School is hard. So is writing. But it doesn’t have to be. From elementary to graduate school, if you are a student, then you know that writing a strong essay is key to succeeding.
Why Writing?
Here in California (and across the country) there’s this little method schools use called “writing across the curriculum.” That means teachers of core subjects (except PE) have to make students write down what they know on a particular topic. It’s the main way for a student to show the teacher or professor what you have learned. And if you think about it, writing is the most effective way to convey your knowledge because in order to write, one must first think.
Writing What You Know
So you need to write an essay. Where do you start?
The first thing a student should do is look at the assignment rubric. For those not familiar with the rubric, it’s basically a more detailed instruction sheet provided by your teacher. It might look something like this:
The second thing you need to do is figure out what you’re going to write about and conduct research. Google.Scholar is your friend. Your student email may also unlock a plethora of information in this area, too. Often this is part of the assignment instructions, but sometimes you get to choose your topic and secondary sources. Generally, the higher the grade level or degree program, the more freedom you have in developing your paper. That freedom can be fun. And daunting. But don’t worry. Just take each step one at a time. If you start working on your paper early, the less pressure you will feel. So find a quiet place to think. Then find sources to support your thesis. You can always do research first, if you’re short on ideas. Reading what other scholars have written can help inform your own work.
Now that you know what you’re writing about, you need an outline. Some people love building outlines, but I have never been one of those people. I have been writing creatively for more than a decade and have rarely used them. But in academia, they are a necessary evil. Extremely helpful when working your way through a lengthy writing project (like a 15-page argumentative thesis) but a pain in the a** to develop. My little trick is to pull a general one off the internet and then plug-in my own information. Not good enough? Try Chat GPT.
Most academics and professionals in the education field will say you cannot do this and I will probably catch some flak for saying it. Know that it is frowned upon to use AI to write anything for you. I say, technology is there for us to use and we should know how to use it effectively. Responsibly.
NEVER USE AI TO WRITE YOUR PAPER. Why? Because that is plagiarism, my friend, and it will land you in a butt-load of trouble. It’s also lazy and adds nothing to your life, which is the whole point of the educational experience. Copying your paper robs you of the opportunity to sharpen those analytical thinking skills that are fundamental to higher-thinking. Higher-thinking is the space where we learn to reflect and learn, and apply what we have learned to our daily lives. Also, AI does horrible writing that leaves very obvious markers which are easily spotted by any teacher and your school’s plagiarism software. AI is great for drafting an outline only because it will help you organize your thoughts, but it cannot think for you.
To correctly use Chat GPT without landing yourself in trouble, tell it you only want an outline. Then give it the topic of the paper and the points you need to cover. It will spit-out the outline in about 5-seconds, so you can move to the next step which is…
Writing the Paper
This is where your thoughts get put to page. Only you can do this part, but I can offer some tips.
QUICK TIPS:
- Each paragraph should be about 5-6 sentences. Start with the topic sentence that generalizes the idea, then use the rest of the paragraph to expand on that idea.
- Your introduction should contain the topic or authors you’re discussing, then one or two sentence for every idea/area your paper will cover, and your complete thesis statement. I like to start by introducing the topic or author, then move to the points I will cover and wrap it up with my thesis statement. Try to set them in order of importance so that they flow naturally from one topic to the next. This will help overall cohesion as you refer back and build your paper.
- Thesis statements are tough and there are thousands of post all over the interweb about how to write them them so I won’t go into them here. But, if you’re having trouble writing one, don’t worry. Move forward writing you paper and when you get to the end, you’ll have one. It will be a one sentence summary of the statement/argument you have put forward and you can simply tack it on to the end of your introductory paragraph. This is useful because a thesis often changes in the writing process.
- For body paragraphs, follow the outline, but you can also refer back to the introduction. Each sentence you used to introduce the general point you’re making can now be expanded upon. Remember to use quotation marks for direct quotes from the source material. Also, whenever you use an idea that is not your own, remember to use the author’s name and/or source material to avoid plagiarism. Refer to assignment instructions for preferred style and formatting guidelines.
- If you feel lost, refer back to the outline. You can mark-up the outline (but never delete) to help keep track of the points you have covered.
- Your papers conclusion should mirror the introduction to some extent. Here you will restate your finer points and the thesis.
- Dig-out that rubric. Now compare it to your essay. Make sure you have checked off the boxes and you are sure to get an ‘A.’ You don’t have to be Shakespeare to ace this because teachers aren’t judging the quality of your writing, they are judging the content.
- Peer-review anyone? Once you’ve completed your initial draft, try to find a classmate willing to read it and offer their opinion. It helps if you offer to do the same for them. Peer-review is common in academia and it helps you become a better writer. Remember, your teacher will read the paper, too. It’s best to find the errors before they do.
- Editing is the next stage and to do it right, you’ll need a break. So, step away for a day. This will help you come back with fresh eyes to find any spelling, grammar, punctuation or citation errors you might have missed. You’ll want to edit and refine your paper at this stage. By the end of this stage, you will have have your error-free final draft.
I know it sounds like a lot, but writing is a process, and processes take time. So don’t procrastinate. Take it step-by-step, and you’ll do just fine.
A.R. Rivera 