The fundamentals of writing a great essay for any class

College Essays
1

I’m far from an expert writer, so I want to get as many people as possible to add their ideas too. In the first semester of college alone, I learned numerous things.

  1. Read the assignment 3 times. An extra 5 minutes can save an hour of agony.
  2. Bare yourself on a personal essay, but be neutral on a research paper
  3. If making an argument, focus on proving your point and not weighing pros/cons
  4. Each paragraph should be a different facet of that subject. Too many paragraphs = scattered
  5. Get a quality program that checks grammar, diction and overall context to spot habitual errors you make.
  6. Make your thesis clear within the first paragraph
  7. Explain why the topic is relevant within the first paragraph
  8. Mood, metaphors, idioms, irony and such are good for creative writing. Bad for papers.
  9. Don’t use conversational language. Do an additional proofread to check for that alone.
  10. Just because you’re really smart doesn’t mean you’re a great writer. Everyone can stand to improve.
  11. Clarity is paramount. Reader should be able to sum up your thesis in one simple sentence.
  12. If a sub-point you make is really intelligent and interesting, but not critically relevant to your thesis, scrap it
  13. If you are arguing against an author’ ideas, quote their words so it doesn’t look like a straw man
  14. Every page should have a citation so the reader knows the subject is academically relevant.
  15. Cut out repetition. Avoid using the same word twice in two sentences if you can.
  16. Don’t repeat the thesis in every paragraph.
  17. Learn how to be a better writer and not just a better student. You might get A’s on every paper by rotely following the standard formula, but you might get a paper assigned someday that requires more depth beyond just making a list of points to support your argument, so be prepared.
2

I always start by drafting a few notes that guide me when writing the final copy. It’s always good to start by putting down your thoughts and then gathering them together for an essay. This helps me to put my points chronologically according to their level of importance.

3

Yes, it’s a good idea to sort thought before you write.

If you write a paper, and a paragraph isn’t really relevant, you’re more likely to be biased toward that unnecessary paragraph you wrote as opposed toward a draft note that you would’ve been much more comfortable to cross out.

4

@jduster I’m sorry, I know that this is well-intentioned, but much of the advice offered here is incorrect, arguable, or self-contradictory.

Looking at the pros and cons, for instance is frequently a useful, even necessary component of an argumentative paper (3). The number and arrangement of paragraphs is determined by the material, not by the formula, and “too many” for one essay will be exactly right, or too few, for another (4). There are no currently available programs which can accurately parse English grammar, and many introduce more errors than they ‘fix’ (5). The thesis statement, and declarations of the topic’s significance, do not have a set place. For instance, in problem solution essays the thesis often does not appear until the final paragraph (6,7). Rhetorical devices are crucial to many formal essays (8). (11) is a recipe for oversimplification. Direct quotation is often inferior to paraphrase (13). (14) is the type of flatly wrong “rule” of writing I and my colleagues sometimes have to spend multiple terms beating out of students’ skulls.

The beautiful and terrible thing about English writing is that it is not subject to formulas. It is a practice, a set of skills and techniques, none of which are appropriate in all circumstances. There is no substitute for practice, immersive exposure to excellent writing, and good instruction.

5

I beg to differ with your argument that direct quotation is often inferior to paraphrasing. If you are quoting someone else’s work, you need to credit them. Otherwise paraphrasing is equal to plagiarism.

6

@VgKing you are confusing quotation and citation. Paraphrases are still cited.

7

@ProfessorD No, I know the difference between the two. All I’m saying is, by rewording a writer’s work, you might end up distorting the actual meaning, which might amount to plagiarizing. That’s why I always prefer direct quotation.

8

@VgKing that’s a good point but that’s why you include an (in-text) citation. Rephrasing in your own words often helps the flow and consistency of a paper’s voice, which is very important. There is certainly a time and place for direct quotations, but they aren’t always necessary or useful.

9

@VgKing your original comment suggests that paraphrase is plagiarism. Your new comment suggests that you think plagiarism is “distorting an author’s meaning.” Neither of those statements is true.

Plagiarism is the uncited use of another’s work, whether by direct quotation without attribution, paraphrase, or re-use of their ideas. It is the act of presenting another person’s work as though it were your own. Citation is how you prevent that.

To get back to the original point: direct quotation can be useful when you are analyzing the words of another, such as in literary interpretation, or legal studies. However, in most other cases, paraphrase is more concise and, as @snowfairy137 points out, maintains a consistent rhetorical tone, which quotation does not. Paraphrase is frequently superior to, and certainly more common than, direct quotation in academic and professional work.

