Paper that you can write on

Each time you need to write something down, click the bookmark and just start typing! The assignmentresearching a topicusing online sourceskeeping track of sourceswriting your paperciting your sourcesdealing with paper stress  jeffrey's history teacher assigned a term paper at the beginning of the semester. Not jeffrey, though: the thought of having to write a paper made him really anxious. Because he didn't know where to begin, he put off thinking about the assignment until closer to the due gh a lot of students take jeffrey's "i'll deal with it later" approach to writing papers, it's actually better for your stress levels — not to mention grades — to start working on a paper as soon as you find out about it. With some planning and time, anyone can turn a blank document on a computer screen into a good g a paper can seem intimidating at first. But putting together a strong paper really just involves a combination of things you already know how to tanding the first step in writing a paper is to make sure that you understand exactly what your teacher expects. Here are some questions to ask before you start researching and writing so you can be sure you are on the right track:What type of paper is it? Is it a report (where you just gather facts and describe a topic), a paper in which you must offer your own ideas on an issue, or both? Can you use only internet sources, or do you have to use books, journals, and newspapers too? Find out what your teacher thinks about your sources before you start will your teacher look for while grading your paper? For example, is your teacher looking for a casual, descriptive writing style (like a magazine article) or a research paper with a more formal tone? The paper have to be typed or presented in a certain form (such as double-spaced lines, specific margins, presented in a binder)? Are there additional graphics that you also have to provide, such as illustrations or photos? A teacher will assign a topic or thesis for a paper, and sometimes he or she will leave it up to students to pick their own topics (of course these have to be related to the class or subject! The teacher lets you choose your own topic, it's best to write a paper about something that you find really interesting. This might be an issue that you feel strongly about and want to defend (or one you disagree with and want to argue against! After you come up with your topic, run it by your teacher before you move on to the next step — ueresearching a every good paper is even better research. Good research means reading a lot — both as background to help you choose a topic and then to help you write your ing on your chosen topic, your research could come from class textbooks, newspapers, professional journals, and websites. To find good sources, begin at your school library, where the card catalogs and search engines can direct you to materials that have been published. When a source has been chosen for your school's library collection, you can be fairly confident that it's accurate enough to use in your g which sources are considered good — and which ones aren't — is a skill that everyone gains with experience.

Paper you can write on

Teachers can usually tell when students use information in their papers that they don't really g track of you've found a good source, make a note of it so that you can use it for your paper. Keep a notebook or computer document that has the source's title, the page number of the important information, and a few notes about why it's important. Your great part about doing lots of research is that when you really know your topic, writing about it becomes easier. And you can always revise the actual writing later — the important thing is getting your ideas down on paper. After your ideas are on paper, you can start outlining people like to think of their first writing attempt as a "first draft," taking the pressure off of themselves to write every sentence and line perfectly. Another good tip for getting started is to write down your ideas like you're telling your parent, brother, or sister about 't feel that you have to write a paper in order. If you know how you want to prove your thesis, for instance, but don't know how to introduce it, you could write some or all of the supporting paragraphs before doing the people make revisions while they're working. And it's a good reason to leave plenty of time to do your paper rather than putting it off until the last minute! S also a good idea to leave enough time after finishing a paper to put it aside for a few days and then go back to make revisions. When you haven't worked on your paper for a few days, any flaws or problems will stand out more: look for things like unnecessary words, sentences that don't make sense, and points that don't follow on from or support each uscontinueciting your teacher will probably want you to cite your sources (which means list the sources you used for ideas, statements, and other information in your paper). Each teacher has different preferences so ask yours for on not only shows that a paper is well researched, it also lets the reader know which ideas came from your mind and which ideas came from someone else's. Plagiarism is using someone else's ideas or words without giving that person proper credit for creating them. With paper g they have a paper to write can be stressful for many students. To avoid becoming overwhelmed, take these two simple steps:Start as soon as the paper is assigned. That way you'll have plenty of time for unexpected events — such as research that takes longer than you think or realizing you don't really like the topic you chose and need to come up with the paper down into manageable "mini-projects. Your first is brainstorming an idea or topic, the next task is doing research, then comes writing the paper, and after that you'll revise it. Figure out how much time you'll need for each "mini-project" — this will not only help you feel more in control, it will also give you an idea of how much time the overall paper will take, from research to finished g papers is a learning exercise — that's why teachers assign them! All rights e to the purdue printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice at butors:jack raymond baker, allen brizee, ashley y:this handout provides detailed information about how to write research papers including discussing research papers as a genre, choosing topics, and finding g a research paperthe research will come a time in most students' careers when they are assigned a research paper. This anxiety frequently stems from the fact that many students are unfamiliar and inexperienced with this genre of writing. Writing a research paper is an essential aspect of academics and should not be avoided on account of one's anxiety.

