Writing The Perfect Essay

When I was younger, I was often perplexed by red teachers` scrawls on my English essays, advising me to go "deeper". I just didn`t understand what was being asked of me. My questions only resulted in more nebulous suggestions. The thoughts, "How deep is `deeper`?" and " What else do you want me to say?" kept circling my mind so often I might as well have installed rails and signposted a timetable. Time and practice answered those questions for me and developed my craft. I essentially came up with a simple formula for my essays. This formula served me well even when studying Law, though admittedly there were further nuances to consider. When faced with an essay, don`t panic. Just RTPWS. Read the question. Think. Plan. Write. Smile. It`s really easy to jump straight in and try to wing it, after all time is a-wasting and all you can hear are your minutes ticking away and the pages of your colleague`s scri pts rustling industriously. But that is a mistake of epic proportions. The first thing to do is read the question carefully. Make sure you understand what it is actually asking you. You don`t want to squander precious time writing something that won`t get you many or any marks. The next step is very simple; you think. Pick up a pen and spend a responsible amount of time analysing your material as best you can. Now it`s time to work up an essay plan. If you don`t make a plan you might as well rip you paper in two. The old adage, "those who fail to plan, plan to fail" didn`t spring up from the ether. Without a plan you are risking the essay`s structure. There`s nothing worse than a meandering essay and you`ve robbed yourself of the opportunity to really make an impact. Your plan should consist of three things: the introduction, the main body and the conclusion. Each have a specific structure. Once you`ve conquered these, essays will be a doddle whether you`re writing about the use of symbolism in the modern novel or the virtues of semi-skimmed milk over full fat. Once upon a time, I considered the introduction a mere tedious technicality, but it is actually the meat of the essay. Concisely put, the introduction ensures cohesion. It sets the scene, establishes your overarching argument, lists the thoughts your will further elaborate on in the main body and guides the reader through your essay. It`s well worth spending some time on it. Next is the main body of the essay. There`s a legal saying that, "If there`s no authority, then it isn`t law". This really applies to English Literature essays. I always loved English for the simple fact that, unlike with Maths equations and Science formulas, I could never be wrong. You are entitled and encouraged to think whatever you want, no matter how outlandish, providing you can back it up with evidence from your material and explain yourself fully. Finally, the conclusion draws it all together to really drive home your argument. Once you`ve completed your plan, it`s time to write, write and write some more. Needless to say, writing well is half the race won before you`ve even passed the gate. Finally you can get all that good stuff out of your head and commit it onto some sweet, mark-giving paper. And finally it`s fait accompli. Smile! Some miscellaneous words of advice: don`t take the obvious choice in the slant of your essay. You and fifty six thousand other students can wax lyrical about how the sky is blue, but if you can argue the sky is green and make me believe it then you are going to stand out. Novel and interesting thought is valuable. Obviously, don`t cut off your nose to spite your face. It`s certainly not worth the headache of making a point that you either do not believe or cannot discuss. Another golden nugget for you is that analysis is more than descri ption. It is not enough to regurgitate the plot. To analyse is to ask questions: what is the author actually saying? How is he saying it? Is it effective? Is it typical? What do you find interesting about it? You will need to pay attention to little things: meaning, word choice and order, punctuation, euphony and layout to name a few. You will need to pay attention to the wider things: the writer`s background and style and how that compares to other relevant writers and the period he is writing in. During my school days a teacher asked me why I thought a poet had written a particular line, to which I promptly responded in the typical teenaged manner with, "Dunno". My teacher was not having it, she told me that the poet had spent ten years writing this single poem, drafting and reshaping it until he achieved his own vision of perfection. My benevolent educator pointed out that every last word, rhyming couplet and question mark was there for a reason, there was no, "Dunno" and it was up to me to interpret it. To help you in this, it`s useful to have a good handle on literary devices to aid your understanding, help you communicate clearly and show off how brainy you are! Over time with practice and a lot of reading, you will develop the ability to draw fine distinctions, form opinions and critically compare different sources against each other. But while you`re at it, don`t forget to smell the roses. It`s easy to feel stressed by exams and look at literature quite mechanically but ultimately these texts are entertaining and you can learn something new. One thing I have noticed is that while literary settings can range from medieval Verona to remote Californian ranches, the human experience remains the unchanged. People make the same decisions, the same mistakes and have the same thoughts. You`d be surprised by how well you can empathise with writers and their characters and actually enjoy yourself. You`ll realise how commonly vocabulary you learn is actually used around you. You will understand references to popular literature in everyday life like "Shylock", "to be or not to be..." and "mind`s eye". It`s actually quite fun! I wish you luck in your essay writing. Now writing creative fiction, that is another story.