5 Simple Ways to Write the Most Challenging Essays
A challenging essay could contain the possible reasons on Philip Pullman's follow-up to "The Amber Spyglass", and a critique of it if it's possible. It could also be the exodus of Africans to the European continent, probably a Catch-22 situation, also a position paper on impeachment. Is there a simpler way to write about it? The answer is yes.
Your professors would be impressed at your audacity to write a paper on such challenging subjects, which is not for the students who don't have enough confidence, if not passion, in their writing abilities. For instance, no one would expect Pullman to think of a teenage Lyra for his second installment of "The Book of Dust" trilogy, but it should excite the fans of "His Dark Materials", who wonder if Lyra's other half would remain in his parallel world. What would be the scenario if Pullman chose a seven-year-old Lyra for the sequel of "La Belle Sauvage"? It could take a day or two for Literature students, and anything longer than it would be overkill. (There are other assignments to worry about.) There's a simpler way of writing about it, a heaven-sent strategy for students pursuing a dual degree. It's not less daunting for those pursuing a single degree, but it could be done (if students follow these rules).
Your Best Shot for Breaking Out of the Pack
Pay attention to your sentence as you would to a two-thousand-word essay. Every word counts. You should have read too many novels until something dawn on you. Novelists pay attention to every word, sentence or paragraph. The varying lengths are intended, even a paragraph of a few words. The variety would reveal different thoughts, even a hint of your different sides of your personality. Your professor would be hoping for it, but you could opt for one if you're uncertain about your choice of words.
Don't rely on travelogue. You have read too many stories where a body of water would reveal many things about a novel. The same thing applies to any place, a sweeping panorama described in several paragraphs. The objective of essay writing is to state your argument in a legitimate manner. There are rules to follow, which should keep your line of thoughts in check. (Information overload could put you off the track.) In other words, putting emphasis on the sense of place won't reveal your perspective. If it's "The Call of the Wild", you should recall an outdoor experience that could mirror Jack London's classic. Are you up to it?
Answer the question right away. If you're not sure of what your professor expect on your assignment, then ask him (or her) right away. The clarifications should give you an idea on how to write your paper, and the sources where to derive your information. It should save you a lot of time, which you would need during winter time.
Focus on one issue. You only need to look at one side of the story, and then discuss it persuasively. It would reveal one side of your personality, but it shouldn't end there. You can show another side if you discuss another issue, and another one, but be warned. You could confuse your professors if you don't connect one from the other. The required word count would make you go for it, looking at the story from different angles. Make sure that you proofread your draft many times, so your professors would follow your arguments.
Don't insert the name of your university in your paper. There would be exceptions, such as Oxford (if you're writing an essay on Pullman's trilogy).
The Most Important Factor in the Student's Success
If you have read “True Grit”, you would know the not-so-secret to a college student’s success in paper writing. It’s a positive mindset, a can-do attitude if you look at it in a different way. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t read Charles Portis’s classic, as you should know after you learned about the deadline to your first assignment. It would be foolish of you to wait until the night before the deadline. You would be put to further tests the month after next, when the succession of deadlines and examinations would look like avalanche. It may be an exaggeration, but there’s no need to panic. Try to look at your load lightly, doing each step every day or every other day. There’s more to this one, though.
You might have an impression that your professors are expecting nothing less than perfection. There’s some truth to it, but you must not be driven by such a thing. You would be missing on a lot of things, such as the pleasure of learning a new idea. It would be comparable to a leisurely visit to a museum, but not “Night at the Museum”. (And it may not the right time to think of the replica of Parthenon in the middle of America.) A little of this and a little of that would be best.
