Life Hack: How to Write a Good Ass Essay

Writing an engaging formal essay is not an easy task. There are many ways that a writer can go wrong. For some, the introduction is just impossible to get right. For others, it is the  organization of the essay or a lack of evidence to support their thesis. But I personally think that the most important aspects of an effective essay are the careful choice of words, a concise structure, and mechanics.

Just a simple turn of phrase can completely ruin the flow of an essay. For example, “Due to the comics, readers are able to understand what is happening in the scene thus are able to further understand Macbeth.” (Epstein - O’Halloran, “Macbeth is Tickling My Brain”)  “Due to” should have been “because of”. Incorrect word choice can muddy the meaning of a sentence. Due to is not a compound preposition, it is an adjective. In the sentence, there is nothing for the adjective to modify. Also, the sentence just doesn’t sound correct to me when I read it in my head. “There was even a class that had a 100% success rate where all seniors got jobs.” (Epstein-O’Halloran, “Fall Journal”) “Where,” in this case, should be replaced with “in which” because this paper was more formal than a discussion amongst friends. A reader is not inside of the author’s head and so does not know what the author means to say. If you wanna learn more about the commonly confused words, I found a great site.( http://bit.ly/1PIP67T)

A reader becomes disengaged when the wording in a paper is confusing. “These political and social topics are not prominent in modern society, so through these humorous commentaries and personal opinions, the author is again providing the reader with a deeper understanding of the play.” (Epstein-O’Halloran, “Macbeth is Tickling My Brain”) There are LOTS of errors in this sentence. It is obviously a run on sentence. The lack of defined pronouns is very confusing. And “These” is used twice like it is directly indicating evidence given in the preceding sentence. But it is not. “The lines often have double meanings, the language is difficult to understand and is filled with vague yet complex ideas. Macbeth is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare and thus contains the elements listed before.” (Epstein-O’Halloran, “Macbeth is Tickling My Brain”)  What is the writer even trying to say here? I honestly have no idea. The first sentence actually sounds poetic, but then the second sentence doesn’t relate to the first one whatsoever! A paper cannot be considered good if it is not well-written.

Mechanics and grammar are central to improve essay writing. “The main character of the story Akunna grew up in Nigeria and did not experience the amount of privilege that she became exposed to once she moved to America.” (Epstein O’Halloran, Fall Journal) I know for a fact Akunna is not the title of the story, yet the author makes it seem like it is. All she had to do was add commas. Jeez! It’s like she wants us to work hard to understand what she’s trying to say. “Seeing the way that her boyfriend knocks away chances and opportunities at success she is angry.” This sentence is blatantly wrong. The way that it is written makes no sense due to the lack of commas and a subject in the sentence. Grammar is the backbone of language and the foundation of a strong paper. This author is doing an amazing job messing up her grammar. Without an understanding of basic grammar, a writer cannot possibly create substantial arguments or even sentences.   

I think that confusion is a fatal flaw in a piece writing. It loses the attention of the reader. It masks the true message the writer is trying to get across. And if a writer does not utilize careful word choice, concise structure and mechanics in the correct way, the reader will become bored with the piece of writing in front of them. Remember, readers do not know what the hell you’re trying to say. So make sure that they don’t have to struggle to understand you’re writing.

Meet Bob Enchilada

          Formal academic language was – like – intended to be used by students to – uh – effectively learn and achieve fluency in the language they’re writing in (yolo swag). Unlike conversational language, academic language demands caution, substance and clarity. However, perfect academic language can be difficult to achieve. Take Bob Enchilada for example. Mr. Enchilada is an average high school sophomore who aspires to be the perfect writer. However, Bob’s current half-hearted approach leads his writing to having empty qualifiers, careless errors and a lack of clarity. Consequently, Bob hands in sh**y assignments. Do not be Bob. Instead, provide what academic language demands: caution, substance and clarity. 

          Careless mistakes are almost inevitable to us as humans. The Great Gatsby had numerous spelling mistakes and War and Peace was filled with unnecessary words in original writing. However, it is still in your power to reduce potential mistakes. To separate your writing from the damned compositions of Bob Enchilada, write with caution. As you write, constantly be aware of your spelling, grammar and any potential errors. “'shakes so my single state of man that function*'” (Enchilada, Winter Journal). That unintended asterisk is a little baffling, considering how far the asterisk is from the comma or apostrophe on the keyboard. Enchilada fails because he does not pay attention to avoid mistakes. When finished, proofread. Mr. Enchilada has a firm habit of putting his work aside after finishing his last sentence. “She is an unpleasant character, disrespectful towards the people very people who provided that education for her” (Enchilada, Winter Journal). Apparently, these people are not mere people but are in fact very people people. It is important to read over again, even when writing cautiously because mistakes can go unnoticed at a glance. Reading out-loud may be useful too, as mistakes will stand out. 

