How To Make School Writing Assignments Easier
Updated: Jun 24, 2022
Follow these steps in the order they are presented to alleviate the stress of academic writing:
Prewriting: Review the writing assignment requirements and make sure you understand what you are writing about; select your topic; start your first round of research, keeping an open mind to what you learn so you formulate an effective thesis; take general notes and keep track of sources you reference to use for more in-depth research later (make sure there are enough sources available on this topic); draft a working thesis and make sure it aligns with the assignment and purpose; and create a loose outline of your main points that will support your thesis (all of your main points must relate back to your thesis).
Writing: Compose your first draft with a very basic introduction to your thesis for now (you can rewrite it later as your paper takes shape); continue to keep track of all sources as you go; write the body paragraphs (all material must support the introductory paragraph’s thesis); conduct further, more detailed research to support your thesis (jot down facts, statistics, data, direct quotations, presented ideas, and supporting information); and focus on content, your main points, and incorporating your sources in the body paragraphs—do not worry about grammar, usage, punctuation, and word choice (save this for the rewriting phase).
Rewriting: Rewrite your introduction and write your conclusion; revise your draft and read over your content for accuracy and to make sure it supports your thesis; double check that your writing is focused and on topic; ensure you have properly cited the sources you have referenced; review your formatting for compliance with citation requirements; compose your works cited page or bibliography; proofread to check your grammar, usage, punctuation, word choice, organization, sentence structure, and spelling; and finally, have someone else review your paper with a fresh set of eyes.
I'm here if you need help at any step of the process!
- Christa