In fact, the process of writing a research paper can be one of the more rewarding experiences one may encounter in academics. What is more, many students will continue to do research throughout their careers, which is one of the reasons this topic is so ng an experienced researcher and writer in any field or discipline takes a great deal of practice. Remember, even the most seasoned academic veterans have had to learn how to write a research paper at some point in their career. And, perhaps most important of all, patience, a student will find that she can achieve great things through her research and handout will include the following sections related to the process of writing a research paper:Genre- this section will provide an overview for understanding the difference between an analytical and argumentative research ng a topic- this section will guide the student through the process of choosing topics, whether the topic be one that is assigned or one that the student chooses fying an audience- this section will help the student understand the often times confusing topic of audience by offering some basic guidelines for the do i begin- this section concludes the handout by offering several links to resources at purdue, and also provides an overview of the final stages of writing a research butors:jack raymond baker, allen brizee, ashley y:this handout provides detailed information about how to write research papers including discussing research papers as a genre, choosing topics, and finding and the research paperresearch: what it is. Research paper is the culmination and final product of an involved process of research, critical thinking, source evaluation, organization, and composition. It is, perhaps, helpful to think of the research paper as a living thing, which grows and changes as the student explores, interprets, and evaluates sources related to a specific topic. Primary and secondary sources are the heart of a research paper, and provide its nourishment; without the support of and interaction with these sources, the research paper would morph into a different genre of writing (e. The research paper serves not only to further the field in which it is written, but also to provide the student with an exceptional opportunity to increase her knowledge in that field. It is also possible to identify a research paper by what it is ch: what it is not. Research paper is not simply an informed summary of a topic by means of primary and secondary sources. Instead, it is a genre that requires one to spend time investigating and evaluating sources with the intent to offer interpretations of the texts, and not unconscious regurgitations of those sources. The goal of a research paper is not to inform the reader what others have to say about a topic, but to draw on what others have to say about a topic and engage the sources in order to thoughtfully offer a unique perspective on the issue at hand. This is accomplished through two major types of research major types of research ntative research paper:The argumentative research paper consists of an introduction in which the writer clearly introduces the topic and informs his audience exactly which stance he intends to take; this stance is often identified as the thesis statement. An important goal of the argumentative research paper is persuasion, which means the topic chosen should be debatable or controversial. For example, it would be difficult for a student to successfully argue in favor of the following tte smoking poses medical dangers and may lead to cancer for both the smoker and those who experience secondhand s 25 years ago this topic would have been debatable; however, today, it is assumed that smoking cigarettes is, indeed, harmful to one's health. A better thesis would be the gh it has been proven that cigarette smoking may lead to sundry health problems in the smoker, the social acceptance of smoking in public places demonstrates that many still do not consider secondhand smoke as dangerous to one's health as firsthand this sentence, the writer is not challenging the current accepted stance that both firsthand and secondhand cigarette smoke is dangerous; rather, she is positing that the social acceptance of the latter over the former is indicative of a cultural double-standard of sorts. The student would support this thesis throughout her paper by means of both primary and secondary sources, with the intent to persuade her audience that her particular interpretation of the situation is ical research paper:The analytical research paper often begins with the student asking a question (a. Research may lead him to the following f is a poem whose purpose it was to serve as an exemplum of heterodoxy for tenth- and eleventh-century monastic his topic may be debatable and controversial, it is not the student's intent to persuade the audience that his ideas are right while those of others are wrong. Instead, his goal is to offer a critical interpretation of primary and secondary sources throughout the paper--sources that should, ultimately, buttress his particular analysis of the topic. The following is an example of what his thesis statement may look like once he has completed his beowulf is often read as a poem that recounts the heroism and supernatural exploits of the protagonist beowulf, it may also be read as a poem that served as an exemplum of heterodoxy for tenth- and eleventh-century monastic communities found in the statement does not negate the traditional readings of beowulf; instead, it offers a fresh and detailed reading of the poem that will be supported by the student's is typically not until the student has begun the writing process that his thesis statement begins to take solid form.