          The very thing that annoys readers very much is the one-and-only: empty qualifier. When writing, it feels natural to use words such as ‘very’ and ‘quite’ in our sentences. However, it is frowned upon in academic writing since it does not provide new information to the passage. Enchilada’s writing is dotted with empty qualifiers. “Litcharts, when available, is very brief and convenient” (Enchilada, Winter). The word ‘very’ adds no meaning to the sentence. All the sentence communicates is that Litcharts is brief and convenient when available to use. “...there is a lot of pressure to succeed” (Enchilada, Winter). In this phrase, the word ‘a lot’ is used to describe the magnitude of ‘pressure’. In cases like these, the qualifier can be replaced by a more meaningful word. The sentence can be rewritten as, “the pressure to succeed is overtaxing.” The qualifier is now adds meaning to 'pressure' and is no longer cliché. Avoiding empty qualifiers to shorten your writing adds meaning to your writing and takes readers straight to the point. 

          All said and done, clarity is most important since it is a question of whether or not your point can come across. Looking at the Litchart quotation example again, ‘when available’ is unclear to the reader. Does it mean when the website is available to use online or when the website is available for students to use for an assignment? When uncertain, look at different ways to interpret a sentence. Then rewrite it so that its meaning is clear to the reader. If allowed for an assignment, ask for someone else to read it. Their interpretation could be different. “However, despite the broken English and unique style of writing…” (Enchilada, Winter). In this quote, Enchilada is shying away from calling the article bad. Although it is tempting for writers to sugarcoat, we cannot sacrifice clarity. Instead of beating around the bush, we need to be constructive. 

          Academic writing is different from blogs or journals because there is a level of respect between the reader and the writer. Being cautious, meaningful and clear is essential in academic writing because it allows the writer to show respect. A composition free of careless mistakes shows the writer’s care and diligence for their (his, her or their) work. Avoiding empty qualifiers shows formality and helps readers come to the point. Finally, clarity will show that the writer values their message being conveyed. Academic language standardizes writing, allowing for writers to improve. By strictly adhering to its rules, we can improve even further. So by all means, please, please do not be Bob.

^An example of a substandard writer

Tips to Improve your writing

Essays are, in many people’s opinions, a huge pain in the ass. They take a long time, are difficult to edit, and are difficult to improve upon. Improving your writing isn’t an easy task, but focusing on being clear, original, and thesis-driven can help you produce a well structured essay. Being clear and concise makes you seem professional and well organized, while analytical thoughts are important in proving your essay’s thesis.

        Focusing on being clear and concise is important for an essay writer. Redundancies and unnecessary words should be avoided as much as possible. Phrases such as “The line describes how”(Shao, Poem-Story Comparison), “This shows”(Shao, Poem-Story Comparison), and “For example”(Shao, Station Eleven Critique) add nothing to the essay. The writer of these essays has a hard time cutting to the point. Not only does he/she use unnecessary phrases, but he/she also reuses the phrases many times, which makes the essay seem very redundant and unprofessional. Essay writers should also make sure that their words are adding actual content to the essay. A sentence like: “Amy Tan’s 'Two Kinds' and Elizabeth Eyber’s 'Poet as Housewife' have a number of similarities and differences” doesn’t mean anything. It adds no additional content to the essay and creates no additional insight for the reader.

        Being Analytical should also be a point of focus for a writer. An essay writer should focus more on his/her own ideas and interpretations to support his/her claim, as opposed to what’s done in the following quote: “In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a famous Scottish general named Macbeth is told by three witches that he will become the king of Scotland. He later kills his own king… (Shao, Aaron Hernandez and Macbeth).” A story, anecdote, any background information, or a summary should be brief and shouldn’t take up the majority of an essay. This writer is spending too much time telling the story. The summary takes up the majority of the paragraph while analytical ideas and claims are lacking. The writer can also be more analytical by thinking about what makes their claim significant. In the same “Aaron Hernandez and Macbeth Essay,” the writer states “Shakespeare’s play and the Hernandez case connect with each other in multiple ways” as his/her thesis statement. This writer should consider digging deeper, and addressing what makes this significant. The writer could’ve explored an idea on the lines of how power, recognition, and fame are an underlying theme in cases of this nature (murder).

