Preparing to write an essay can be messy at first, but you can tidy it up with a few techniques. You can take your ideas and lay them out in neat piles so that when you’re ready to write, it’s like pulling socks out of a drawer. Here are eight proven techniques to help students organise their thoughts before writing an essay.
1. Brainstorming: Let It All Out
First, brainstorm. Don’t judge or evaluate your ideas; simply record them. Use any method you want – scribble on a piece of paper, type up a list, use a voice recorder – to upend those thoughts from your head and onto the page. In the process, your mind is cleared, and sometimes, you’ll discover a great idea hiding beneath the more obvious ones.
2. Mind Mapping: Visualize the Connections
Just because you’re not a synaesthete doesn’t mean that this technique isn’t a power tool for any student trying to put an essay together. Draw your idea at the centre of a mind map, then create two or more subtopics branching out from it with their own supporting details. The act of putting your ideas down this way can make the relationships between your topic’s parts more obvious and help you structure your essay in a logical way. Alternatively, go to TopEssayWriting best paper writer service, and order an essay from them. This will alleviate any affiliated stress and anxiety, leaving you free to tackle other projects.
3. Bullet Points: The Power of Simplicity
Before you write an essay, brainstorm some bullet points to outline what you’ll say. Do you have your main argument? What are the sub-arguments you’ll use to support it? What key examples or data will you use? The advantage of this technique is that it forces you to compartmentalise your essay, getting all the bones in the right places before you start fleshing things out. Otherwise, you might get sidetracked, writing an entertaining paragraph here and a clever story there. But if you do that, you’ll forget something important, like how to format the top of your essay or how to lay out your arguments. Avoid this by outlining your main ideas first and going into the details later.
4. Free Writing: Unleash Your Inner Stream of Consciousness
Set the timer to go off in 10-15 minutes, and start writing. Don’t worry about grammar, structure, or making sense. Here’s what free writing can do for you:
- Overcomes Writer’s Block: Gets the words flowing when you feel stuck.
- Boosts Creativity:Â Encourages a free flow of ideas without the pressure of perfection.
- Taps into the Subconscious:Â Lets deeper thoughts emerge naturally.
- Frees the Mind:Â Unload thoughts by writing freely.
- Surprises You: Often, you’ll discover unexpected ideas or solutions.
5. The Question Game: Become a Curious Cat
Now pretend to be a journalist interviewing your topic. Ask yourself various questions. What do you plan to do first? Why? How? Is it correct? A long list of questions can help you to elaborate on parts of your essay that need more detail, and it’ll focus your research as well.
6. Flashcards: Shuffle Your Ideas
If you have key ideas or quotes, write them on index cards and then physically move them around to find the best flow. This physical process will make the rather abstract idea easier to place within your mind.
7. Digital Tools: Tech to the Rescue
Utilise technology with digital tools such as Google Docs, Evernote, or Microsoft OneNote, which allow students to create bullet lists and colour-coded sections and easily move text blocks around. Perfect for the student who prefers everything in one place and likes to revise ideas easily.
8. Sleep On It: Let Your Subconscious Do the Work
Don’t scrimp on sleep. Once you’ve made some notes, stop. Sleep on it. Often, your brain will work out the kinks overnight, and you’ll wake up with a clearer sense of where you want your essay to go or perhaps some new ideas for it.
The Final Thought Parade
You don’t have to feel like you need to do a lot of heavy lifting to organise your thoughts before you start writing an essay. With these techniques, outlining what you’re going to write after your initial brainstorming can be a process that turns the chaos into a tight, logical outline that lends itself to a clear and cogent essay. Remember, you have to find the outline method that works best for you. Then it’s just a matter of lining everything up and letting your thoughts march hopefully and inexorably onto the page. Ready? Set? Organise!
