I have only been teaching for a couple of years now, but I have noticed a trend among many of my students: Those who don't turn in their work or are often late usually have problems deciding on the topic of their essay. However, when I talk to students individually I find they usually have quite a bit to say. Part of the problem, I believe, lies in their lack of confidence (at least when it comes to writing) and their inability to articulate in writing what it is they want to say, but there is a problem with something else as well: If not used to looking for ideas, a writer won't have them when asked to write an essay. For a beginning writer, observation, the discipline to maintain a log of ideas, and the ability to organize those ideas are all great skills to develop.
Observation is essential to the development of writing topics. However, this does not mean making daily trips to the nearest Starbucks to people watch, although having a daily dose of coffee goodness would not be unsavory. In order to save money, not to mention weight, I suggest just being observant of what happens all around us. Far too often, we become blind to our daily routines, forgetting that there are others out there toiling away. Even the most reclusive person, who stays shut up in his/her house or apartment all day, would eventually notice the various daily sounds that penetrate his/her protective cocoon of solitude. For example, I spend most of my time indoors when not teaching. I actually love the relative quiet and peace of my apartment; however, the outside world tends to intrude through banging doors, children running up and down hallways or screaming because they fell out of bed, late night lovers' quarrels, the unwanted vibrations of modified mufflers. The list could go on and on but such a list would be pointless to continue. The fact remains, I cannot escape the sounds of life beyond my walls and neither can anyone else. Cultivating an acute observer's eye is important to anyone who wants to be a writer (or at the very least wants to be a better writer), but having a good eye for detail is not enough. After all, not many people like to read lists (although lists are a great way to organize ideas and are the fallback of many of the articles on the web). For essays, there has to be something connecting those details together, something to keep the reader's interest, and sometimes it takes time to connect what you observe to a theme or unifying idea. For this reason, it is also important to maintain a log of ideas.
Whether you keep your ideas in your head or use a more tangible method, keeping a log of ideas is important to any writer, regardless of the level of writing. I keep a lot of crap in my head (memories, story ideas, future lesson plans, blog ideas, past dreams... you get the idea). Of course, this usually results in me being more than a little absent-minded. I can't keep dates in my head to save my life, a fact that results in many late birthday cards. I have a good recall when it comes to writing ideas, so I rarely have to write down the idea itself. However, I do have to write down anything that comes after the initial idea; these notes usually take the form of long, rambling paragraphs, or fragmented sentences. I rarely use formal outlines; I don't know why but for the most part the outline has rarely produced quality work for me; it's too limiting. If taking plenty of notes is your preferred method then by all means take pages and pages of notes. The point is you have to start documenting the ideas that pop into your head. Actually, I must also say that different techniques are required for different projects. For example, I did create a bare outline for my thesis because the organization of that work was way too much for my head to handle. It was nice to have a reference point whenever I felt myself veering off course. There are many methods out there; play around with a good variety until you start to find your groove.
Once all the notes are assembled and the idea is ready to be put down into an essay, you must keep one other thing in mind: organization. Organization is where I find most students have trouble. I believe the reason for this lies in the fact that most student papers are written once with little to no preparation beforehand. An essay must have a logical flow where one idea clearly follows another, and depending on the topic and style required the organization of your essay can vary greatly. If you're a student, pay really close attention to how your instructor organizes information and it will give you a clue about what they will prefer when reading your essay. I have two examples in this regard. While in college, I had two professors with very different ideas on how to analyze literature and very different ideas on how organize essays. One preferred a theory-based approach to analyzing literature (an approach I prefer as well) and so usually preferred having an introduction to the theories used packed into the first of the essay. The other professor preferred a historical, contextual analysis of literature and wanted any theoretical analysis to be spread out, mixed up with the analysis of the literature. As their student, I had to modify the way I organized my essays, depending on whose class I was taking. And no matter how an essay is organized, transition sentences (which usually come at the end or beginning of body paragraphs) are necessary to help the reader follow your ideas. After all, just because an idea makes sense in your head does not mean it'll make sense to someone else. We all think differently, so it is the writers job to bridge the gaps between ideas. That way, the chance of confusion and/or misunderstanding is limited.
Observation, keeping a log of ideas, and being conscious of organization are essential to anyone attempting to write an essay, but these tools are also effective in the creative arena, as well as others. Being able to express yourself easily and concisely is important in today's world, especially if it's a part of your job description to send out mass emails to employees. It would be embarrassing and inefficient if you had to later clarify what you meant. All written communication needs to be clear, concise, and well organized. Amy Tan once wrote that the best compliment she ever received came from her mother, a Chinese immigrant who spoke in "broken English." The compliment was a response to her first novel, The Joy Luck Club, and is something most of us should strive for in our writing: "So easy to read."