        Tying everything back to the thesis statement is another important aspect for an essay. Often times, an essay can stem into a paragraph that has nothing to do with the thesis or “the goal of the essay.” In the “Poem-Story Comparison,” the writer has one paragraph that ends with “… the two characters are in somewhat similar scenarios, but Tan’s character is still in a much better situation than Eyber’s.” This sentence doesn’t mean that much when the thesis is stating that the roles of the characters are similar. The writer should consider using this information to explain what to tie back to his/her thesis, so that the reader knows why it’s important. “Mandel paid a lot of attention to her writing style and structure, which was definitely an important aspect of the book, (Shao, “Station Eleven Critique”)” is a sentence from another essay that comes out of nowhere, and doesn’t have much to do with the majority of what is said in the essay. The writer spends three paragraphs talking about the character development, the plot development, and the predictability of a novel, and then spends about two or three sentences on the novel’s diction and writing style. This portion of the essay seemed forced, and lacked any good transitions with the other body paragraphs.

Being concise and clear within the essay, along with having original, thesis-driven, analytical ideas are important in refining one’s writing style. Avoiding redundancies and unnecessary words keeps the essay on track and makes the writer seem professional. Original and analytical ideas help support the claim made in the thesis,  and should take up the majority of the essay, while summaries and background information should be short and brief. Any argument based paper, whether it be concerning History, Spanish, English, Sciences, Research, etc. can follow these guidelines of writing improvement.

Started At the Bottom Now We're Here

Writing well is a challenging and laborious process. There are many aspects that need to be included in a writing piece, and sometimes it is hard to incorporate them all. Students tend to make minor, but destructive, errors that can easily be solved. In order to improve one's writing it is important to proofread, be specific, and to avoid personal pronouns. Doing this will significantly improve the appeal of one’s composition and will hopefully lead to positive reviews and grades.

By definition proofreading is examining text carefully to find and correct errors and mistakes in grammar, style, and spelling. Unfortunately, most students skip over this step in the writing process because it takes a long time. The truth is that proofreading is the most crucial step in the writing process because it is the last step before completion. Not proofreading can lead to spelling mistakes, funky word choice, and style issues. By skipping the proofreading step it can also cause writing to not sound logical as seen in the following piece of writing. “...she was really able to go in depth about the passage...I really enjoyed this project...Her fluency and gift with words really helped push our project in the right direction…” (Eades, “Winter Journal”). In this entry the author used to the word “really” seven times in one passage alone! If the writer proofread this piece, the error would have been noted and fixed right away. Unneeded words leads to awkward sounding writing that can be prevented. On top of that, inappropriate transition words are misused all the time. “For example, sexual harassment issues arose on the Patna Women’s college and the majority of the community…” (Eades, “Fall Journal”). Transition words are great when used the right way, but when they are placed in a piece of writing for no reason they harm the piece. Usually these unneeded transition words can be taken out of a piece of writing when proofread. Therefore, although proofreading is a time consuming process, it is an important step for great writing .

Lily Tomlin once said “All my life, I always wanted to be somebody. Now I see that I should have been more specific”. This life analogy also applies to writing. It is fun to write without restrictions, or “try to be somebody”, but it is better to be “more specific”. Some have said that the first rule of writing is “be specific”. This rule means that writers should  remove cliché words, filler words, and vague words. In this piece of writing the author used inappropriate word choice; “Anne Lamott is a very realistic writer… Anne Lamott’s tone of voice in the piece is so comforting” (Eades, “Fall Journal”). Cliché words don’t actually convey meaning. Words such as “very”, “really”, and “truly” do not add anything interesting or exciting to a piece of writing. Therefore, it is beneficial to be specific and avoid using cliche words when writing. Vague words are also a big no in writing. “I thought that the podcast assignment was a great project for the class” (Eades, “Fall Journal”). Using the word “great” is too general. Vague words such as “great” and “good” are harmful to writing because they do not add any flare. Writers often fill sentences with weak or unnecessary words that can be deleted or replaced. Words and phrases should be deliberately chosen for the work they are doing. Therefore, in order to improve one’s writing, keep it simple and specific.

