 page paper? Sounds good to me. Though yea, outlining I think is the most important. Otherwise, it's very easy to become overly writerly and ostentatious (although, if it's philosophy...) A lot of these ridiculously long papers some kids keep talking may have been poorly organized. It's very easy to confuse triteness and superfluities with thoroughness and exhaustion. Be aware of that.</p>
<p>My first REALLY long paper was a hellish research paper I had to do for English.</p>
<p>In 10th Grade.</p>
<p>Hey there!</p>
<p>Writing a paper of that length is definitely intimidating, especially as a freshman!</p>
<p>Here's an article with some good, general article-writing tips and shortcuts:
<a href="http://www.*****.com/Featured/Article.aspx?articleid=19582&taxonomyid=170%5B/url%5D">http://www.*****.com/Featured/Article.aspx?articleid=19582&taxonomyid=170</a></p>
<p>But aside from that, I recommend starting early and doing more research than you think you'll need. I'm also a big fan of the block quote--you can probably use about one every other page or so. </p>
<p>When possible, I also recommend considering 3 or so topics under one common theme and making your thesis the connecting point between them. Breaking it up this way is a lot less intimidating, it's like writing 3 four page papers and then linking them all up. </p>
<p>But really, don't stress. I'm sure you'll do fine!</p>
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It is really not out of the ordinary for the OP to not have any experience writing a long paper, especially if the OP comes from a rural high school (like mine) or a school that's underfunded.
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<p>I go to an average suburban public high school, and the longest paper I've written was only 5 pages, and the topic was pretty broad too.</p>
<p>How can you /not/ take up twelve pages on Plato?</p>
<p>How much could any of these tricks possibly add? One page? Two? If you can get through ten or eleven pages, you can definitely get through twelve.</p>
<p>By the way, I've never had to write a paper that long for anything other than history, and I'm still in high school...</p>
<p>but my best advice is to make sure you're saying something insightful. If you're just trying to say something obvious, then not only is there no point in writing, but it's REALLY hard to make it take up a lot of space. If you're saying something that's not evident at first glanced and is pretty nuanced, it's easy to take up a TON of space explaining your thoughts.</p>
<p>Couldn't read past the OP calling it "bleeping Plato's bleep". Wow. Can't even wrap my head around not loving Plato. I'm glad my son shares my fondness for the life of the mind.</p>
<p>Im sharing this thread w my 9th grade brother who is complaining constantly about the 10 page paper he is writing for history right now...I keep telling him he's going to need the skill. Great info here. Thanks everyone.</p>
<p>Wow my freshman year i wrote an 11 page paper....</p>
<p>I doubt the period changing tricks work because usually professors submit your paper to turnitin.com to check for plagarism. I'm sure it'll also give you the number of words. So... I'm pretty sure soon the prof is gonna notice that somehow your essay has 1000 less words than other essays of the same page length.</p>
<p>LOOL, the writing class I took for my first semester Freshmen year made me write a first paper that was 10 pages, and then another paper that was 7 pages, and the last one a whopping 30 pages. It was like writing a thesis paper, I swear. But it was alright when I finished, after everythings done you feel like you accomplished something.</p>