Good Writing Habits to Make a Great Essay
There a number of factors to consider when it comes to writing a great academic essay. Some students can succeed on the fly and get something really good written in a few hours. Other students require plenty of time to get started and can only compose a good paper if they work on an assignment for weeks. There are some really good habits that all types of writers share that contribute to creating a great essay. Here are the most common:
Keep a Writing Journal or Notecards
Many professional writers carry around a writing journal or notecards on which they jot down all sorts of thoughts or ideas that come to mind. These sorts of things will never be submitted for a grade so you don’t have to worry about proper grammar, punctuation or spelling. The upside is that you will have plenty of content to reference if you find yourself in a mental block or need something to fuel your brainstorming session. Be sure to keep either a journal or notecards separate from all other school work.
Write at the Same Time Each Day
One of the best habits you can develop as a writer is getting to work at the same time every day. Even if you don’t have a particular assignment to work on you might want to sit down and write a short response paper or even some notes to develop a routine. Not only will it be easier to get started when you actually do have an assignment but you may have a lot of notes that you can use as background content, saving you valuable time from having to do new research.
Create a Personal Workspace
One of the first things you should do as a student to improve your skills as an academic paper writer is to create a personal workspaces where you can do your work without any distractions. Whether this is in a library or in your home, this is the kind of space all professional writers need to put together excellent pieces. Creating a personal workspace also has a positive effect on your mood. As it becomes a habit to work in a specific area you will have an easier time switching to critical thinking, which should make you able to complete your assignments quicker.
Read Published Articles and Essays
Get into the regular habit of reading publish articles or other students’ papers. This is an effective way of learning about what works best in academic writing. You can find great published pieces in journals kept at the library. Speak with a reference librarian to get specific journal titles related to your field. For archived student papers you can ask your instructor for samples. He or she will usually keep several years’ worth of past papers specifically for this reason.
Develop Work Plans and Schedules
Before starting any assignment you should develop a detailed work plan that includes a task list and a schedule for completing them each night of the week. While this article focuses on composing a great paper, creating work plans is important for every homework assignment you receive. It helps keep you on track and organized over several days and the semester in general.
Revise, Edit and Proofread Your Work
Finally, one of the most important habits of successful academic writers is spending enough time to revise, edit and proofread papers before submitting them for grades. The time spent doing each of these activities can make a huge difference in the grade you receive for your assignment. Be sure to do this at multiple levels to ensure you find every opportunity to make your paper great.