Another important way to make sure your academic writing strikes a formal and coherent tone is to avoid using personal pronouns. Writing from the first person point of view can weaken the credibility of the writer in research and argument papers. When writing is written in first person, it makes work sound like it is  only based on personal opinion. For example, using word such as “me” and “I” have no positive repercussions. “she gives you the step by step process… the piece is so comforting to me” (Eades, “Fall Journal”). The use of personal pronouns expresses one’s personal opinions or judgement on a topic. In doing this, the formality and credibility of the writing is brought down. Even if personal pronouns are used to speak to the audience, it is better to reword the sentence. “If you are concerned about what information is on your Facebook account, make sure you review Facebook’s Terms of Service and adjust your privacy settings” (Eades, “Fall Journal”). It is easy to reword a sentence to avoid using personal pronouns and the first and second person. This makes the writing sounds more professional and is easier to read. Academic writing is formal in tone and is meant to be objective. The use of the first person and personal pronouns is thought of as destructive and informal and should be avoided at all costs.  

Bill Wheeler said, “Good writing is clear thinking made visible”. Everyone should strive to express their thoughts in an orderly, logical fashion, although many people struggle in this category. Writing should not be an impossible task, yet small errors cause the biggest issues. The struggle to be specific, avoid personal pronouns, and proofread is a big one for the writers of the world. These simple tasks do not take a lot of work fix and avoid, but yet they make a difference in writing. Therefore, the key (major key) to improving one’s writing is to fix the simple things, such as the use of personal pronouns, conciseness, and specify, because it makes the biggest difference.   

Good Writing: Strong Arguments Backed by Clarity and Concision

Good Writing: Strong Arguments Backed by Clarity and Concision

Writing is a complicated process of brainstorming, writing, rewriting, and editing that people spend years trying to perfect, one that I have yet to perfect.  A good writer reviews previous pieces and learns from their mistakes; this is what I am trying to do. Using my fall, winter, and spring journals, along my previous essays, I’m trying to improve my own writing while potentially helping others improve their own writing. The mistakes of one writer are lessons for other writers, this is shown through the improvement of previous works. Good writing consists of a strong argument that is backed up by clear concise sentences and ideas.

Good writing requires many things, one of those things being a strong argument. Writing is not just summary and random facts; writing is a way of getting a point across, challenging points, and raising questions. Weak arguments do not raise questions, and summary raises nothing at all. The topic sentence sets the tone of an essay, and starting and essay with a weak topic sentence like,  “In the title of her article, Christina Cauterucci asks the question, “Why are we always asking rich famous ladies if they are feminists?’” (Marchin, Marchin Winter Journal), will not captivate readers. A topic sentence should make a claim. This topic sentence just states indisputable information. If the topic sentence does introduce a strong argument, how can the essay make a strong argument. Another example of a weak argument comes from a journal entry about Anne Lamotte’s writing style.The journal entry concluded with, “Lamotte's writing is relatable and her diction makes her essays easy to read and inviting” (Marchin, Marchin Fall Journal). Stating that an author’s writing is relatable and easy to read is not a strong argument; it is a simple statement. I didn’t challenge any ideas, raise any questions, or cause a little controversy; I just made a simple statement. Good writing includes thought provoking arguments, not simple statements.

While making a strong argument is important, it is not the only part to good writing; clarity and concision are also key factors.  A good argument will reel the reader in, but long, wordy sentences may cause lost of interest, and if the reader can’t understand what you’re saying, how can they understand your argument?  In an essay comparing the significance of individual lives and the significance of the sun, I began with, “Every day the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, regardless of the day’s events or the importance on an individual, familial, community, country, continental, or worldly scale” (Marchin, Macbeth Essay). This sentence contains six adjectives describing one word. Ending the sentence with “events or importance,” removes all six adjectives and says the same thing; this saves the reader the hassle of analyzing each adjective and allows them to focus on the main idea of the essay. When a sentence is written like this: “Lady Macbeth is greedy and manipulative, and while watching this television production of Macbeth, a man might think of his wife when he watches Lady Macbeth” (Marchin, Marchin Winter Journal), it is not easy to understand. A better way to write this sentence would be “A man watching this television production might think of his wife while he is watching Lady Macbeth’s greedy and manipulative character.” In this sentence it is clear who is doing which action. The man is watching the television production, Lady Macbeth is not watching the television production. Small differences in word placement create large differences in meaning. If the content of a sentence is unknown, the argument is not being made efficiently. Any unnecessary phrases and words can weaken and take away from the overall argument of a piece of writing. Concision and clarity are key when trying to keep an audience captivated.

