How to Overcome Five Common Essay Writing Problems

Essay writing shouldn’t be as scary as many students tend to make it. In fact, with a little bit of practice and proper writing techniques, you can achieve great results in little time. Start by learning about the common mistakes students tend to make in their papers. Learn how to fix those with these simple five steps. 

1. Plan your time wisely

Writing doesn’t tolerate any rushing. Yet, it’s one mistake most students tend to repeat over and over again. They often underestimate the assignment or overestimate their abilities. As a result, they end up with very little time and a lot of work. Such an outcome can’t lead to anything but trouble. A rushed essay with multiple errors and poorly conducted research is not what you want to show your professors. 

So, the solution is simple. Plan your time wisely with each assignment you receive. Students should know how much time they ideally need for research, writing, and editing. Each of these stages is time-consuming, so you need to think ahead and schedule each writing session.

You allow yourself to fully explore your skills and talents by planning plenty of time to write. Thus, you will enjoy an opportunity to work freely, without scrambling for ideas or rushing in stress. Students can be surprised at how much better their essays can get by simply spending more time on them. 

2. Gain better focus

Lack of concentration and focus is another common issue among young people. Of course, writing doesn’t like any distractions or inconsistency. It requires your full attention and dedication. Thus, to submit a perfect essay, a student should be able to give all of them to the task. Not that it’s easy, of course. Students are already preoccupied with homework, classes, personal life, work, and other activities. So, sitting for hours straight and writing is quite a challenge.

To begin, you can set an inspiring, productive working area. It should be a quiet place with zero distractions. Next, consider installing a blocking app to prevent any access to social media and other unproductive sites. Block them for the time you write, so nothing interferes with your focus. Leave only academic libraries, Wikipedia, and maybe pages with feedbacks at sitejabber.com so you can easily get writing help when needed. 

Finally, consider concentration practices like meditation or yoga to improve your focus. Also, don’t forget to take plenty of short breaks during writing. Rest is a good ally of strong focus. 

3. Structure well

Every student should aim to submit a well-structured essay. Yet, it’s one area most young people have more issues with, regardless of their writing experiences. Structuring skills require a proper understanding of text and storytelling. One should feel the word flow and masterfully control its direction. Such skill comes with practice and great attention to detail. 

One should start with the basics here. First, learn about the traditional five paragraphs structure. Next, focus on each section separately. See that you follow the purpose of each paragraph. Thus, the goals of the introduction, main body, and conclusion will differ. Learn the nuances of each section to complete them well. 

When writing the main body, follow the classic build-up. Thus, you should have the main idea, argumentation, supportive statements, data, and conclusion. Each paragraph is basically a small essay on its own. Once you understand that, you will have an easier time structuring each section and entire paper. 

4. Check for plagiarism

Plagiarism is a big issue in academic writing. It can happen seemingly out of nowhere. It can spread like a virus. Plus, it can carry severe consequences when not taken care of before submitting. Thus, all students should learn more about the causes of plagiarism and how to prevent them. 

Overall, issues with originality can happen due to poor citing techniques, weak paraphrasing, or direct theft of ideas. Though, more often than not, young people end up with plagiarism by accident. To fight it, you should strive to express your thoughts freely and uniquely, not copying others’ words. Always cite all your sources and put quotation marks on borrowed sentences. Also, always use plagiarism checks before sending papers to the office. 

Additionally, you may also contact professionals at onlineclasshelp to seek help with plagiarism. Sometimes, even when you do everything right, plagiarism can still put its roots in your paper. So, don’t be shy to seek professional help.

5. Grow more confident

Last but not least, a lot of writing issues among students happen due to their lack of confidence. Self-doubts don’t help me write well. On the contrary, they interfere with one’s focus, skills, and talent. Of course, confidence won’t come to you overnight. Yet, the more you practice and learn, the more you believe in yourself. 

To begin, stop putting too much pressure on yourself. It’s just an assignment. Don’t take your mistakes personally. You are only learning. So, take your time. Use the tips above to build stronger skills and techniques. The more confident you are about what you do, the more you will believe in your writing abilities. 

Know that you are not alone in your worries, and don’t be too harsh on yourself. Celebrate each achievement. Learn from your mistakes. And listen to every bit of praise and criticism. Writing is a journey. You will get where you need to be with time. 

Author Profile

Dan Dunn
Dan Dunn
Executive Managing editor

Editor and Admin at MarkMeets since Nov 2012. Columnist, reviewer and entertainment writer and oversees all of the section's news, features and interviews. During his career, he has written for numerous magazines.

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