Writing | Writer's Pad

Writing Without Distraction

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The computer is a fiend – you have learned this all too well, have been led astray by its many possibilities. When you are meant to craft a simple paper, you are instead enamored by the virtual playground, the chats initiated by friends, the streams of music and films. Hours quickly pass and you have gained little knowledge of a topic. You’ve instead devoted yourself to enjoying the Internet. Writing, you’ve discovered, has been replaced to the avoidance of it.

This cannot continue – there are deadlines to meet and assignments to answer. You must refuse the ease of the computer and instead utilize it purely for research.

This is, of course, often believed to be impossible. There’s simply too much to do online (all of which is far more appealing than any dry topic); but writing without distractions can be achieved. It’s simply a matter of diligence and careful planning:

One: Schedule. Give yourself a specified amount of time to work on pages. During this block, don’t allow yourself to answer calls, scan channels, play games or do similar activities. Instead simply write.

Two: Create a proper space. Your bedroom is meant to be a retreat from the world. It’s therefore rarely suitable for research. It holds far too many pleasures and far too little urgency. If possible, create a separate space for your work – one without the collection of posters, photographs and bookmarked web pages.

Three: Reward yourself. Once a respectable amount of time has passed (more than mere minutes, the crafting of a singular sentence), give yourself a chance to relax. Take a break; move about your home; enjoy the – short – interlude. You will then be re-energized when you must return to writing.

It’s all too easy to distract yourself with the computer and the many surrounding interests. You must instead, however, distance yourself from these and simply focus on academia.

It is possible. It’s merely dependent on you.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Writing Tagged With: Arts, Goal, IPad, NaNoWriMo, Train, Word count, Writers Resources, Writing

Becoming a Freelance Writer

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Instead of using Canada 411 to look up information on writing, why not become a freelance writer yourself and make money doing it. Being a freelance writer isn’t easy. You have to have good writing skills as well as perseverance in order to succeed.

Many people start out writing for free in order to build their credit list, but you don’t have to do that. Send out query letters to different magazines or publishers for ideas you have for them. Instead of wasting your time writing an article, story or book, sending a query letter lets them know your idea so that they can accept it or reject it.

If accepted, you may be sent a contract to write the article or story. They may also have you provide other previous things you have written so they know that you can put a sentence together.

If you have never written an article or a story, now is the time to start. Make sure you write every day. It doesn’t have to be about anything; you can write about your feelings or even write a letter to someone. Once you start writing every day, you will then get into the habit of doing it and will look forward to continue writing.

Find all the books about writing that you can and read them. The best way to learn is by doing research. There are many books out there offering excellent advice. The authors of those books wrote them for a reason; because they’ve succeeded and want to help you succeed as well. Make sure you take notes so that you can go back and remember the important points that stuck out at you.

Becoming a freelance writer can be quite a rewarding experience. Learn everything you can and write every day.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Chechnya Tagged With: Arts, Business, Canada, Freelancer, Query letter, Writers Resources, Writing, Writing and Editing

The Concerns of Outlining: Writing

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It seemed wise at the time: you crafted an outline, filled it to all possibilities, all intended ideas. A dissertation was carefully detailed, left without the common errors, the refusal of needed sources. You noted all research materials; you created a thesis that could be proven (easily); and you charted out the direction pages would follow and their eventual conclusion. It was to be the easiest of processes and you were fully prepared for it.

As you began to write, however, you found yourself controlled by your outline. New notions could not be placed within it; the structure was limiting; and, though your research had led you to doubt your proposed outcome, you knew you could not change it. It was too deeply embedded within the paper. You were trapped within your own misconceptions – and your sentences were suffering for it.

There can be no doubt that outlining lengthy assignments is a worthy idea. It helps to ease confusion, allows an individual to avoid wandering prose. The concepts are instead actualized before they are even began, enabling a topic to be more thoroughly understood.

The great difficulty in this, however, is that understanding a subject does not guarantee being inspired by it. An outline forces an individual to follow a highly specified path. Any deviation from notes and their rules can cause an entire conclusion to be lost. The paper was created for a singular purpose. There can then be no injection of creativity. It’s forced instead to preconceptions.

