Essays, Compositions and Papers, oh my!
To me, the act of writing is sacred. No matter what the topic, it’s taking some core essence of your self and placing it with care into words onto a blank page. Who you are, the sparks of person-hood that live within you — this is precious.
Maybe that’s why I find a blank sheet of paper challenging (daunting, even), intriguing, and exciting all at once. That’s definitely why I feel a need to write and rewrite and smooth and polish the words I have chosen. Those feelings can make it really hard to put the first word on the (virtual) paper!
Whether you’re faced with an essay for an application or a paper for your composition class, you may be feeling some of the same things. So — here are some tips to help you get started and keep on going until you’ve created a piece that truly reflects you.
- Don’t start at the beginning. You can waste hours trying to come up with the first line first, but if you start in the middle, the beginning will shape itself along the way.
- Jot down a draft. Even if you feel you can’t write a single word, even if the paper’s not due for three weeks and you only have ten minutes (that’s actually a good amount of time for this), scribble your thoughts onto the paper or computer. You’ll be amazed how spot-on that quick draft often turns out to be when you sit down to write the paper.
- You can bring your self — your own slant on things — into almost anything you write. That’s important, because it’s much easier to write when you’re writing your truth. Every paper is not appropriate for articulating your opinions; you can’t always write an editorial. But you can allow your unique orientation to the topic to come through.
- Your writing deserves a sanctuary, a space that honors you and the work that you are producing. Your papers really are important; it’s a rare writing assignment that has to be an empty exercise. So surround yourself with things that inspire you and help you connect to your “best self”. Choose pictures of people you admire and people who love you; reminders of your values, beliefs and ideals; tokens of past accomplishments and current goals. Build your confidence with symbols of who you are and who you are striving to become.
- Write first, criticize later. Don’t let the inevitable “this is terrible” stop you from writing. There’s not a writer around who doesn’t experience that awful feeling sometime during each project. Expect it — and carry on with the knowledge that, like the flu, it will pass. Almost always, the pieces of your project will fall back into place more or less as you had planned.
- Write off the top of your head first, and don’t interrupt the flow for details. Add the appropriate sources and citations later.
- Organize. Most writing problems are organizational. Outlines really help.
- Polishing takes time. Make sure to reserve enough time to make the piece really shine.
Writing is work and no mistake. But I hope you’ll also occasionally experience the joy that comes from effectively articulating something that matters to you.