10

To address above criticisms, which many of are based on legitimate concerns, I’ll state that I wrote that list in a hurry and I did not mean to suggest that these were definite laws always to be taken literally:

A)

B)

C)

Looking at the pros and cons, for instance is frequently a useful, even necessary component of an argumentative paper

The number and arrangement of paragraphs is determined by the material, not by the formula, and “too many” for one essay will be exactly right, or too few, for another

There are no currently available programs which can accurately parse English grammar, and many introduce more errors than they ‘fix’

(5). The thesis statement, and declarations of the topic’s significance, do not have a set place. For instance, in problem solution essays the thesis often does not appear until the final paragraph (6,7). Rhetorical devices are crucial to many formal essays (8). (11) is a recipe for oversimplification. Direct quotation is often inferior to paraphrase (13). (14) is the type of flatly wrong “rule” of writing I and my colleagues sometimes have to spend multiple terms beating out of students’ skulls.

The beautiful and terrible thing about English writing is that it is not subject to formulas. It is a practice, a set of skills and techniques, none of which are appropriate in all circumstances. There is no substitute for practice, immersive exposure to excellent writing, and good instruction.

11

Many of these criticisms stem from legitimate concerns so I want to address them. I made these points as a checklit for questioning one’s work and not as an instruction manual to be taken verbatim.

A) It’s important to look at both sides of an issue and be able to view it from a neutral objective standpoint. In a persuasive essay, you should certainly use arguments from the other side so that you can either build on them or refute them. You don’t want one paragraph arguing in favor of gun control and then one paragraph against it. If you are trying to persuade, you don’t want to argue a muddled perspective.

B) The paragraph size is not a firm law but rather a way to test for flaw. I agree that if you write a good paper in general, it won’t be a problem. But if you spot that your paragraphs are either giant walls of text or an array of small scattered ones, it may be a sign that you aren’t focused.

C) As far as Grammar apps go (I use Grammarly), the people who are against them need to realize one thing. They’re NOT a religion. You’re not supposed to blindly swallow every suggestion they offer you and make every change it asks of you. If half of the suggestions are bad and half of the suggestions are good, then you apply the half that helps you and avoid the others. If you do that, it’s only to your benefit. Use discretion. Also, this is mostly a temporary phase just to correct mistakes you often make without realizing early on, and then once you get better at writing, you won’t need it as much.

D) As far as the location of the thesis, yes it does depend on the essay type. In a persuasive essay, I would argue that it’s imperative to say your main point early on. If you’re writing an essay arguing the evidence for global warming, you may decide to save the carbon tax proposal for later on, but explain your position on the issue early on. Reading a paper paragraphs in and not knowing where the reader is going with it is needlessly confusing. The reader needs to know why your facts are important and not just that you have them. In a research paper, in which you are expressing pure information, you might not have a thesis, but you should at least provide some context into HOW you’re examining it. Okay, you’re writing a whole research paper about dolphins. What aspect of dolphins? And is there a particular reason why it’s important? In a personal essay, the lesson or ephiphany of the overall experience may come at the end, but it can be useful to foreshadow, set the tone and maybe introduce an idea you will eventually return to.

E) Personal expression is something you have to be really careful with. If it’s a personal essay, creative writing or it otherwise specifically asks you about YOUR perspective on something, be expressive. If it’s a persuasive essay, a degree of emotional urgency can be allowed. However, if it’s a research paper or a write-up that otherwise is neutral, don’t get cute with it. You don’t want it to be a blog where you get sarcastic, comedic, throw a few double entendres in there and such. The point of those kinds of papers isn’t to show how clever or expresive you are. You don’t want to be Roger Ebert or some columnist on Salon. It’s purely about the knowledge. Writing an academic paper from a non-academic tone can be a lot like going to an office job in a Hawaiian shit.

F) Don’t mistake my idea of a thesis needed to be explained in simple terms as a way of saying that you need to dumb down your essay. Moreso, that the main point needs to stand out. For example, for one of Galileo’s works, you could say “He proposes that the Sun is at the center of our galaxy”. His work is not simple, but the thesis is clear. When you ask a reader to tell you the overall point of your paper, they should get the main point - and not just state some of your maller arguments.

G) With citations, I didn’t mean to set a hard rule. That was a mistake on my end. But you need to do it for legitimacy, no question asked. If the assignment is smaller, like a short answer, do quotes. But if you don’t have them, it does look like you’re just talking.

.