This is both a frustration and a futility.

It is strongly encouraged then that academic writing be governed instead by generalities. Understand the intention of a paper, the resources that will be used; but do not cage yourself to any outcome. Allow for possibilities to instead be given to any page. This will ensure that you are able to prove the point you wish, rather than settling for the point you can no longer deny.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Writing Tagged With: Academic Papers, Arts, Business, Education, Paper, Thesis (academic document), Writers Resources, Writing

Writing With Focus

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You have a passion for all things historical: your time is dedicated to learning all of the little truths, the unexpected secrets of the past. You scour texts, hoping to find what others may have forgotten, to discover all of the clever notations that can be offered to your research. Your most recent paper has sprawled beyond its original intention – an assignment called for meager pages, an easy thesis. You have instead stuffed it with happy digressions, the not quite requested facts. These are to be expected, however. You believe they are necessary to establish your meanings (and even your brilliance).

Your professor, however, does not agree. He quickly destroys all the asides you have created: deeming them unneeded, unwanted and tedious.

Academic writing is often difficult for the enthusiastic student to master. There is always the assumption that others share the same interests, the same desires. This can lead to wasted efforts and too long papers, however – which can in turn lead to waning grade point averages.

It is therefore vital that all research (and subsequent writing) be conducted with one purpose: focus. All details should support a singular argument; all conclusions should be derived from solitary theses. There shall be no tangential pages, the wandering of sentences. This only serves to weaken a theory and frustrate the reader. There is far too little patience in the world to offer to rambling prose. It will simply not be tolerated.

Writers must instead channel their energies into specific ideas. All components should be relevant, proving a point rather than offering new ones. Words must be concise, technically accurate and without diversion. This will help to ensure a more competent style and a far kinder reception.

It’s all too easy to be overwhelmed by a notion. It must become common, however, to define those notions instead to simplicity.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Writing Tagged With: Academic Papers, Arts, Dropbox, Education, Free writing, Microsoft Word, Writers Resources, Writing

A Proactive Approach to Minimizing Plagiarism

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Throughout your writing career, you will undoubtedly experience issues with regard to plagiarism. Because the Internet makes copying other peopleâ€™s work so easy, institutions and employers are increasingly concerned with academic integrity and/or unique content. Sometimes you may accidentally plagiarize without knowing it, because due to the size of the Internet, someone may have written a similar phrase or sentence. Protecting yourself from plagiarism is simple with Internet services and proper writing.

Do not write after Reading an Article

The Internet enables people to read and write content instantaneously, but consider the repercussions of doing so beforehand. If you go to write a chapter or article based off something you just read, chances are you might accidentally plagiarize. This is achieved by accidentally writing down a key phrase or two that â€œstuck outâ€ in your mind, which is detrimental to your writing career. Other similarities probably exist, but the programs cannot check for â€œsimilarâ€ patternsâ€¦ yet. Consider reading the article, letting the information mettle in your mind, then writing an hour later. If the information did not sink in, chances are it was not that important â€“ or you are simply reading to â€œmimicâ€ content, but in your own words. Either way, ditch the content for something more organic.

Strain Your Content through the Net

When submitting content for school or work, know that people are paranoid about clean and unique content. Whether you are being paid for it or need it to graduate, if you submit questionable content, your livelihood and reputation is on the line. Use services such as CopyScape and TurnItIn to verify your writing before submitting it. While it is not a foolproof system, these are the most popular websites used by employers and schools across America. If any matches are found, revise the content and resubmit until no results are found.

Filed Under: Academic writing Tagged With: Academic Dishonesty, CopyScape, Education, Educators, Plagiarism, Turnitin, United States, Writing

Pre-Planning for Academic Research Papers

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Often times writers forget the importance of the writing process when creating academic prose and research materials. While someone can write an effective article or brief without having to go through the process, longer research papers require additional care and finesse. The writing process for academic prose includes drafting a thesis, taking notes, and outlining your ideas. To ensure the utmost professionalism, allocate enough time to complete all of the steps, as you will save time when writing the paper.