In fact, the thesis statement in an analytical paper is often more fluid than the thesis in an argumentative paper. Such is one of the benefits of approaching the topic without a predetermined butors:jack raymond baker, allen brizee, ashley y:this handout provides detailed information about how to write research papers including discussing research papers as a genre, choosing topics, and finding ng a topicthe first step of any research paper is for the student to understand the assignment. Student will often encounter one of two situations when it comes to choosing a topic for a research paper. Many first-time researchers appreciate such an arrangement by the instructor because it eliminates the stress of having to decide upon a topic on their r, the student may also find the topics that have been provided to be limiting; moreover, it is not uncommon for the student to have a topic in mind that does not fit with any of those provided. If not, do not take it personally and choose the topic from the list that seems most interesting to second situation occurs when the instructor simply hands out an assignment sheet that covers the logistics of the research paper, but leaves the choice of topic up to the student. Typically, assignments in which students are given the opportunity to choose the topic require the topic to be relevant to some aspect of the course; so, keep this in mind as you begin a course in which you know there will be a research paper near the end. That way, you can be on the lookout for a topic that may interest you. Instead, realize that it takes practice to become an experienced researcher in any a discussion of evaluating sources, see evaluating sources of s for choosing a ng early leads to starting early. Brainstorming is often a successful way for students to get some of these ideas down on paper. It consists of a timed writing session during which the student jots down—often in list or bulleted form—any ideas that come to his mind. If it appears that something seems to be standing out in his mind more than others, it may be wise to pursue this as a topic is important for the student to keep in mind that an initial topic that you come up with may not be the exact topic about which you end up writing. Such fluidity is common in research, and should be embraced as one of its many purdue owl also offers a number of other resources on choosing and developing a topic:Understanding writing ng the writing ion slide butors:jack raymond baker, allen brizee, ashley y:this handout provides detailed information about how to write research papers including discussing research papers as a genre, choosing topics, and finding fying an audienceidentifying an concept of audience can be very confusing for novice researchers. Should the student's audience be her instructor only, or should her paper attempt to reach a larger academic crowd? These are two extremes on the pendulum-course that is audience; the former is too narrow of an audience, while the latter is too broad. Therefore, it is important for the student to articulate an audience that falls somewhere in is perhaps helpful to approach the audience of a research paper in the same way one would when preparing for an oral presentation. So it is with writing a research paper (in fact, you may need to transform your written work into an oral work if you find yourself presenting at a conference someday). Instructor should be considered only one member of the paper's audience; he is part of the academic audience that desires students to investigate, research, and evaluate a topic. Try to imagine an audience that would be interested in and benefit from your example: if the student is writing a twelve page research paper about ethanol and its importance as an energy source of the future, would she write with an audience of elementary students in mind? What is more, she would assume the audience to be at a certain educational level; therefore, she would not spend time in such a short research paper defining terms and concepts already familiar to those in the field. However, she should also avoid the type of esoteric discussion that condescends to her audience.

