Some Guidelines for Writing Your First Essay
If you have been asked to write the very first essay of a new class, then you most likely will feel like many before you: a little bit confused, worried that you will not be able to do a good job, and wondering exactly how you should start.
However, writing an essay need not be something to fear nor does it have to be difficult.
Remember, the main thing to think about is that if you start the assignment with a positive mindset, you will find it not only easier, but something that you enjoy.
However, you may be wondering if there are any guidelines that you can follow that are general enough that you can apply them to your assignment and ultimately keep in mind for future assignments as well.
One thing to consider when first starting your assignment is to quietly take some time and read over it in detail.
Make your own notes and if you truly not sure, go and seek out your teacher and ask him or her about the assignment in more detail and be sure to take notes there as well.
The idea here of course is to make sure that there is no ambiguity or possibility of misunderstanding regarding what is required as well as your boundaries if any.
You do not want to have any doubt before you start writing your essay.
Another thing that you should keep in mind is that you will most likely find the process very slow and in some cases tedious.
Naturally, this has to do with the type of assignment you are given but it also has to do with the fact that there are a lot of new things that you will have to understand first before you can speed the process up.
One thing that will take probably the most time is not the writing itself, but the gathering of data.
The reason for this is that it will test your ability to distinguish between what is useful and what is not an given the fact that you can have several million results on the Internet in addition to your local library, it can take some time to sort through everything.
One final thing to think about is that although the writing itself may not take as long as you think it will, editing, proofreading, and revising will take up quite a bit of time as well.
The reason for this is you need to be able to go over your essay in detail as well as have other people do so in order for you to turn it a paper that is as close to perfection as humanly possible.
However, writing an essay need not be something to fear nor does it have to be difficult.
Remember, the main thing to think about is that if you start the assignment with a positive mindset, you will find it not only easier, but something that you enjoy.
However, you may be wondering if there are any guidelines that you can follow that are general enough that you can apply them to your assignment and ultimately keep in mind for future assignments as well.
One thing to consider when first starting your assignment is to quietly take some time and read over it in detail.
Make your own notes and if you truly not sure, go and seek out your teacher and ask him or her about the assignment in more detail and be sure to take notes there as well.
The idea here of course is to make sure that there is no ambiguity or possibility of misunderstanding regarding what is required as well as your boundaries if any.
You do not want to have any doubt before you start writing your essay.
Another thing that you should keep in mind is that you will most likely find the process very slow and in some cases tedious.
Naturally, this has to do with the type of assignment you are given but it also has to do with the fact that there are a lot of new things that you will have to understand first before you can speed the process up.
One thing that will take probably the most time is not the writing itself, but the gathering of data.
The reason for this is that it will test your ability to distinguish between what is useful and what is not an given the fact that you can have several million results on the Internet in addition to your local library, it can take some time to sort through everything.
One final thing to think about is that although the writing itself may not take as long as you think it will, editing, proofreading, and revising will take up quite a bit of time as well.
The reason for this is you need to be able to go over your essay in detail as well as have other people do so in order for you to turn it a paper that is as close to perfection as humanly possible.
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