Develop a Thesis

When someone sets out to write a research paper, they more or less have an idea or topic in mind. The first step is to analyze and narrow down the idea into a manageable paper. Great research papers are focused and cater to specific audiences. Generalized theses result in a fragmented and chaotic paper, with tons of data and commentary that is not substantiated.

Source Material

Once you have a clear topic and direction for your paper, start reading up on your topic and finding primary sources to backup any claims or assertions you are planning to make in the paper. All of your commentary needs to have evidentiary support, preferably first-hand studies, journal articles, first hand interviews, and other legitimate sources. Once you have enough source material, begin taking notes on everything. Taking notes ensures you will not accidentally plagiarize the content, and helps you develop a solid understanding of the topics.

Create the Outline

Perhaps considered the quintessential element of the research process, outlines create order in an otherwise chaotic environment. Review your notes and begin breaking the paper up into multiple sections and subsections. A good outline tells you what belongs in each chapter, paragraph, and sentence. Note major chapters by using roman numerals (I, II, III), sections (A, B, C), paragraphs (i, ii, iii) and sentences with (1, 2, 3) to maximum clarity.

While outlining seams tedious, you know what belongs in your research paper, and where. Pre-planning simplifies the writing process and increases efficiency in your work flow.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Research Tagged With: Academic Papers, Academic publishing, Education, Primary source, Research, Thesis or dissertation, Writer, Writing

Structured Essays Fair Better Than the Rest

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Writing an essay is one of the traditions of being a student, but the truth is not, everyone knows how to structure a traditional essay. According to a group of teachers, students who structure their essays according to the traditional format receive higher marks than essays without an organized structure. The process is quite simple, as an essay must contain an introduction, supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion. The substantive content, the text in between the introduction and conclusion, varies based on the prompt or assignment.

The Introduction

The introduction is where you should introduce the reader to your topic. Never assume he or she knows or understands what you are going to write. Introduce each of your topics (supporting paragraphs), dedicating a sentence per topic. The final part of your introduction should summarize your claims or assertions, which you will document throughout your paper. Consider the introduction the quintessential component of your paper. For maximum results, revise your introduction after you write the rest of the essay.

Supporting Paragraphs

The â€œmeatâ€ or â€œbodyâ€ of your paper lies in the next three to five paragraphs, perhaps more for longer papers. Each paragraph should cover one of the topics you mentioned in the introduction. As a rule, each supporting paragraph should make the necessary claims or assertions, then provide adequate evidential support to support and/or reject your claim. In your commentary, you may inject personal bias, opinions, and other subjective material.

When providing evidence, use a mixture of direct quotations, paraphrasing, and summarizing to help your reader understand the topic. The evidence section should be as objective as possible, referencing the source as needed throughout. Avoid simply rephrasing what the author said, because if the reader wants to read the source, they refer to your bibliography.

Conclusion

Summarize the main points of your paper and make any departing claims based on your findings. Does the evidence support or reject the claims made in the introduction? Discuss the research in relation to your original accusations. The conclusion should not be the same as your introduction, so avoid repetition whenever possible.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Research Tagged With: Academic Papers, Business, Education, Essay, Research, Student, Topic Maps, Writing

Dissection of a Well-Written Paragraph

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Writing a well thought out paragraph is harder than you may think. A paragraph in itself is a miniature essay, and needs several components to flow cohesively. Regardless of the type of paper, each paragraph should contain an introductory sentence, commentary (two or three sentences), evidence (three or four sentences), and a transitory statement. Using this basic template, you can save considerable time on your next paper while ensuring each paragraph is complete.

According to recent writing news, teachers and professors note that even the brightest students often forget to provide cohesive papers. Unorganized documents, whether persuasive essays or graduate theses, stand out from the crowd. Organization shows that you are dedicated to the work, took the time to complete it thoroughly, and practice elements of good writing.

In the introduction sentence, provide a somewhat thorough overview of the commentary and evidence you are going to present. Avoid inserting your opinion here â€“ simply summarize the points you are going to make and provide appropriate background information. The sentence should not be too long, but jogs the readerâ€™s memory.

