How to Write High-Quality Papers and Essays More Quickly

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I'm not gon na lie: writing papers can suck. Even as someone who basically writes papers for a living these days (like this article), I still viewed every college paper with a tinge of dread.

After all, writing a paper isn't like working math problems or reading a chapter of a book. As frustrating as those activities can be, they always seemed more finite than the monumental task of "writing a paper." You can't just open the book and start working: you have to brainstorm, research, outline, draft, edit, and add those pesky citations.

As I moved through college, however, I developed a system for cranking paperswriting.services in record time. This let me spend more time on things that I enjoyed, such as writing for this blog and taking long walks through the woods. Today, I'm going to share this process so that you too can write papers more quickly (without a decrease in the quality of your writing).

Sound impossible? Read on to see how it works.

1. Understand the Assignment

The ultimate waste of time when writing a paper is to write something that doesn't even answer the question the professor is asking. Don't be afraid to ask the professor to explain any part of the assignment that's unclear.

 

If the assignment seems vague, it's not because the professor is trying to trip you up. Often, it's that they know their field so well that it's easy for them to think some things are "obvious" ... even when they aren't to us non-experts.

Remember: asking for clarification because you don't understand the assignment doesn't make you stupid; what's stupid is to complete the assignment without understanding it.

Yet, when I was an English TA in college, I saw this problem all the time. Students would spend hours researching and writing a paper on a completely paper writer than what the professor assigned. It doesn't matter how good a paper is-- if it doesn't answer the question, it's going to receive a bad grade.

Best case scenario, the professor is nice and lets you rewrite it, but why do all that extra work? Furthermore, asking the professor for clarification shows initiative-- that you care about the assignment. Demonstrating this level of engagement with your assignments can only boost your grade.

2. Research with Ruthless Efficiency

Once you understand the assignment, you need to start researching. But beware! If you're not careful, research can be one of the best ways to procrastinate. "One more source" can easily turn into hours that you could have been writing.

To overcome the temptation to procrastinate on research, I employ my favorite approach for beating all forms of procrastination: setting a time limit. As I explained in my guide to research, you shouldn't spend more than 30 minutes paper writer service of the final paper researching. That is, if the paper is supposed to be 5 pages, don't spend more than 2.5 hours on research (maximum).

Spending any more time than this puts you at a point of diminishing returns. Don't worry about not having enough information. If you find that you need more info after you start writing, you can always do more research. The goal of your initial research session is to give you just enough material to start writing. Get into the library or database, find your sources, take your notes, and then get to writing.

 

3. Create a Flat Outline

" It's impossible to figure out every detail of your argument before you sit down, look at your sources, and actually try to write. Most students abandon their hierarchical outline soon after their fingers hit the keyboard."

 

-- Cal Newport, "How to Use a Flat Outline to Write Outstanding Papers, Fast"

 

Ever since I learned the traditional method of outlining papers in 8th grade, I felt the system was broken. I never created an outline with bullets and numbers and letters before writing the paper. I always just made one up afterwards because I was required to turn one in with the final paper.

Starting in college, I developed my own outlining technique that was much more effective. As it turns out, my technique wasn't so original after all. As Cal Newport explains, it's called a flat outline. In Cal's words, the flat outline works as follows:

Don't build a hierarchical outline. Instead, list the topics you want to tackle in the order you want to tackle.

Isn't this so much better? The flat outline works because it mirrors the writing process. No one sits down to write with a perfect idea of what they're going to say. You discover what you're going to say through the process of writing. The flat outline gives you just enough structure to overcome the dreaded "blank canvas" while still leaving room for discovery.

Struggling to write your draft? Here's how to overcome writer's block.

4. Create the Perfect Writing Environment

Okay, so you have a rock solid understanding of the topic, you've done your research, and your flat outline is ready. Now, you need to sit down and write the sucker. But not so fast: where you write makes a difference.

 Because after procrastination, the greatest obstacle to write my paper quickly is distraction. If you don't have an environment where you can focus, you'll waste hours jumping back and forth between the paper and whatever distractions come your way.

To make sure you have the focus of a zen master, you must create a writing environment that enables zen-like focus. For a full guide to creating a distraction-free study space, check out our article on the topic. In the meantime, here's a summary of the best practices:

Go to a studious place. This could be a quiet part of the library, an off-campus coffee shop, or even your dorm room. Wherever you know that people won't distract or interrupt you, that's the place you must go.