For those cramming

Nov 20, 2017 1:11 AM

FN2187Traitor

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College? I was taught that in Year 8!

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

It’s essentially the 3 point, 5 paragraph essay but an extended version. My teacher taught me in High school same way. Works like a charm.

8 years ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 0

Outline before you write. Don't write in order if you struggle with intros. Read aloud when you revise. Tips from this English teacher!

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Doesn't matter how simply it's explained, I still hate writing essays.

8 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Do you really write essays like that in USA? I'm pretty sure, I'd get C- for an essay full of half page long paragraphs, at most.

8 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 2

So, you shouldn't examine the counter-arguments? Ideas never go longer than one paragraph? Real ivy league method there.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

No! This is bad advice. Maybe 3-4 points with ample support. No one needs 14 points unless you're writing assembly instructions.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I dunno, that sounds like a lot of work.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I thought this was common knowledge for college students.

8 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Wow, that's almost exactly what they teach you in English 101!

8 years ago | Likes 21 Dislikes 1

That's what we try to teach all the tok, but somehow it doesn't sink in.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

It's called an outline, and they taught this in what, elementary? middle school at latest?

8 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 1

Freshman year in high school for me... I turned out alright

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

So... 78 ideas that support my thesis, eh? ... sure

8 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Or you could have multiple theses as well. I bet a paper with 95 theses would go over like gangbusters!

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

That will get you a solid B. If you want an A, you have to know a bit more.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

3-5 page papers used to scare me. Then grad school happened and 10 seems like nothing

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

The, and I mean THE, most hated activity in school. I'd rather give a presentation to the class.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

As someone who just wrote a 9 page paper for class, where was this last week?

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Thanks OP! I'm currently struggling hard with my final paper. This post gave me hope!

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I must find a way for this to help me in engineering, this is a brilliant thought process.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

is thit something "clever"? How else are you going to write?

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

If each paragraph is 1/2 a page, chances are your ideas aren't being developed. Source: I'm an English teacher and I graded 20 essays today

8 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 1

This is assuming double spacing.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Fellow instructor here. I graded 38 college freshman papers this weekend. There is no "good formula" for a paper. Writing goes beyond that.

8 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

An writing body paragraphs is easy if you do it in the CSE format. First sentence make your claim, follow up with support, and then explain

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I found that quotes take up a lot of space in essays. Also you can essentially write what Wikipedia says if you cite their sources

8 years ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 2

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Ideally you would cite the original source, not wikipedia. But nothing at all wrong with quoting the opinions of scholars, to support yours.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Yeah you use the citation Wikipedia uses, the original source

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

If a single paragraph is half a page you already failed

8 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 4

Why?

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I was an English teacher and I spent literally half my time trying to convince people that this was how to do it.

8 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

Its never understanding how to structure the essay that was hard, it was always being creative enough to come up with all the ideas needed

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

1/ Most writing that I've done doesn't require significant creativity. It requires me to think through the specific topics I want to cover.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

2/2 That's because I'm writing a paper about a topic like "Should the US government significantly expand space exploration?" or something.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

All sales & marketing: Clearly state your 3-5 key benefits.

8 years ago | Likes 35 Dislikes 2

Which, for some companies, requires they actually talk to customers and find out what those 3-5 key benefits actually ARE.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Writing is easy. You stare at the screen until little droplets of blood come out on your forehead.

8 years ago | Likes 58 Dislikes 1

And you irresolutely know you're a failure and wish you were dead.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Ah, the Gethsemane Method. Very nice.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

My advice "Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them and then remind them of what you told them."

8 years ago | Likes 444 Dislikes 11

just like with my sex crime murder victims except there is no part 3

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Thank you, Mojo Jojo.

8 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

My Dad told me that years ago.......works great!

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 1

OBG!

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Also works when communicating to any company's sales department.

8 years ago | Likes 16 Dislikes 1

My advice “give them a little of that ol’ razzle dazzle.”

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Same thing when making a lesson plan

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

This was the hardest part. I'm a woman of few words and don't like to repeat myself. It showed in my essays and I always graded poorly.

8 years ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 0

Same problem. I just need to hope my professor will accept a well-written 6-page paper instead of a 9-12 page.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Same. Especially in the dumb ass discussion boards... *respond to two classmates*... I get to the damn point.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Et tu?

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

But please don't use this format for research papers. That style is for a specific persuasive context. Makes you sound clueless outside it.

8 years ago | Likes 67 Dislikes 1

The takeaway from the above advice is to plot out your substance first. Just make sure the structure you choose suits the purpose.

8 years ago | Likes 16 Dislikes 0

I a research paper not objective -> substance -> summary\conclusion?

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Not in the same ways or with the same conventions. Objective, for example, doesn't really telegraph much. It justifies instead.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Except...abstract its telling them what you're going to tell them, the body is telling them, and the conclusion tells them what you did...

8 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

If you're doing a review, maybe. Otherwise, most research papers also discuss the results after presenting them, formulating new hypothesis

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

My trouble is starting. I just hate looking at a blank word document.

8 years ago | Likes 722 Dislikes 6

SAME. Writing has always been a painful process for me, it honestly fucks me up.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I started with stream of consciousness just to break the white of the page, mostly cursing the assignment. Then structure, then flesh out.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Always write your intro last. I start with a swearing intro about how much i hate it , to be errased and replaced with real intro later.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

That "God how do I even start this" and then the ramblings that come after..