The commentary clauses are where you should inject your opinion (if appropriate), make any claims or judgments, and provide your readers a bit of perspective on the issue. Allocate one sentence for each piece of commentary. Avoid using the first person tense and try to keep the paper as objective as possible. For example, rather than saying â€œI think â€¦â€ try rephrasing the text to sound authoritative, such as â€œBased on research thus far, one may conclude â€¦â€ when appropriate.

In the evidence portion of the paragraph, introduce your findings to the reader. Document your research and literature by referring to the author of the publication. For websites or other non-traditional forms of writing, use the name of the source. Keep your evidence succinct and to the point. Avoid direct quotations and opt for paraphrasing or summaries whenever possible. The evidence you provide is essential for a reader to validate your claims. Following the evidence, include a leading sentence that prepares the reader for the next paragraph.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Research Tagged With: Academic Papers, Education, Essay, Fee Based, Professional, Research, Student, Writing

Creating A+ Papers in Four Easy Steps

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If you have ever sat down to write a paper only to stare at a blank screen for hours on end, chances are taking the wrong approach to academic writing and research. Even the world’s best journalists and authors cannot sit down and write without going through the writing process. In a relatively simplified form, the writing process entails creating a thesis, compiling an outline, and writing the first draft. You really didn’t think it ends there, did you? Of course not, because the fourth step, editing, proofreading, and revising, is perhaps the most important step.

Creating a Thesis

Your thesis statement varies based on the type of assignment you are producing, but generally should define the goal or purpose of your document. A thesis statement provides the foundation for the rest of the essay, as your goal most of the time is to support or reject your thesis based on academic research. Create a narrow thesis statement, which helps ensure your paper is succinct and concise, free of generalized content. Once you have a specific thesis, it is only natural to begin identifying points that support your thesis, which is the basis for your outline.

Create an Outline

Thoroughly research your thesis and identify three to five major points of interest. You will need more or less points based on your desired page count. On a sheet of paper, summarize each of the main points in a separate sentence, and place a roman numeral before it. Next, under each main point, list three points that support the topic. Define the topics in a sentence, like you did above, and label them A, B, C, etc. Under each letter, list three pieces of evidence to support the claim or assertion, and label them 1, 2, 3, etc.

Write the Paper

The last part is simple write your paper! You did most of the work above, so expand upon each point in your outline to create a strong essay. Ensure you review your paper before submitting it, so there are not any embarrassing typos, spelling errors, or inaccuracies.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Research Tagged With: Business, Business Services, Communication, Education, Research, Thesis or dissertation, Writing, Writing and Editing

Using Quotations as References

Quoting an author’s work is a popular way of referencing a source, such as commonly seen in academics. However, there are some important considerations with which to be aware of when using quotations.

One important consideration is not to overuse a source. Too many quotations on a page is not considered proper in academics, at least as a general statement (of course, there are exceptions). Try not to overuse the author’s views, but use them to supplement and add credibility to the point of your paper.

Another common error is to overuse quotations as a whole. Some students get into the habit of quoting their sources word for word. While there is nothing wrong with this in itself, mixing it up with another referencing strategy is ideal.

Paraphrasing references and sources is a way around this common problem. Instead of only using quotations from your source’s author, try rewording the material in your own words, yet still citing your source.

This has a major advantage in the presentation and flow of your paper. When you reword and paraphrase, you keep a sense of the flow of your paper intact. Sometimes when a word for word quote is used, it breaks the presentation of the paper, switching in tone or focus.

Take some time to work on paraphrasing what you would normally quote in your work. With some practice, you will be able to complement what you are trying to do in your paper with your references, without resorting to quotes too much.

Using quotes is especially warranted when a strong point is given in the author’s own words. If it is not realistic to reword the author’s point without losing some of the force of the statement, that is usually a good sign to keep it in its original state. Along the same lines, it is usually necessary to keep intact a quote from a historical or prominent figure.

Practice utilizing quotes and paraphrases properly in your papers. It will improve your writing and referencing skills greatly.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Research Tagged With: Quotation, Writing