Again, the student must articulate a following are questions that may help the student discern further her audience:Who is the general audience i want to reach? One of the purposes of a research paper is to add something new to the academic community, and the first-time researcher should understand her role as an initiate into a particular community of scholars. Once again, practice lies at the heart of the butors:jack raymond baker, allen brizee, ashley y:this handout provides detailed information about how to write research papers including discussing research papers as a genre, choosing topics, and finding do i begin? Is neither template nor shortcut for writing a research paper; again, the process is, amongst other things, one of practice, experience, and organization, and begins with the student properly understanding the assignment at many college students know, the writer may find himself composing three quite different research papers for three quite different courses all at the same time in a single semester. Each of these papers may have varying page lengths, guidelines, and ore, in order for a student to become an experienced researcher and writer, she must not only pay particular attention to the genre, topic, and audience, but must also become skilled in researching, outlining, drafting, and a discussion of where to begin one's research, see research: ing is an integral part of the process of writing. Editing, ng is the process consisting of:Major, sweeping, changes to the various drafts of a evaluation of word choice throughout the removal paragraphs and sometimes, quite painfully, complete pages of king the whole project and reworking it as g is a process interested in the general appearance of a text, and includes the following:Analysis of the consistency of tone and voice throughout the tion of minor errors in mechanics and tion of the logical flow of thought between paragraphs and major process is best completed toward the final stages of the project, since much of what is written early on is bound to change eading is the final stage in the writing process, and consists of a detailed final reread in order to find any mistakes that may have been overlooked in the previous a discussion of proofreading, see proofreading your writing . Jack raymond baker, allen brizee, ashley y:this handout provides detailed information about how to write research papers including discussing research papers as a genre, choosing topics, and finding g a research paper: generating questions & topics workshopthis workshop discusses strategies for getting started on a research paper, including generating questions and ideas for topics. To download the powerpoint file, click on the above note that this workshop was developed as part of the purdue language and culture exchange (place) program for purdue university's west lafayette campus. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair high-quality paper at affordable prices within the deadline rism-free -the-clock customer additional delivery option. As i am working i just have no time to write those boring essays on subjects that are not interesting to me. Thank you for is such a difficult task for me to write something on geography. I am not a philosopher, it is always difficult to write different essays on philosophy. My friend recommended me affordable papers and now it makes no difficulties to get my papers and not to write them by myself. We are supportive of the students’ wishes, analyzing the academic writing market and putting prices that won’t scare customers away. Believe us, ordering from affordable papers doesn’t mean you have to be a billionaire – we have democratic fees, and the papers are available to anyone, no matter whether you are a freshman or a senior. Help from we hire writers, responsible for the job, we conduct a complex test, that includes interviewing and assessing writing abilities, so that your paper is going to be exclusive. To prove the originality of the term paper or your research essay, we use a modern anti plagiarism system. If you are thinking of your next step of the order process, you can contact us for an essay, research paper, academic assignment, lab report or a speech, and we will be happy to ablepapers - the guaranteed can assure you of the money back guarantee once you order a paper from us. You may demand a refund in case:We failed to provide you with the original made a double payment and now want your money no suitable writer is deadline was missed by our fault and the paper wasn’t delivered on abovementioned cases give you an opportunity for the 100% refund and help develop a reliable relationship with the paper service. For more information – please don’t hesitate to contact our customer make sure your academic papers are delivered on schedule and never fail to provide qualified help for anyone in need.

If you have an order that has to be completed overnight, you can rest assured knowing that we will be the ones to come to rescue! Moreover, you have an opportunity to cooperate with our support team, which is online day and night to assist you are having troubles with the term paper or a some lab report, you can contact us any time to learn about the best options, receiving professional help on essay writing. Discount code / tips & tools / art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the this handout is handout will help you understand why you procrastinate and offer strategies and to combat this common writer’s ne procrastinates. If you are reading this handout, however, it is likely that your procrastination is troubling you. You suspect that you could be a much better writer if only you didn’t put off writing projects until the last minute. You find that just when you have really gotten going on a paper, it’s time to turn it in; so, you never really have time to revise or proofread carefully. You love the rush of adrenalin you get when you finish a paper ten minutes before it’s due, but you (and your body) are getting tired of pulling all-nighters. You feel okay about procrastinating while in college, but you worry that this habit will follow you into your working can tell whether or not you need to do something about your procrastination by examining its consequences. Procrastination can have external consequences (you get a zero on the paper because you never turned it in) or internal consequences (you feel anxious much of the time, even when you are doing something that you enjoy). The fact that you procrastinate does not mean that you are inherently lazy or inefficient. It is a habit that has some specific origin, and it is a habit that you can overcome. But you might wake up tomorrow and do one or two simple things that will help you finish that draft a little earlier or with less may not be surprised to learn that procrastinators tend to be self-critical. Taking the time to learn about why you procrastinate may help you avoid the cycle whereby you swear up and down that you will never procrastinate again, only to find that the next time you have a paper due, you are up until 3 a. Some of the reasons that people procrastinate include the following:Because we are of failure: if you are scared that a particular piece of writing isn’t going to turn out well, then you may avoid working on it in order to avoid feeling the of success: some procrastinators (the author of this handout included) fear that if they start working at their full capacity, they will turn into workaholics. Since we procrastinate compulsively, we assume that we will also write compulsively; we envision ourselves locked in a library carrel, hunched over the computer, barely eating and sleeping and never seeing friends or going out. The procrastinator who fears success may also assume that if they work too hard, they will become mean and cold to the people around them, thus losing their capacity to be friendly and to have fun. Finally, this type of procrastinator may think that if they stop procrastinating, then they will start writing better, which will increase other people’s expectations, thus ultimately increasing the amount of pressure they of losing autonomy: some people delay writing projects as a way of maintaining their independence. Procrastinating helps them feel more in control of situations (such as college) in which they believe that other people have of being alone: other writers procrastinate because they want to feel constantly connected to other people. For instance, you may procrastinate until you are in such a bind that someone has to come and rescue you. In its worst form, procrastination itself can become a companion, constantly reminding you of all that you have to of attachment: rather than fearing separation, some people procrastinate in order to create a barrier between themselves and others.

