No. 1 Do Your Citations First
I say do citations first because there is a multitude of benefits from doing them first. Here’s the thing about citations, you get graded on whether or not you do them perfectly– these are easy points to earn that take almost no effort. They’ll tell you not to use stuff like EasyBib… you can. Just make sure to compare the citation you came up with match the example they provide so that they match in content and structure. By doing your citations first you allow yourself ample time to perfect them. You do not want to rush to finish them and risk messing up and losing those precious points.
Also, doing the citations first means finding the articles or pieces of evidence before you even begin writing- you already know what you’re going to say! The hard part is over, and its done well. Trust me on this one.
No. 2 Brevity is the Soul of Wit
Why say a lot pf words when few do the trick?
But seriously, don’t be the person that goes on and on and explains a concept in 4 sentences when it could be explained in 1-2. People think that the more you say or write the smarter you seem when really it’s the ability to be succinct that sets one apart.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t explain yourself in full, but if you can shorten a sentence or paragraph, you should.
No. 3 Rearrange & Kill Your Darlings
If you’re not going to use an outline (which is helpful but not necessary for a good essay) you better be prepared to completely rearrange your paragraphs. Writing without an outline means you will be privy to stream-of-consciousness writing – this is a great way to get all your ideas on the page, but it’s highly unlikely you’ll write in the best structure for an essay. This one is obvious- rearrange your ideas in a way that flows logically for the argument you are making.
Kill your darlings. You may write an amazing sentence or even paragraph, but if it doesn’t actually relate to the topic (or it could be briefer), you have to be able to delete it. I had a hard time with this back in high school- I wanted to keep the overly complicated metaphor to boast my writing chops. But it was not necessary for my explanation or argument. This leads me to my next tip.
No. 4 Read for Clarity Above All Else
Does my argument and/or explanation make sense? You should be asking yourself this constantly. The key to a great essay is not to have the most extensive vocabulary and unique turn of phrase (unless of course, that’s precisely what they’re looking for, in which case, yikes), it’s about showing how well you understand what the teacher has taught you. Often the best way to do that is just to be clear and simple. An easy way to test your essay for clarity is to have someone else read it, or if you are too mortified to do that (as I often am) then read it out loud yourself. This is the oldest trick in the book for a reason: things pop out to you easier when you read it out loud- things like awkward wording or an “it” where there should be an “is.” If there’s one thing you take from this article it is this tip.