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

A journey of 1000 words begins with the first "asldkgna;sldfgknast.'

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

The shittiest draft in the world is still easier to edit than no draft

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Worked for me, maybe for you: make a template filled with lorem ipsum for a whole page. Select first paragraph and start typing.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Just write. Start in the middle. I've found that just getting the content down makes editing and joining it together go much easier.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Start with a broad truth that aligns with the overall topic of your paper. Funnel it down to your thesis statement. 3-5 sentences.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Write a brief outline on paper first, that way you have something to type so the doc isn't blank

7 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I found it helpful to just begin writing whatever words in my head surrounding the assigned topic. Begin somewhere. Edit later.

8 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

I start with pen and paper, writing ideas. Then paragraphs without regards if it will be in the beginning or the end of the text. 1/2

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Do the introduction first to get an outline. Then rewrite the entire introduction as a finish.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Just start with "Yo fuckface, this is what we gun' learn today!" and then just remember to remove it before handing in.. Or don't

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I actually love that feeling. Something so romantic about the possibilities. And then the deadlines set in

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

The amount of essays I began with "Once upon a time" is ridiculous. But it worked for getting past that blank page fear.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

The worst place to start is the introduction, since you have nothing to introduce.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Do your introduction LAST. This gives you the freedom to develop your paper according to your thesis. Start anywhere, you can go back later.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Start with Lorem Ipsum, then replace all the Latin words with your own words.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Start with a paper and a good ballpoint pen, make a draft, then use the computer and sort it out, works for me

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Copy paste some old writing on top

5 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I always copy a quote from an article I intend to cite. Then build a paragraph/section around it. Rinse/repeat. Add intro/conclusion @end

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Use a mindmap to write a paper. Way easier to visualize and organize.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Just start writing the first thing that comes to mind. Don't bother structuring until you have a couple pages of loose ideas.

8 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

Kust write what comes to mind and fix it later. Don't worry about how it sounds, you can always reorganize and revise

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

*just

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Open a word doc and add a title. You've started, and are halfway there; the other half is simply finishing.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I know this seems stupid, but I found this to be a useful psychological trick for approaching assignments.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Type the word "The ". Now it's not a blank page; it's the start of your introduction.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I usually write the shitties intro paragraph in the world, just to get past it and start the paper. Then go back afterwards and fix it up.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Get some thoughts up. What do you think? Then rationalize what you think, and make it into 8 reasons...

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

i organize my thoughts with memes. make a meme for each idea and there. you've started before ever looking at a piece of paper

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I start with bullet points

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I always put down "buttholes," giggle like a child for a second, and that starts me off pretty good.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

What I learned in boating school is

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Spend more time with your materials. Type up quotes you’ll need and piece together how you’ll use them. You don’t have to write your 1/x

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

papers linearly. If you are going to use counter arguments, list those out and then prove them wrong. Writing is a process, and 2/x

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

devoting the proper time can seem daunting or even wasteful. Get to know your material and let yourself mull it over as you go. x/x

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Always, always, always start with an outline

8 years ago | Likes 21 Dislikes 0

Start with an outline, organize your selected quotations (evidence) into that outline, fill in the blanks.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Outline like a rough draft, right? Cause I've always written my essays down then when I'm typing them in marking and editing it as I go, 1/2

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Then return for the final edit on what's been typed down

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

More like a numbered list of all major components, divided into subcategories. I try to go as deep as I can into the subcategories.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Yeah. What I did when i was writing essays, was start out with a general outline. I'd have one sentence per paragraph that stated the idea

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

that the paragraph would follow. I'd research those ideas and put additional information that supports those ideas, then i'd

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

make links from that information to future paragraphs.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I feel you. I graduate in less than a month, and all the papers are driving me crazy. I hate word, and I often scream myself into the intro.

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Try LaTeX

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Never write the intro first. Outline, body, intro /conclusion (they're basically the same thing)

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I'll try that. Thank you.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Write your thesis. Explain in very broad terms what you will say will support that thesis. Then do what OP says. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

8 years ago | Likes 64 Dislikes 3

Watch out for the demodogs.

8 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 1

#JusticeForBob

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Still sounds difficult difficult lemon difficult.

8 years ago | Likes 62 Dislikes 1

I hate writing the thesis first, I don't want to constrain the ideas I choose to convey to the contents of some single statement 1/2

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

That said, different strokes for different folks, do whatever gives you the best result.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

writtend before the rest of the paper. I start by listing ideas, fleshing out and elaborating, then stringing it together and concluding. /2

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Write drunk, edit sober

8 years ago | Likes 110 Dislikes 0

your essay was on plant growth. What does Israel have to do with that?

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Protip: don't do this for a lab report. It's worked for other papers but I tried it for a report and it did not go well.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

seems like a really good way to piss sober me off

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I tried this every night before a paper was due senior year. Ended up falling asleep by 8 pm and just hashing it out 3 hours before class.

8 years ago | Likes 27 Dislikes 0

Don't actually do this people, class was easy and I'm pretty decent at writing papers. If I didn't have comp sci, I'd be an English major

8 years ago | Likes 17 Dislikes 0

Username definitely checks out

8 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0