They may delay in order to create chaos in their lives, believing that the chaos will keep other people r these fears appear in our conscious or subconscious minds, they paralyze us and keep us from taking action, until discomfort and anxiety overwhelms us and forces us to either a) get the piece of writing done or b) give up. Perfectionists sometimes think that it is better to give a half-hearted effort and maintain the belief that they could have written a great paper, than to give a full effort and risk writing a mediocre paper. Procrastinating guarantees failure, but it helps perfectionists maintain their belief that they could have excelled if they had tried harder. As long as the writing project is incomplete, they feel as though they aren’t getting anywhere, rather than recognizing that each paragraph moves them closer to a finished e we don’t like our may procrastinate on writing because you don’t like to re-read what you have written; you hate writing a first draft and then being forced to evaluate it, in all its imperfection. By procrastinating, you ensure that you don’t have time to read over your work, thus avoiding that uncomfortable e we’re too cal concerns: jobs, other classes, unately, procrastination helps reinforce itself. Given such a choice, it’s no wonder that many of us choose to procrastinate. When we write a paper at the last minute and still manage to get a good grade, we feel all the more compelled to procrastinate next time that you know a little bit about why you may have procrastinated in the past, let’s explore some of the strategies you might use to combat your procrastination tendencies, now and in the future. Think about the clues that tell you that’s what you’re doing: for example, a nagging voice in your head, a visual image of what you are avoiding or the consequences of not doing it, physical ailments (stomach tightness, headaches, muscle tension), inability to concentrate, inability to enjoy what you are do you procrastinate? For example, claiming that you are going to watch tv for ½ hour, then watching it all night. Too often, we don’t even realize that we are procrastinating—until it’s too a productive you have made the decision to stop delaying on a particular writing project, it is critical that you find a place to work where you have at least half a chance of actually getting some writing done. If you are a procrastinator, then chances are you are already pretty exasperated; don’t risk frustrating yourself even more by trying to write in an environment that doesn’t meet your n: the most skilled procrastinators will be tempted to take this suggestion too far, spending an inordinate amount of time “creating a productive environment” (cleaning, filing, etc. While cleaning and filing are indeed worthy and necessary activities, if you only do this when you have an approaching writing deadline, then you are you are thinking about where to write, consider also when you will write. Don’t worry about when you “should” be able to write; just focus on when you are able to nge your order to break the procrastination habit, we need to get past the idea that in order to write, we must have all the information pertaining to the topic, and we must have optimal writing conditions. In reality, writers never have all the information, and conditions are never of a writing project that you are currently putting off. On one side of a piece of paper, write down all the reasons for your delay. There are no conditions that are necessary in order for you to write, save two: 1) you must have a writing implement (e. A keyboard or a pen) and 2) you must have someplace for writing to go, such as into a computer or onto a piece of paper. I’ll spend one more night at the library, and then i’ll start writing my paper. Truth be told, you will never collect all the information you possibly could for your paper. Better to write a tightly-crafted argument with the information you have now, at this very moment, than to keep doing research and risk throwing your paper together at the last #3: “i do my best work under pressure.

