College writing

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has anyone really struggled writing papers? For me it has always been a lack of using proper grammar . Im not a complete idiot but I always have trouble putting the ideas in my brain coherently on the page. I have really improved but my biggest problems still are using really long sentences, too many commas,writing introductory and closing sentences. I have gotten better but i write papers in the most disorganized way never using an outline and just randomly writing pages and having to rearrange all of them to fit together. I can make a distiction between the good, the bad and ugly but i never seem to take in the lesson, no matter how much i sit up and take notice.

The way I see it writing is a process that usually begins with terrible drafts. The important thing is if you can be persistant and be willing to do several more drafts until a polished product emerges.

I think I have some decent writing ability, but I still used my college writing tutors to help me refine my papers and catch any mistakes I missed.

just write - get it out onto the paper

don't worry about your sentences being too long, look at that later

write in paragraphs and/or long sentences (chunks of ideas)

leave space between paragraphs

then....print it all out

(if you need to, use markers/highlighters/crayons to help you to group different chunks of ideas together)

cut all the chunks out

start physically rearranging your thoughts (i find the floor is great for this part) - read it out loud as you rearrange - does it make sense? could it be more clear?

during this process OR when you're done rearranging and are satisfied with the order,
go back to the computer and rearrange/edit/bring coherence to your initial thoughts (consulting the primitive cut-and-paste notes)



at this point, it would be great to have another set of eyes to take a look, helping you to clean it up, catching mistakes, etc.

I've never had problems actually. when i can see my words, everything is very precise and makes a lot of sense. much more so than when I speak. my only issue is that I cannot write rough drafts. I have to fix mistakes as I go, I can't leave them till the end. So it looks like I have a perfect paper. My teachers require rough drafts, so I print my final, then put a bunch of mistakes in and print that out as my "rough draft".

On essays that involve a thesis, however, I have to write that last. Do my specific paragraphs first, then my general argument.

I have trouble with research. Writing is something I can handle pretty well, and after surviving four semesters of Latin, spelling and grammar-related errors almost never show up. But when I get a research paper, I usually end up getting stuck from time to time. Sometimes, I don't really know where to look for certain things, and I become overwhelmed when I'm reading through really long articles to find information. It gets tiring and discouraging. Not to mention, when I first began learning a new citation style for sources, it was painfully slow. I was freaked out since I wasn't comfortable learning how to use and apply citation, plus I'm absolutely terrified of messing up a bibliography since it's such an important part. Even something like figuring out if there is a period missing or what to do with an electronic resource left me confused and frustrated for about a day before I finally got help.

I'm actually kind of backwards when it comes to these kinds of papers. The first page that's finished is usually the works cited page. I almost never have a rough draft since I edit and revise as I go. So by the time I finish writing, it's usually good enough to turn in and get a decent grade. In fact, papers that I've written that I considered "C-quality" end up getting A's for some reason without too much effort.

Things that have actually helped me out though is taking a Sharpie marker and a notepad and brainstorming. I start with one or two ideas and draw arrows or lines to things that relate to them. Eventually, a picture starts to form and you can see chains of topics. They form nice logical chains if you work from one thing to the other.

I also found outlines to be extremely helpful. I don't like putting a ton of effort into things that aren't the final product, so they're usually pretty brief. But basically, they start off on one topic per section with two-to-three supporting sources or key points. Outlines are really useful for presentations too because they're so brief (supposed to be at least) and give you plenty of space to talk about those key points and have the information there in front of you so you're not reading a full-blown research paper in front of your class.

Oh, and always have a fresh pair of eyes read over your paper when you're finished. If you spend a lot of time on what you're working on, you might miss some really dumb mistakes from being tired or just being used to reading since you've been stuck on your assignment for too long.

I was the type who could write a 20 page paper a few days before it was due and get an A, but there are things I did to help me achieve this:

I would be thinking about my topic all semester and figuring out the big picture and the point I want to make. The mistake a lot of students make is that they write a paper filled with data and forget to MAKE A POINT.

Secondly, ALWAYS relate your paper to what you studied in class. I know this might sound like unnecessary advice, but believe me, you can get lost in the subject matter and forget to tie it into your CLASS.

Third - and very important for me - is the same thing others have mentioned. PHYSICALLY arrange your ideas. I would start by identifying what I needed to research and just dive into research, collecting relevant data which would support my idea. Then, I would rearrange all of the notes I made. It doesn't matter if you use a colored marker or cut out the notes and arrange them all on your floor, just do it! I would arrange mine in sequential order according to a general outline I'd make. "This data goes with this section, this goes with this section" and so on, until I basically had my paper in front of me.

Depending on your skills, writing the actual paper and linking all the ideas together might be the challenging part. My research was good enough that it wasn't difficult to link ideas to the thesis and (saying it again) class material. But if this is not easy for you, or if you have difficulties with grammar and phrasing, seek out help! One of the best things about Uni is that you're surrounded by help. One of the best things to do is ask the professor to read your draft. I often did this and would ask if I'm on the right track. Professors are usually have specific requirements for the content and arguments within a paper. It's better to know early on if you are way off the mark or barking up the wrong tree, so to speak. I was always very shy and nervous asking my professors to read drafts, but it's worth it. They can also give advice on where to find research material if you're stuck, or really any advice with the paper. They are generally glad to help and actually like it when asked.

The "fresh pair of eyes" for your final draft is also priceless advice!

You can do it!

I've been writing term papers / thesis papers since high school. Since then, I have been using the method that I learned back then.

1. Decide on a topic. (I like to tie together different topics with what I'm interested in which is off topic, but make sure that I don't go too off topic in the report.)

2. Gather any books or articles that seem revelant.

3. As you read, write quotes and paraphrases of main points on index cards. On the top of the card, write down the topic.

4. Arrange cards by topic. Then, arrange in a way that organizes each specific topic in a way that sounds good,

5. Type cards into your computer in a way that sounds good -- meaning some form of paragraph which explains each topic in a way that will make sense to the professor/teacher.

Warm Air

PS: I'm, also an extreme couponer and use almost the same method when I organize my coupons.