Essay writing is one of the most common types of work college students have to deal with throughout their lives on campus. Still, this type is not exclusive to colleges and most students tend to have at least some experience in academic writing from high school. But even though writing assignments can hardly surprise anyone, there are still many who struggle with it.
Even the abundance of guides online can’t help in some cases. When you find yourself in this sort of scenario, you have to think of an unconventional approach. And while it’s virtually impossible to beat practice, there are certain unusual tips and tricks that might help you with your writing process. So here is how you can try and improve your essay writing skills in an unorthodox way.
Take Your Time
The number of work students needs to take care of is huge. At times it can even become too much for one person to deal with. Especially for first-year students that are only getting used to this new environment. And that’s why the general consensus is to do as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. But work that’s done quickly isn’t necessarily the one done well.
You shouldn’t attempt to write a perfect essay. In fact, obsessing over every detail will do more damage than good. When you have half a dozen deadlines you just can’t afford spending too much time on one task neglecting the rest. But making good use of the time you have instead of cramming through the last night can make a world of difference.
There are many ways to put a couple of extra hours in your working day. Start working on your projects as soon as possible, maintain a consistent schedule, leave some time in between you finishing your assignment and the deadline. Finally, if you are absolutely swamped with work, you can outsource some of it to online writing services like essaywriterservice.com platform.
Separate your assignments in small blocks instead of trying to do it all in one go. The stages of your average essay writing process usually look something like this:
- Planning
- Research
- Creating an outline
- First draft
- Final text
- Editing.
Try to put some space in between those phases. A day or two would be ideal. But even an hour or so can do the job. This time gap is especially important in between the first draft and editing.
When your mind is committed to one repetitive task for a long time, it has the tendency to ‘short circuit’. This can lead to a ton of tiny issues like missing obvious mistakes or tripping over your words in the middle of a sentence for no reason whatsoever.
Change the Rules
Essay writing is a pretty specific type of work. When writing one you are forced to operate within a pretty tight set of rules. These dictate you the way you are supposed to go about a multitude of things:
- Font
- Style
- Formatting
- Word count
- Topic, etc.
Still, even within these constraints, you can find plenty of leeway for a creative maneuver. Leave the technical specifications alone, messing with them doesn’t really help you that much. Addressing the substance of your writing, on the other hand, can make for an interesting twist in your otherwise generic writing project.
Focus on the topic you are given. An obvious way to approach it will most likely pop into your head right away. But don’t rush it. Try looking at it from a different angle. Extrapolate a bit to cover subjects that are directly connected to the topic of your essay. This process is similar to carrying a conversation. One talking point can flow into several others. Choose the one that fits you best.
Once you let your train of thoughts take you places, it’s important not to get carried away. Remember that you have to be relatively close to the starting point. So even when you are jumping off to a nearby subject, make sure you clearly justify this transition. Jerking your reader around without properly establishing a connection will just make your writing seem fractured and unfocused.
Get Into the Subject
This one is definitely among the most difficult and time-consuming techniques. But if you can afford it, the result is totally worth the effort.
A lot of topics you are forced to work with are automatically perceived as boring. That makes you detached from them from the very first moment you start working on a paper. But there are almost always multiple angles you can choose to look at any given subject.
Start your research by looking up something interesting about your subject. Look out for something that makes you want to learn more about it, something that transcends paper, that you can imagine working in practice. For example, chemical equations can be pretty boring. But once you can visualize these dry numbers into a cool practical experiment, your whole perspective may change.
Use it to make the dullest of topics engaging not only for yourself but also for your readers. Uncover a variety of sources, go offline, and talk to people who are knowledgeable on the subject. Nine times out of ten you will find that the thing you are writing about has more to it than it may seem from behind your desk in a classroom.
Final Words
Essays are far too common a type of work to simply ignore them. If you find yourself struggling with academic writing you should definitely do everything you can to improve.
And there is no better way to improve than to write more. Don’t let failure dissuade you from trying again. Do your best to ignore the negative emotions and treat it as a learning experience.
The tips and tricks you might find online won’t open up a shortcut for you. There aren’t really many shortcuts when it comes to studying. But they might make your learning process quicker and more enjoyable.
Their efficiency can vary wildly depending on your personality and preferences. So if some of them don’t do it for you – come up with the ones that do. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