There are lots of other ways to create pressure for yourself, besides waiting until the night before the paper is due to start writing it. You can set a time limit for yourself—for example, “i will write this paragraph in ½ hour”—or you can pretend that the paper is a timed essay exam. If you do this a week or two before the paper is due, you’ll have a draft in plenty of time to revise and edit #4: “in order to work on my paper, i must have six uninterrupted hours. If you know that you can work on one part of the paper for one hour, then it won’t seem so daunting, and you will be less likely to writers find, however, that they do need longer blocks of time in order to really produce anything. You might still find, however, that you are more productive when you plan to write “all morning” rather than “all day. 5: “what i write has to be perfect, ” and/or “i can’t write anything until i have a perfect thesis statement/intro. When we write an early draft, we need to turn off our internal critic and just get some words down on the page. The great thing about starting early on a writing project is that it leaves us plenty of time for revision, editing, and proofreading; so, we can set ourselves free to just let our writing flow, without worrying about sentence-level concerns such as grammar, punctuation, and style. You’ll find some other thoughts on editing in our handouts on proofreading and day you get the paper assignment (ideally), or shortly thereafter, break the writing assignment up into the smallest possible chunks. By doing this, the paper never has a chance to take on gargantuan proportions in your mind. And you may be more likely to sit down and do that, than you will to sit down and “write the paper. Tell yourself that the task isn’t so bad or difficult, that you either know how to do it, or that you can learn how while you’re doing it. You may find, too, that if you start early on a particular assignment, your attitude never has a chance to get very negative in the first place! Simply starting to write can often help us feel more positive about an anti-procrastination coach. They don’t have to be writing a paper; in fact, they can be playing solitaire, for all you care. What matters is that you arrange to meet them at the library (or wherever you have decided to write) at a particular time and stay there for a specific period of time, thus creating help with your writing. If you are procrastinating because you think you are a weak writer, then ask someone (a writing center tutor, a current or former professor or teaching assistant, a friend) to help you a writing group. A writing group is a great way for undergraduate and more advanced writers alike to create accountability, get feedback, and simply get reminded that you are not alone in the struggle to produce and to improve your writing. Dissertation writers may benefit not only from joining a writing group but also from reading our handout on the dissertation. When you turn it back on (or print out what you’ve written), you may find that you do have something to say, after about writing.

Take 15 minutes and write a letter to yourself about why you don’t want to write this. You can also try writing about what you’re going to write, making an initial assessment of the assignment. If you think that’s wimpy, and you would rather do the hardest part first so that you can get it out of the way, that’s fine—whatever works for you. If you start writing and you get stuck, write about why you’re it out. Try tape-recording yourself speaking the ideas you want to include in the paper, and then transcribe the yourself a writing deadline (other than the paper’s due date) for yourself by making an appointment at the writing center or telling your ta (or a former ta) that you’re going to give them a draft on such-and-such a date. If you make your writing center appointment for several days before the paper is due, then you may be motivated to have a draft finished, in order to make the appointment g your work (books, notes, articles, etc. Physically out, in full view, gives you a reminder that you are in the middle of the paper, or that you need to start. Also, if you write in more than one shift, it can be helpful to leave off in the middle of a paragraph and leave your ‘tools’ where they are. When you return to the paper, you’ll be able to “warm up” by finishing that paragraph. Otherwise, you’ll get overwhelmed and frustrated—and we all know where that leads, straight down the procrastination te your writing’s strengths and you aren’t ready to evaluate your writing process completely (and it’s okay if you aren’t), then you could try just listing your strengths and weaknesses as a writer. Or, your papers are very well-organized, but your thesis and argument tend to fall a little flat. Identifying these issues will help you do two things: 1) when you write, you can play to your strength; and 2) you can choose one weakness and do something about it when you don’t have a , doing anything when you don’t have a deadline may sound strange to a procrastinator, but bear with me. Let’s say you’ve decided that your writing is too wordy, and you want to work on being more concise. So, some time when you don’t have a paper—but you do have a free hour—you waltz into the writing center and tell your tutor, “hey, i want learn how to write more clearly. You confer, and you come away with some simple strategies for eliminating is why this may make a difference the next time you write a paper, regardless of whether or not you have procrastinated (again! But, rather than concluding, “oh, well, it’s too late, there isn’t anything i can do about that,” (as you may have in the past), you can choose to employ some of what you learned (previously, when you weren’t under the gun) to make your writing more concise. You turn it your instructor hands the papers back the following week, there are far fewer instances of “awkward,” “unclear,” etc. Soon, writing becomes something that, while you may not look forward to it, you don’t dread quite as much. Thus, you don’t procrastinate quite as strategy also accounts for the fact that if you perceive procrastination as having been successful for you in the past, you aren’t going to give it up right your proofreading and editing you procrastinate on writing because you don’t like to re-read what you have written, the good news is this: you can learn specific proofreading, revising, and editing strategies. If you finish your paper ahead of time, and you re-read it, and you don’t like it, you have options.