Writing is a key component to communication, expression, and learning; without it humanity would be lost. Because writing is essential to our lives, good writing is an important part of life. Good writing consists many things, but three crucial parts of good writing are strong arguments, concision, and clarity. A strong argument captivates readers, and concision and clarity sustain the reader’s interest. If the goal of a piece of writing is to be read, then these factors are necessary. And in reality, the only time a piece of writing is not supposed to be read, is your diary. Write as poorly as you want in your diary, because frankly, no one cares.

For more tips on good writing click here.

How to (Try to) Succeed as a Writer

This sentence I’m writing right now is called a hook, hopefully being able to draw you, the reader, in. A hook, coupled with concise writing and an interesting title go a long way to capture and keep a reader’s attention. Without a creative title, the essay would never attract any readers, aside from the teacher forced to read the dull piece of work. Even if the essay does manage to have an imaginative title, without a hook, the essay would never make a lasting impression on the reader. In addition, concise writing and wording is important to keep the reader’s interest. If the language used is of poor quality, the reader would just stop reading to end the suffering right there. In the next three paragraphs, you will be given three tips about how to succeed as a writer by someone who certainly has not.

        The title of an essay should be creative while giving a hint as to what is discussed in the writing. A title such as “Macbeth’s Greed:  A Photo and a Story” for an essay comparing Shakespeare’s Macbeth and and photograph symbolizing greed is so direct and obvious it needs a “Spoiler Alert” sign next to it. The audience that the title attracts would be too narrow, and it would be unlikely to capture the attention of anyone else. An essay with the title, “A Story’s Theme Versus the Moral” is exactly about what anyone could guess: the comparison of a story’s theme and its moral. To make the title more engaging, I could have stopped being such a square and tried using a creative pun or a short, witty phrase that gives a hint about the essay context. A title of any piece of work should leave the readers asking questions, and only then will a reader want to read past the title.

        After the title comes the hook, which should be the first to second sentence of the essay. Its purpose is to continue to draw the reader in, and help him/her decide whether to continue reading or not. Although a question is not preferred, it is still better than having no hook at all. For example, a first sentence reading: “Through several short stories such as “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, and “A&P” by John Updike, the differences and similarities between a story’s theme and its moral are shown.” (Xu, A Story’s Theme Versus the Moral) is not a hook. It simply is an explanation of what will be discussed in the essay. After reading that sentence, you’d probably be getting ready to leave already. The only way anyone would stay would be if the sentence came after a hook that draws readers in. Another rather boring first sentence is “A central theme in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is greed for power.” (Macbeth’s Greed:  A Photo and a Story) Although this sentence doesn’t give away all the information, like the previous example from “A Story’s Theme Versus the Moral,” it still lacks the engaging qualities a hook should possess. A quote, a question, a provocative statement or a relevant fact could all serve as a hook. Without one, a reader is unlikely to continue past the first sentence of the essay.

        As the title and the hook grabs the reader’s attention, it should be the actual content that keeps his/her attention. However, content varies with each essay, but the quality of writing does not. An essay should use words that are clear and concise. An overuse of the word “very” before adjectives to increase its scale does the exact opposite, weakening the language. In the sentence, “She works very well on a team,” (Xu, Winter Journal) “very well” could be replaced by words such as “phenomenally.” While one use of “very” before an adjective is hardly noticeable, repetition will be taken in by the reader quickly. In the same paragraph, Alice makes the same mistake, writing, “She was also very hardworking there too.” (Xu, Winter Journal) Here, taking away the “very” would not subtract from the overall meaning the author is trying to convey. In fact, it could actually strengthen the point due to the sentence becoming more concise and polished. A few sentences later, Alice uses “very” again: “She was good at using Explain Everything (at least better than I could) and came up with a lot of ideas, including the Red Wedding connection to Macbeth that I personally thought was very creative.” (Winter Journal) Similarly, “very” does not play an essential role in the sentence and could be deleted without taking away from the “scale of creativity” the author is expressing. In many cases, the word “very” is not necessary at all. If it is, then the wrong adjective was used. Other words that naturally express the same meaning in a greater scale would be preferable over using “very,” because it will strengthen the language and polish the writing style.

A dull title and the lack of a hook prevents the potential audience from gaining interest in an essay, and weak language with lack of concision will drive readers away.

All three are important factors of an essay. The author writes to engage the reader, and an essay without a reader is nothing but a personal diary that is not so personal. A writer must come up with an imaginative title to capture attention, a hook as the first sentence to further engage the reader, and clear and concise writing to keep their attention. With these three rules, one can at least try to succeed as a writer.