Efficient Essay Writing: How to Write Better Essays in Less Time: Another Author's 2 Pence, #3

By Misti Wolanski

Essays—and particularly research papers—can make or break your grades in your classes. If only there was some method, some way, to work smarter, not harder, and do better on those essays without so much time…

Well, there is.

This book will teach you tactics for tackling your essays efficiently, giving you a road map to follow so that you have everything you need as you need it.

I figured these things out when I was in school, myself, dealing with intense workloads, multiple part-time jobs at a time, and a health problem cocktail that meant I spent most of my time tired, woozy, nauseous, in pain, or any mix of the above. All-nighters were literally impossible for me, and even attempting one had consequences for days afterwards. I had to be efficient, to get and keep good grades.

Much of tackling things efficiently stems from organizing what you’re doing, and that’s where the improved grades come in. For years, I’ve been sharing my organization tips with students I know. For years, those people have told me to write my tips down because their grades have improved even from implementing the few they could remember.

This book is me finally doing what they’ve asked and writing my tips down. Try my tactics for yourself, and tell me if it doesn’t make writing an essay as easy as making a pizza.

(Pizzas actually are easy to make, even if you’re like me and can’t eat rice, egg, pork, tomato, or most cooking oils. Even eggless gluten-free pizza is possible, without sacrificing texture or flavor—but that’s off-topic. And has instructions in the book.)

If you follow my suggestions, you should both improve your essay grades and reduce the amount of time you spend writing them.

Which of us couldn’t use a little more free time?

Each of my points along the organization road map can be applied in multiple ways. Track down the specific methods that work for you, rather than only for Honor Roll Joe.

So come on in and learn. Your GPA might just thank you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Misti Wolanski
• Release date: Feb 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781533790828

Book preview

Introduction

Essays—and particularly research papers—can make or break your grades in your classes. If only there was some method, some way, to work smarter, not harder, and do better on those essays without taking so much time…

Well, there is.

This book will teach you tactics for tackling your essays efficiently, giving you a road map to follow so that you have everything you need as you need it.

I figured these things out when I was in school, myself, dealing with intense workloads, multiple part-time jobs at a time, and a health problem cocktail that meant I spent most of my time tired, woozy, nauseous, in pain, or any mix of the above. All-nighters were literally impossible for me, and even attempting one had consequences for days afterwards. I had to be efficient, to get and keep good grades.

Much of tackling things efficiently stems from organizing what you’re doing, and that’s where the improved grades come in. For years, I’ve been sharing my organization tips with students I know. For years, those people have told me to write my tips down because their grades have improved even from implementing the few they could remember.

This book is me finally doing what they’ve asked and writing my tips down. Try my tactics for yourself, and tell me if it doesn’t make writing an essay as easy as making a pizza.

(Pizzas actually are easy to make, even if you’re like me and can’t eat rice, egg, pork, tomato, or most cooking oils. Even eggless gluten-free pizza is possible, without sacrificing texture or flavor—but that’s off-topic.)

If you follow my suggestions, you should both improve your essay grades and reduce the amount of time you spend writing them.

Which of us couldn’t use a little more free time?

Each of my points along the organization road map can be applied in multiple ways. Track down the specific methods that work for you, rather than only for Honor Roll Joe.

So come on in and learn. Your GPA might just thank you.

—Misti Wolanski, MistiWolanski.com

Keep informed about my releases!

I: When the Teacher’s Vague

But wait—how can you even start your essay when your teacher won’t even explain what s/he freakin’ wants?!

Yes, I know. I’ve been there. Sometimes, teachers are vague because they’re interested in seeing what you come up with and frankly don’t care about the specifics beyond what they’ve said. But some of them apparently expect their students to just know by osmosis or telepathy or ESP.

At any rate, sometimes you need some kind of guidelines that the teacher hasn’t given—you know, like how long your essay needs to be, if it’s to be instructional or persuasive, and what the requirements are for the referenced sources.

When the teacher’s failed to give you that kind of information that’s needed to get anywhere, what can you do?

1. Ask the teacher.

Some teachers are vague on purpose, so their students have to ask. Some forget that their students have other classes and commitments and jobs that prevent them from asking questions outside class. Some don’t realize they’ve been vague. Some are just jerks. (Though the true jerks are the minority, in my experience—most are reasonable and can be negotiated with, if you pay attention to why they request what they do.)

Be polite. Even a teacher who likes student questions won’t be happy if a student waltzes up and accuses her of forgetting to include the style guidelines (especially if that’s true).

2. Ask someone who’s already had that class and teacher.

This option of course depends on your school network and how long the teacher has been there, but a lot of schools have a communication setup like Blackboard that lets you easily find someone who’s already been through what you’re facing.

Be careful, though. At some schools, teachers intentionally adjust their teaching styles and difficulty levels every so often, so their later students can’t be at an advantage over their earlier students.

3. Ask another teacher in that department.

Some university departments have a default formatting or set of requirements for the class you’re taking, which you can find out from the department secretary or even from another professor with visiting hours that better suit your schedule. And sometimes other instructors are familiar enough with their colleagues point you in the right direction.

But watch out for department politics. School employees are human, too, and you don’t want to end up doing the wrong thing because you didn’t know that the person you asked for advice enjoys irritating the professor whose class you’re taking.

4. Use the school default.

Check to see if your school has a default format and layout. (One university I