Writing a first draft that you don’t like doesn’t mean you’re a terrible writer. In fact, morrison (a big fan of revision) said recently that you don’t have to love your writing just because you wrote it! If you practice some revision and editing strategies, you may feel more comfortable with the idea of re-reading your papers. You’ll know that if you find weaknesses in the draft (and you will), you can do something to improve those how to tell of the best ways to combat procrastination is to develop a more realistic understanding of time. This paper is only going to take me about five hours to write,” you think. What you may be forgetting, however, is that our time is often filled with more activities than we realize. By the time you get back to your dorm room to begin work on the paper, it is already 8:00 p. If the paper does indeed take five hours to write, you will be up until 1:30 in the morning—and that doesn’t include the time that you will inevitably spend watching , as it turns out, it takes about five hours to write a first draft of the essay. Next time you have a writing deadline, try using an un-schedule to outline a realistic plan for when you will write. It is not a list of what you should do in a given week; rather it is an outline of the time that you will necessarily spend doing other things besides you have made your un-schedule, take a look at the blank spaces. By starting with these blank spaces as a guide, you will be able to more accurately predict how much time you will be able to write on any given day. You may be able to see, for instance, that you really don’t have five hours to spend writing on the night before the paper is due. By planning accordingly, you will not only get a better night’s sleep, you may also end up with a better paper! Un-schedule might also be a good way to get started on a larger writing project, such as a term paper or an honors thesis. You may think that you have “all semester” to get the writing done, but if you really sit down and map out how much time you have available to write on a daily and weekly basis, you will see that you need to get started sooner, rather than later. One of the most important things you can do to kick the procrastination habit is to reward yourself when you write something, even if (especially if) that writing is only a little piece of the whole. Seeing your success on paper will help reinforce the productive behavior, and you will feel more motivated to write later in the day or , so maybe one of the reasons you procrastinate on writing projects is that you just plain hate writing! In that case, it may be helpful to set limits on how much time you will spend writing before you do something else. While the notation “must work on hemingway essay all weekend” may not inspire you to sit down and write, “worked on hemingway essay for ½ hour” just might. Or, if you tell yourself that you will write “all weekend,” for instance, the sheer agony of the thought may keep you from doing any writing at all.

If, however, you say that you will write for two hours on saturday afternoon, you may actually accomplish something. Your procrastinating self needs to be able to trust your new non-procrastinating self the next time you say you will only write for a certain amount of time. If you go overboard this time, then the next time you say, “i’ll write for two hours and then stop,” the procrastinator within will respond, “yeah, right! The other hand, it may work better for you to trick yourself into working on your paper by telling yourself you’re only going to write for two hours, but then continuing to work if you’re feeling inspired. Experiment with both approaches and see which one seems to work best for realistic about how long it takes you to stinators tend to be heroic about time; they estimate that it will take them two hours to complete a task that would take most people four. Once you have determined that procrastination is hurting your writing, begin taking notice of how long it actually takes you to write. Perhaps you can write a page in an hour if you are totally rested, fed, and focused, your roommate isn’t home, and the wind is blowing just right. When you estimate how long it will take you to write something, expect that there will be interruptions along the you explore why you procrastinate and experiment with strategies for working differently, don’t expect overnight transformation.