College life

[Elfdrinkingtea]

Hi, people I don't know. My first semester in college has ended. I have found ways to study well in other subjects but not in English, I have not find an exact way to write a good essay. thereforeeee, I would like to hear people's, who was a student that had struggled in writing essays, advice in hope to help me become a better writer.

 

These are the things that I have been trying on my own. Read grammar books, write journals, read articles from magazines to books, and get myself a good english tutor.

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Caldus]

Well, you've only completed one English course so far. You probably have more to take right? You will learn more in these classes. All it really takes in the end is a lot of practice, which seems to be what you are already doing anyway. I find that over time, I just naturally got better in general because of all of the things I read on the Internet every day. Once you read enough things that are written in proper and well-structured English, you will just naturally pick it up. Of course, no one is really a perfect writer since the quality of writing is, to some degree, subjective.

[gfein347]

I agree with Caldus. The more you read, the better you will write. Ultimately, you're going for properly structured sentences that clearly communicate your ideas; in addition, you want your ideas to flow logically, so they create an overall message for what you're writing.

 

Something that always helps me is to make an outline before I actually begin to write. Although I never end up following it exactly, the outline helps me see the progression of ideas throughout the entire paper.

 

Most importantly, though, practice makes perfect.

[laboheme]

All the things you have listed are good. I'm sure there are writing workshops on your campus that you can attend. I've heard good things about those.

 

What exactly is the problem that you're having as far as writing? Are we talking about correct grammar, or making the essay coherent and cohesive so that it conveys your point well? I personally think that the latter is more challenging, so here is what I do.

 

1. Do any necessary research, then get your notes together.

2. Write a clear outline so that you have the structure of your paper. This is what most guidebooks probably tell you to do. OR (I do this sometimes), do some creative writing to get the ideas flowing. (Don't be afraid to be silly -- this is just to get the material down on paper in a more or less organized manner).

3. Flesh out the outline OR edit the creative writing from silly to serious (since you already have your thoughts organized, it's only a matter of making it sound good).

4. Go over everything numerous times to make any necessary revisions.

5. Let's not forget peer editing...oftentimes others will pick up on any grammar mistakes or unclear points that you may not be aware of.

 

What also helps sometimes is setting a deadline for yourself. Many people work best under pressure (and many will tell you that their best papers were written just a few hours before they had to be turned in). I am NOT advocating procrastination, not at all. But try to simulate a time crunch. Tell yourself that you have to have the whole paper written by lunchtime on a Saturday, and pretend like you have to turn it in then. Write like a madman for three hours, write like you have no choice but to churn something out. And once you do that, take a break...then go back and edit. While there are exceptions, for the most part it's easier to make something better through several rounds of revisions rather than trying to tackle it paragraph by paragraph and trying to make it perfect right away.

 

That's how I think, at least...

[Elfdrinkingtea]

Hey thx for your advice guys.

[meechigan]

As a former English teacher, I can tell you how Magic Johnson learned to play basketball. I can tell you how Eric Clapton became a great guitarist. And I can tell you how to become a good writer.

 

Same answer to all: "PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE."

 

Pay attention to the remarks the teacher writes on the graded paper. And visit the teacher outside of class and ask as many questions as you can. Many students fail to take advantage of the teacher as a resource outside of class. (Also you'll make yourself known to the teacher and that can never hurt.)

[quietgrl]

Elfdrinkingtea,

 

I can relate to your post because double, double checking my grammar is last on my list when writing. My first writing concern is expressing what i have to say to people.I've had people online make nasty comments to me about my grammar and making me feel like i'm dumb.

Well, Elfdrinkingtea keep reading grammar books and even let a fellow college student proof read your english essay.You can do it and don't think you can't write an essay paper because of your grammar . I'm in college right now and i had to do an essay and guess what.My teacher was bragging about my essay paper and it had some grammar error so you can do it.