How To Write Great Essay Quickly?
I won’t lie: writing academic papers can be tedious. I still regarded every college assignment with a hint of dread, despite the fact that I now essentially write papers for a job (like this post).
Writing a paper isn’t quite the same as doing math problems or reading a chapter of a book, after all. Even while those tasks can be stressful, they have always appeared more manageable than the overwhelming chore of “writing a paper.” You need to brainstorm, research, outline, draft, edit, and add those annoying citations before you can begin writing.
Yet as I progressed through college, I came up with a method for producing papers quickly. I was able to spend more time doing the things I loved, like writing for my blog and going on long walks in the woods. I’m going to explain this procedure today so that you may compose papers more rapidly too (without a decrease in the quality of your writing).
1. Recognize the Assignment
Writing a college paper writing service that doesn’t even attempt to address the professor’s issue is the greatest waste of time. If there is anything about the assignment that is unclear, don’t be hesitant to approach the professor to clarify it.
It’s not the professor’s intention to confuse you if the assignment seems ambiguous. They frequently assume some things are “obvious” even when they aren’t to those of us who aren’t specialists because they are so knowledgeable in their profession.
But keep in mind that asking for clarification doesn’t make you stupid; being stupid is finishing the project without comprehending it.
Yet, I frequently encountered this issue while working as an English TA in college. Students would devote hours to research and drafting a paper on a subject that was entirely unrelated to the professor’s given topic. No matter how well written a paper is, if it doesn’t address the question, it will obtain a low mark.
Even if the professor is understanding and agrees to a rewrite, why go to the trouble? Also, requesting clarification from the professor demonstrates initiative and your interest in the work. This amount of involvement in your work will only help your grade.
2. Ruthless Efficiency in Research
You need to begin your investigation as soon as you comprehend the assignment. But take care! Research has a reputation for being one of the finest ways to put off doing something. The time you could have spent writing may easily be extended by “one more source.”
I use my go-to method for overcoming procrastination in general to resist the want to put off doing research: I give myself a time limit. You shouldn’t spend more than 30 minutes each page of the final document conducting research, as I detailed in my guide to conducting research. Don’t spend more than 2.5 hours on research, for example, if the article is expected to be 5 pages (maximum).
You reach a threshold of diminishing rewards if you spend any more time than this. Don’t be concerned that you lack sufficient knowledge. After you begin writing, you can always conduct additional research if you discover that you need more details. Your initial research session should provide you with just enough information to get started writing. Find your sources in the database or library, make notes as you go, and then start writing.
Make a flat outline.
Until you sit down, review your sources, and really begin to write, it’s hard to plan out every aspect of your case. Soon after their fingertips touch the keyboard, most pupils stop using their hierarchical outline.
—Cal Newport, “How to Employ a Flat Outline to Compose Excellent Papers, Quickly”
I believed the system was flawed ever when I learnt how to outline papers using the conventional way in eighth grade. Before writing the paper, I never made an outline with bullets, numbers, and letters. Since I had to submit one with the final paper, I always just made one up afterward.
I started developing a far more efficient method of outlining in college. It turns out that my approach wasn’t all that novel. It’s known as a flat outline, as Cal Newport explains. According to Cal, the flat outline operates as follows:
Create no hierarchical outlines. Instead, make a list of the subjects you wish to cover in the order you choose.
Find resources for the subjects that still require support by returning to the library.
Include all of your sources’ pertinent quotes under the themes.
Create your paper using the topic-level outline. Avoid beginning with a blank screen.
Isn’t this a vast improvement? Due to its replication of the writing process, the flat outline is effective. Nobody has an exact plan of what they will write when they sit down to write. Writing forces you to figure out what you’re going to say. The flat design provides just the right amount of structure to help you avoid the dreaded “blank canvas” while yet allowing for room for exploration.
Having trouble drafting your essay? Here’s how to get beyond a writing slump.
4. Establish a conducive writing environment
Well, so you’ve done your research, have a firm grasp of the subject, and your flat outline is complete. You must now sit down and write that jerk. Not so quickly though—where you write matters.
Because distractions are the second biggest deterrent to writing a paper swiftly after procrastination. You’ll squander hours switching back and forth between the paper and any diversions if you don’t have a distraction-free workplace.
You must set up a writing environment that supports zen-like focus if you want to ensure that you have the focus of a zen master. Visit our post on the subject for a comprehensive overview of how to set up a distraction-free study room. Below is a list of the best practices in the interim:
Visit a quiet area. It might be a peaceful area of the library, a coffee shop off-campus, or even your dorm room. You must go to a location where you are confident that no one will obstruct your progress or distract you.
Make sure it’s cozy. If the table wobbles or your chair feels like a bed of nails, you won’t be able to concentrate on writing. Before writing anything else, tend to your basic physical needs. Caution: avoid writing in bed. You only use your bed for sleeping and, uh, that other s-word.
Discourage digital diversion. This could be as simple as closing unrelated programs and switching your phone to airplane mode, depending on how bad your internet/phone addiction is, or it could be as drastic as installing an app like Cold Turkey Writer that disables everything on your computer until you write a predetermined number of words. Use an app like Freedom or SelfControl to block distracting websites if you require the internet to write (if you’re writing in Google Docs, for example).
Prepare your materials. A sure productivity killer is sitting down to write and realize you forgot one of your sources back at your hostel. Before you start writing, make sure your computer is charged, your sources are ready, and you have coffee or tea on hand.