12

Direct quoting is better than paraphrasing. Not for the plagiarism issue but the reader needs to see exactly what the other person is saying. Quoting is used for legitimacy. If you are mentioning an idea from another author and you’re not using it to add legitimacy, it’s like hiring a prostitute for a hug.

13

@jduster Again, I think you’re well-intentioned here, and I applaud you for walking back many of your suggestions in this update.

The fact remains that composition is an audience- and context-driven process, and there are few ‘rules’ which are going to be useful for “any class” or situation. Even grammatical considerations are sometimes suspended for aesthetic reasons.

Take quotation, for example. You think it adds “legitimacy.” However, in many contexts, such as the UC writing placement exam, and almost all composition in the sciences, instructors actually prefer paraphrase, as it preserves rhetorical integrity. Quotation is actually a red flag, as it sometimes indicates a student who doesn’t really understand the material, and is simply quoting in order to cover their ignorance or to fill space.

Again, nice intention, but writing is a set of skills and techniques which are deployed as appropriate to particular situations. There is no substitute for wide reading & good instruction.

14

My professor told me that if you want to retain the exact meaning of an idea use the exact same words as used by the person you are quoting. This, he said, is because different words have different meanings. But if you are using someone else’s idea to express your own, you can use your own words.

15

It’s not a bad idea to try to parse structure and to think about the “rules” of writing, but often the best writing is done by turning the rules inside out.

As with many crafts, know the “rules” (because despite what others say here, there are rules) and also know how to break the rules for effect. Rules might include: Haikus have X number of syllables per line and there are three lines. A screenplay has about 120 pages, broken into three acts. A joke’s punchline is always at the end.

There are rules.

Just don’t be too rigid about the rules and you’ll be okay. Think of them as guidelines rather than rules . . . . and with those guidelines you can win hearts and minds, and can wield great power.

If you’re interested in reading how-to books on writing, the classic is Strunk and White’s Elements of Style.
https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Style-Fourth-William-Strunk/dp/020530902X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485269793&sr=1-1&keywords=elements+of+style+strunk+and+white

Other books that many people enjoy about how to write include:

Bird by Bird – https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Some-Instructions-Writing-Life/dp/0385480016/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485269890&sr=1-1&keywords=bird+by+bird

Stephen King’s On Writing – https://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485269913&sr=1-1&keywords=stephen+king+on+writing

John Gardner: The Art of Fiction: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Fiction-Notes-Craft-Writers/dp/0679734031

16

@VgKing


[QUOTE=""]

“But if you are using someone else’s idea to express your own, you can use your own words.”

[/QUOTE]

I am not certain what your instructor was trying to tell you here. You can’t “use someone else’s idea to express your own.” Words express ideas.

If you’re referring to paraphrase, again, you still cite the originator of the idea, even when you are using your own words to express that idea.

And anyone who thinks there are absolutes in composition has not read enough ee cummings.

17

@Dustyfeathers I sort of agree with you. Sometimes it doesn’t help to be too rigid about the rules. But even when you are breaking them make sure you don’t jeopardize the quality of your work.

18

I’m not allowed to edit my original post to further clarify this, but never said that these were rules. Just points of concern. The #1 goal here is for people to scrutinize their writing, and for that purpose, these red flags can be useful in identifying problems. You get out of it what you put into it. If you blindly apply arbitrary rules, you get bad results. If you carefully examine your writing and look for potential flaws, your essay will improve.

As far as writing in general goes, yes it’s very artistic. But when it comes to a college essay, you need an academic tone. It’s standard, just like wearing a collared shirt at work. You can argue all you want about whether the hamburger teachers want you to make them is substantive or not, but you still need to do the assignment professionally.

19

Maybe this should have been the most salient point, but as a student, you have one job: DO THE ASSIGNMENT THE PROFESSOR ASKS OF YOU.

It’s not your job to be ee cummings, Mark Twain or George Eliot. You’re not writing a literary masterpiece or the grand savior of the world. You’re just writing an essay which expresses a point clearly, substantiates itself with content from your course materials and is well organized. The professor reads thousands of these, and it’s most important that your point is clear. Your paper will be read in 10 minutes and graded nearly effortlessly. Unconventional writing that eventually proves to be way ahead of its time, like Great Gatsby, isn’t going to help you for college.

20

[QUOTE=""]

"Your paper will be read in 10 minutes and graded nearly effortlessly. "

[/QUOTE]

I don’t know where you’re getting your ideas of how it is that university professors grade papers, but they are flatly incorrect.