Note: Having a good grasp of grammar is also something most writers should have, but I won't be addressing that here, maybe at some later date. Also, I don't know if any of you noticed, but the above essay was written in the "5-Paragraph" format. I wrote this as a possible example for my students, both to help them with generating ideas and as an example of the type of essays required in most writing classes. Well, the "5-Paragraph" essay is not necessarily a requirement in most writing classes, and I generally avoid them now that I'm out of school, but it can be helpful for students who need more structure. Plus, it helped me immensely in my early college career, so I would like some input on whether this type of example is helpful.
Observation is essential to the development of writing topics. However, this does not mean making daily trips to the nearest Starbucks to people watch, although having a daily dose of coffee goodness would not be unsavory. In order to save money, not to mention weight, I suggest just being observant of what happens all around us. Far too often, we become blind to our daily routines, forgetting that there are others out there toiling away. Even the most reclusive person, who stays shut up in his/her house or apartment all day, would eventually notice the various daily sounds that penetrate his/her protective cocoon of solitude. For example, I spend most of my time indoors when not teaching. I actually love the relative quiet and peace of my apartment; however, the outside world tends to intrude through banging doors, children running up and down hallways or screaming because they fell out of bed, late night lovers' quarrels, the unwanted vibrations of modified mufflers. The list could go on and on but such a list would be pointless to continue. The fact remains, I cannot escape the sounds of life beyond my walls and neither can anyone else. Cultivating an acute observer's eye is important to anyone who wants to be a writer (or at the very least wants to be a better writer), but having a good eye for detail is not enough. After all, not many people like to read lists (although lists are a great way to organize ideas and are the fallback of many of the articles on the web). For essays, there has to be something connecting those details together, something to keep the reader's interest, and sometimes it takes time to connect what you observe to a theme or unifying idea. For this reason, it is also important to maintain a log of ideas.
Whether you keep your ideas in your head or use a more tangible method, keeping a log of ideas is important to any writer, regardless of the level of writing. I keep a lot of crap in my head (memories, story ideas, future lesson plans, blog ideas, past dreams... you get the idea). Of course, this usually results in me being more than a little absent-minded. I can't keep dates in my head to save my life, a fact that results in many late birthday cards. I have a good recall when it comes to writing ideas, so I rarely have to write down the idea itself. However, I do have to write down anything that comes after the initial idea; these notes usually take the form of long, rambling paragraphs, or fragmented sentences. I rarely use formal outlines; I don't know why but for the most part the outline has rarely produced quality work for me; it's too limiting. If taking plenty of notes is your preferred method then by all means take pages and pages of notes. The point is you have to start documenting the ideas that pop into your head. Actually, I must also say that different techniques are required for different projects. For example, I did create a bare outline for my thesis because the organization of that work was way too much for my head to handle. It was nice to have a reference point whenever I felt myself veering off course. There are many methods out there; play around with a good variety until you start to find your groove.
Once all the notes are assembled and the idea is ready to be put down into an essay, you must keep one other thing in mind: organization. Organization is where I find most students have trouble. I believe the reason for this lies in the fact that most student papers are written once with little to no preparation beforehand. An essay must have a logical flow where one idea clearly follows another, and depending on the topic and style required the organization of your essay can vary greatly. If you're a student, pay really close attention to how your instructor organizes information and it will give you a clue about what they will prefer when reading your essay. I have two examples in this regard. While in college, I had two professors with very different ideas on how to analyze literature and very different ideas on how organize essays. One preferred a theory-based approach to analyzing literature (an approach I prefer as well) and so usually preferred having an introduction to the theories used packed into the first of the essay. The other professor preferred a historical, contextual analysis of literature and wanted any theoretical analysis to be spread out, mixed up with the analysis of the literature. As their student, I had to modify the way I organized my essays, depending on whose class I was taking. And no matter how an essay is organized, transition sentences (which usually come at the end or beginning of body paragraphs) are necessary to help the reader follow your ideas. After all, just because an idea makes sense in your head does not mean it'll make sense to someone else. We all think differently, so it is the writers job to bridge the gaps between ideas. That way, the chance of confusion and/or misunderstanding is limited.
Observation, keeping a log of ideas, and being conscious of organization are essential to anyone attempting to write an essay, but these tools are also effective in the creative arena, as well as others. Being able to express yourself easily and concisely is important in today's world, especially if it's a part of your job description to send out mass emails to employees. It would be embarrassing and inefficient if you had to later clarify what you meant. All written communication needs to be clear, concise, and well organized. Amy Tan once wrote that the best compliment she ever received came from her mother, a Chinese immigrant who spoke in "broken English." The compliment was a response to her first novel, The Joy Luck Club, and is something most of us should strive for in our writing: "So easy to read."
Note: Having a good grasp of grammar is also something most writers should have, but I won't be addressing that here, maybe at some later date. Also, I don't know if any of you noticed, but the above essay was written in the "5-Paragraph" format. I wrote this as a possible example for my students, both to help them with generating ideas and as an example of the type of essays required in most writing classes. Well, the "5-Paragraph" essay is not necessarily a requirement in most writing classes, and I generally avoid them now that I'm out of school, but it can be helpful for students who need more structure. Plus, it helped me immensely in my early college career, so I would like some input on whether this type of example is helpful.
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