Play your energizing music. I advise employing music to put you in the writing zone if you don’t find it distracting. I regularly listen to a couple CDs that help me get into a writing flow. For instance, I played Muse’s The 2nd Law as I was writing this article. With it as my backdrop, you better believe I felt ready to take on the world. Take a look at Thomas’s Ultimate Study Music Playlist if you’re looking for a fantastic pre-made selection of study music.
5. Adhere to a Standard Format
Every paper you write shouldn’t feel like you’re starting from scratch. While writing a paper for a college class, your aim should be to meet the criteria while going just a little bit farther to wow the professor. You’re not attempting to pioneer a new field or change how the English language is used (if you are, you don’t need to read this essay).
Just choosing and adhering to an established structure for your discipline can prevent you from getting bogged down in it. Reserve your arguments’ originality. Thus, where do you look for these illusive standards? Consult your lecturer. They may be able to direct you to some useful instructions or cases.
Take note of the readings that your professor assigns for the class as well. This should give you a general sense of the writing style you should use in your academic papers. It’s simple to read an article and concentrate so much on the content that you ignore the organization (which is a good thing because the organization shouldn’t detract you). Nevertheless, if you focus on the structure during a few reading sessions, you’ll gain a sense of how it should flow.
Searching for “SUBJECT NAME paper template” on Google is another option if that sounds too complicated or time-consuming. A template from an institution is OK, but one from a random student’s Blogger page is not so good.
6. Put Quality Before Quantity
You could be tempted to produce a paper that is 7 or even 8 pages long if the final page count for the assignment is expected to be between 5 and 7. After all, more is always better.
Wrong. A good 5-page paper will always be valued more than a passable 7-page paper, according to every professor I had in college. Indeed, some topics don’t require seven pages—five is sufficient. If you strive to make it longer, you can end up weakening your case.
If you’re still unsure, take into account this: I hardly ever wrote longer than the required number of pages, and my English, History, Religious Studies, and Education coursework routinely earned me As.
Why, then, would you ever write more than you absolutely need to? Not only is it a waste of time and energy, but it might even be harmful.
Of course, for this to work, your paper needs to be excellent. Check out my post on 6 Writing Techniques to Make Your Papers 300% Better for suggestions on how to improve the caliber of your papers.
7. Isolate your drafts and edits
Like other forms of multitasking, simultaneous editing and drafting is ineffective and eventually impossible. Not at all. Give your writing your all before proofreading.
Similar to this, when writing, never take a break to do research. Simply note the information you are unsure of and return to it later. Looking anything up diverts your attention from writing at best, but it’s more likely to lead you down a rabbit hole on the internet that will seriously interfere with your writing efforts.
This method of writing aims to keep you as long as possible in a state of flow. Because once you reach a state of flow, your momentum won’t be able to be stopped.
8. Finish by writing the introduction and conclusion.
Creating an introduction is one of the biggest obstacles to starting a paper. This challenge is understandable when you consider how you would introduce something you haven’t yet constructed.
For this reason, you shouldn’t start writing the introduction until the major body of the paper is complete. I know it seems counterproductive, but I implore you to give it a shot. This approach prevents what I have experienced more times than I can count, which is writing the paper just to discover that my intro doesn’t even mesh with the finished product.
The same holds true for the ending. Put it in last. How, after all, can you draw a conclusion when your writing is still incomplete? Check out my essay on how to write a paper for more tips on how to write strong conclusions.
9. Don’t Edit By Yourself
You require solitude and concentration when composing the draft. Yet, editing can go more quickly if you ask someone else to review your work. Why? Considering that you are naturally blind to the errors in your writing. Since you’ve been staring at the draft for so long, errors won’t stand out to you as they would to a new pair of eyes.
You have a few possibilities when looking for someone to assist you with editing:
- Ask a dependable friend to read the newspaper. Just watch that they don’t end up taking your attention away.
- Visit the writing center at your college with the essay. So don’t count on them to serve as your copy editor. The personnel at the writing center will probably ask you to read the essay aloud to them. This gives you the opportunity to spot mistakes on your own while maintaining the responsibility of another person there.
Find out the opinion of your lecturer. Even though it won’t always be possible, whether it’s a term paper or capstone project, your professor could be ready to provide input before you submit the paper. A proposal, a draft, and a final version each have their own due dates, which is how professors frequently incorporate this feedback into the project. It never hurts to request input, even if they don’t. No is the worst thing they can say.
10. Make use of a citation maker
The worst time to add citations is just after you’ve spent hours composing a paper and are completely exhausted. Use a citation management/generation tool if you don’t want to waste any more time poring over a confusing style guide.
My favorite tool for managing research sources is Zotero, which also has a browser extension that will retrieve citation details from a library catalog website. I do, however, have pals who choose EasyBib. Choose one, and watch your concerns about citations vanish. It doesn’t matter which one you use.
However, since these tools aren’t perfect, it doesn’t harm to take a quick look over your citations before submitting (especially when it comes to digital sources).
Take a writing-intensive course as a bonus tip.
This advice isn’t technically related to writing a paper, but it can greatly improve the quality and speed of your writing. In my university, “writing intensive” meant different things to different professors, but it usually referred to a class that required a lot of writing, frequently one (short) essay every week in addition to a 20+ page final paper.
Even though these classes were challenging, I always came out of them a stronger writer. Despite the fact that speeding up was a significant advantage, this went beyond that. Along with significant advancements in my research techniques, I also observed an improvement in the quality of my arguments and analyses.
Do yourself a favor and enroll in at least one of the classes your college provides that are expressly designed to help you improve your writing. It’s always advantageous to have strong writing abilities, both in college and beyond.
Conclusion
Writing a paper is still a lot of labor in the end. Nevertheless, if you use the steps in this article, you may complete it more quickly without sacrificing quality.
