Essay Plans

Esioul · Post by **Esioul** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 4:26 pm

How do yuo guys plan your essays? It always seems to take me ages to plan mine, as I have to go through all my notes several times to plan each paragraph- I seem to have a bit of a one track mind so I can only focus on one paragraph at once.

fuzzy · Post by **fuzzy** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 11:28 pm

*rushes to help as is apparantly Queen and subsequent ruler of all essay related threads*

Well- how I do it is this:

1) make an essay plan- intro, para 1, para 2 etc, conclusion. For each paragraph have a seperate topic that will relate specifically to the question. (GOLDEN RULE: ALWAYS ANSWER THE Q. THE KNOWLEDGE YOU HAVE MAY BE INTERESTING ETC, BUT IS IT RELEVANT? IS THE QUESTION THAT YOU SHOULD CONSTANTLY BE ASKING YOURSELF)

2) Colour coding is a dyspraxic's best mate. Colour code each paragraph- eg- para 1 is yellow highlighter, para 2 is orange, etc etc. Go through your notes with a specific paragraph in mind (eg para 1) and highlight all the stuff in the coded colour (in this case, yellow) that is relevant. Do the same for each paragraph with a different colour.

3) Start to wote one of the paragraphs. DO NOT START YOUR ESSAY BY WRITING THE INTRO! Start with any of the parapgraphs that will make up the body of the essay. Do each paragraph one at a time. This way you are breaking the essay down into smaller chunks meaning it is a much less daunting task and can be divided into time slots (eg- wrote apara 1 on tuesdat, para 2 on wednesday, etc)

4) Once you have done the paragraphs, then go on to the intor and conclusion- this way you'll have a better idea of what to say , as youv already written the main content!

OK thats is- hope this helps and good luck! PM me if you want more help!

PS- ALWAYS USE FOOTNOTES!!! When writng notes, always note the page number beside them- this way you dont have to backtrack and trawl through an entire book for that one quote!

Ruth · Post by **Ruth** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 3:54 pm

Cor that's brilliant! I think I'll have a go at that.

I 've been starting with a spider diagram with the essay tile in the centre and the spurs off for ides as I think of them . When I'm finished with that bit I number the spurs according to the order iI'm goonna write them in. Works well for exams.

I could colour code the diagram and research out paragraph content in that way!! cor that's quite exciting. I don't get on very well with highlighters don't ask me why but they make the words hard to read!! but underlinig would be good. Right I'm off to write an essay $\:D/$

fuzzy · Post by **fuzzy** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 5:19 pm

*looks incredibley pleased*

:D:D Yay my advice was helpfull! WOO!!! Yeah I use spiderdiagrams too; but only for exam revision. Although i could totally use them for essay planning too. Ya i have an essay to write aswell..... have done all the highlighting/ planning/ final research of it today. IM going to write it 2m section by section, woo! $\:D/$

Esioul · Post by **Esioul** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 2:51 pm

Thanks, tahts good adive, especially about leavign the introduction till afetr the main body fo essay is written. I think my essay writing speed is startign to imrpove with practice, my latst essay took much less time than the first one I did this year.

nick · Post by **nick** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 4:22 pm

i like what you have written there fuzzy. i find writting essays realy difficult and very time consuming. i think that i'll take some of your suggestions as well as ruth's ideas with the spider diagrams. what i have been doing to date, is to type notes striaght into my laptop but keeping the essay question in mind and at the end try and put them together like a jigsaw puzzle. it avoids the need to do a plan but i think that it lacks a lot of flexability and can lead to more paraphasing than i'm comfortable with.

essay writting has always been a nightmare for me and i remember when i was at school, i always failed my essays. at least now, i can get some good grades.

fuzzy · Post by **fuzzy** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 11:00 pm

Im glad that your benifiting from this thread, Nick

Ach been on the computer for 7 and a half hours today writing my essay....... still to do the final tweaking and can add some bits in now that iv realised that it can be up to 2,000 words. The best essay in our class this session gets a 100 quid prize, so im doing the best i can, lol!!!

Ruth · Post by **Ruth** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 10:43 am

What's your essay on? i have to produce 2,000 words on Urban planting by next Friday hoorah!

Liz944 · Post by **Liz944** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 12:33 pm

Does anyone have problems with writting 8-9 drafts of an essay before they are happy with it? Also if given an open choice of topic to write find it hard to decied what to write the essay on? I am writting an essay on barriers to risk communication and there are loads of areas to use BSE, E Coli, Avian flu etc. I think it may be me suffering from terminal indecision!!! Any views would be most welcome!!!

nick · Post by **nick** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 4:18 pm

hi liz i'm exactly the same as you i do at least 8-9 drafts and its not because i'm being a perfectionist; without doing those drafts, my essay would not be up to par. i am also like you in that i suffer from indecision about what to include in my essay. i'm doing an essay on the social implication of aids, which i it is a huge subject and i am realy struggling with settling for a more narrow approach to take on it.

Liz944 · Post by **Liz944** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 12:21 pm

I find that I lose so much time when writting essays, I have to start early, keep working through the time I have at a steady pace, then have a panic the last two/three days before handing it in (especially with third year topics - when I have not done the background work yet and Iam not sure of the standard expected) ... and because i am still not happy with the peice of work...

Good luck with your essay nick when do you have to hand it in?

nick · Post by **nick** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 1:30 pm

hi liz, i think were identical , i've started to draft my essay today but its not due in until the begining of may. however, i am a bit ahead of myself because i have to start revision soon, and i want the bulk ot the essay out of the way before i start that.

fuzzy · Post by **fuzzy** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 4:24 pm

I used to always write loads of drafts of my essays back in the day of hand- writing my drafts. Now that I have a computer, however, I type everything up and that way you can cut/copy/paste/delete whatever you like,meaning that you dont have to write loads of drafts over and over again coz you can just alter the same one! I find this much less frustrating and time consuming; maybe you could give it a go? Unless you already do use a computer, in which case I shall eat my words, lol! I too have trouble deciding on an essy topic, im so bloody indecisive! I tend to go for a more difficult essay Q so that when it comes to the exam (where you cant repeat the same material as in your marked essay) i can have an eaier ride. I also try to do something that there are plenty of resources avaivlbe for, otherwise its just annoying and stressfull, and that just getting the books that you need!

nick · Post by **nick** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 6:25 pm

i was not making myself clear fuzzy but when i talk about redrafting essays i mean that i make alterations and play around with the structure as well as the content. in other words, i do just like you do, using cut and paste ect ect.

david456 · Post by **david456** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 11:31 pm

I do that too, but eventually it fits into place. You have to try and step back from your work. You are reading it as someone elses piece of work. Otherwise. you struggle to see what you like and don't like about your work. This is what I have found.

Dyspraxic Adults

Essay Plans

Essay Plans

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