You need to write an essay but keep putting it off. Eventually, the deadline has approached and you have to craft an essay in a very short amount of time. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
There will always be times when you need to prepare an essay uncomfortably quickly. However, it doesn’t mean you can’t produce a good piece of writing when you are pressed for time. A few really helpful tips will speed up the process.
Eliminate Distractions
The last thing you need when you just have several hours to write an essay is to get distracted by social networks or phone. Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter can take a lot of time without you even realizing. To concentrate on your task, choose a quite place where you can’t be troubled by other people, social networking sites and loud noises. It may be your dorm room or a library, just make sure that nothing will disturb you.
Choose a Topic that Requires Little Research
If you can choose the topic of your essay, consider something you know. If you are well acquainted with a topic, you won’t need to spend much time for research. Even if you do need to conduct some research, you’ll know from what to start and where to find the most relevant information quickly. For example, you may know several websites, articles or publications that relate to your subject.
Write Notes Directly in a Document
When you’re in a hurry, you don’t have time for creating an outline, then making an argument, preparing several drafts and only then perfecting them. Your essay has to be ready in a few hours, so start from including your notes directly into a document. These could be bullet points or short-sentence summaries. Once you’ve determined the most important ideas, transform them into a logical structure – this is your detailed essay plan.
Rewrite Your Notes into an Essay
Once you’ve got a plan, you can transform your notes into an essay. Add important details, facts, your personal thoughts to receive the complete paragraphs. Rewrite your notes in the academic voice, add transitional phrases and sentences to glue your ideas together. Then you can write a short introduction and conclusion. By the time you’ve written the main body, it will be much easier to summarize your essay.
Don’t Over-Quote
A common tactic used by students who are short of time to write an essay is to use long quotes from other sources. This allows to save time and write less by themselves. However, you should avoid doing this. You may include several quotes into your essay but the majority of writing should be your own. When you use the quotes, make sure to support them by a commentary.
Proofread As You Write
As with any other writing piece, a great essay is one that has been proofread. To save time on proofreading, you can check over each sentence as you write it. Pay attention to grammar, spelling and typos. When you finish your essay, you just have to make a quick final read to make sure that the essay flows well. This will take less time than checking it for all types of mistakes.
Keep Hydrated
To stay active and focused, drink plenty of water while you’re writing. That’s why take a bottle of water with you when you are heading for a library. You can also equip yourself with some snacks. Writing your essay in a hurry will take a lot of strength and you need to maintain your energy levels.
Don’t Overreach Yourself
Surely, you want to write a perfect essay and receive a good grade for it. But if the deadline is approaching, there is no time to aim for perfection. First of all, finish your essay. If you still have some time, then consider adding ot rewriting some parts. This advice is not meant to prepare a poor writing piece but to concentrate on the most important things.
Good luck!
Karen Palmer
