(no subject)

[angelchicken]

I am writing a paper. It is due on Thursday. This is all well and good. I know I will have no problems getting to seven pages because I am already at three pages and haven't even gotten to the bulk of the information. Which is where the problem lies. I'm not doing a good job of self-editing. I mean, if I can write out the paper today I can edit 'til the cows come home tomorrow and all will be well. But it is driving me nuts that I am so checked out of this education thing that I can't focus my thoughts.
I'll get there, I know I will, but it is like pulling teeth, only not because it isn't difficult to get the ideas on paper, it's difficult making them sensicle.
Maybe I'll just write and write and write and then I will make it normal tomorrow.

Maybe.

In other news, I have gotten my grades in my first two classes and they are both 'A's. Because I kick ass.

I think I'm going to do well in this final class, too, but if I can't focus this paper it's not gonna happen, as it is 50% of my grade.

I need more coffee.

Comments

[eee1313.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you already know this, but this is the writing order I was taught in high school. This carried over well into college and helped me ace a lot of essay exams. At the very least, it helps when organizing a paper and might help with editing/organizing your thoughts.

First, you've got some kind of argument for or idea of what the paper is supposed to be. For example, if you're writing about the best way to teach, you can say your paper's thesis statement is "Teaching through both visual and auditory means is the best way to reach the most students."

Next, come up with at least three main points which will support your thesis statement. List them in order of importance, from the most supportive to the least.

Once you've got this worked out, you can structure your paper as following:

Intro (which gives the thesis statement and states that this paper is going to back up the thesis with the main points of A, B, C, etc.).
Point A
Point B
Point C
(Note that these talking points can be anywhere between one paragraph and several pages long, depending on how much you need to say to relate it to your thesis statement.)
Conclusion
(This is simply restating how you proved your thesis statement. Something like "A, B, and C have conclusively shown how both visual and auditory teaching best assist students in learning.")

Again, I'm sure you know all this, but it may help you with structuring the paper and whittling it down to what's needed vs. what might just be filler.

[angelchicken.livejournal.com]

I do know this, but I couldn't make the structure in my head so thank you for this. I was struggling to clear it up, but this makes sense and I am already seeing where I can pare down. Excellent. Of course, it's a reflection paper so I tend to opine more then I probably should.

Good times.

I think I have a structure. History, research, findings. Bim, bam, boom. I know it's vague, but it definitely helps already.

You are Aces McGee and I thank you!

[eee1313.livejournal.com]

Hey, I didn't major in Rhetoric for nuthin'! (At last, I'm using my degree for good SOMETHING.)

[sunbrae.livejournal.com]

You rock with your A grades. Of course you got A's.

Eee has offered some structure, so I'll just say I'm here if you need anything.

[angelchicken.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And Yipee! I will bug you if I need it. Don't think I won't. *MWAH*

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

You rock! And I''m sure you'll wrestle this paper into submission, but everybody writes and arrives at their structure in their own way, so don't beat yourself up. You know how it needs to be in the end, and that's what matters. The prof will never know if you edited as you went along or went back and restructured everything, so don't even worry.

[the-lbb.livejournal.com]

Yay for As!
I was usually too rushed to do this in college, but I was always told not to write straight form the brain, but to write ideas on card & then re-arrange them to make sense & create an outline form that, and then just connect them together with pretty sentences. GL!