As an English and Political Science double major, I have written a lot of papers during my time here at Holy Cross—and I’m only a sophomore. I understand the struggle of picking a topic, choosing evidence, and explaining or analyzing a point. I’m currently in the midst of writing an English paper that I’ve had to put off for a few days due to exams, and I’m kind of struggling. I have a large outline and a relatively clear focus, but I’m finding it hard to feel confident in what I’m writing about. If you’re also having trouble knowing where to start with a paper and gaining confidence in your writing, here’s some advice:
Talk. To. Your. Professor.
I cannot stress this enough. They are there to help you. Even if you think that your professor is terrible, unhelpful, and the least knowledgeable person ever, clarifying their expectations and talking through the materials is to your benefit. If the topic is vague, ask for clarification. If you don’t know what to write, talk through your ideas with them. If you get a better sense of what they’re looking for and they get a sense of what your ideas are, it makes a world of a difference.
Write About Something You’re Interested In:
It’s generally pretty difficult to write a paper about something that you don’t care about, so pick something that interests you. If you can pick your points and evidence, great. If you can pick your topic, fantastic. The words will come more naturally if you pick something that piques your interest.
Create an Outline:
This may not work for everyone. I know plenty of people who just jump right in and connect ideas eloquently. This can also vary paper to paper. My last paper barely had an outline; my current paper has a three page, handwritten one. I really do recommend creating some sort of outline or plan, whether that just be points, quotes, analysis, or a combination of all three. The format of your outline may vary depending on the topic or even the class, but they are easily adaptable. They’re great for reminding yourself what you wanted to talk about, and even better if you get stuck and don’t know where to go next. Sometimes my outlines contain more information than I can possibly fit into my paper, and other times they fit my paper perfectly. Do what works best for you, but I find that a somewhat organized plan helps me to know where I’m going to go with my paper.
Work in Chunks:
Give yourself more time to write. Don’t keep putting the paper off until it’s too late, and you only have mere hours before it’s due. I spent all of highschool doing that, and it feels pretty impossible now that I’m in college. I’ve put off plenty of short writing assignments, but never a long and important paper. Give the ideas time to marinate; give them time to come naturally. I always say that I have to be in a “writing mood” in order to work productively and actually get anything done. Start by planning, and then see where you naturally go from there. If you start a week and a half in advance and write a page per day, you’ll have a five page paper in five days. Obviously timelines are adjustable, but account for hiccups like writer’s block, and definitely leave yourself plenty of time to revise.