Why can't I start my essay?

Question

You have a paper, you put it off and put it off, and now it is due in just a few short days but...you cannot start it! Why? You have so many ideas, you have your evidence planned out.

Answer 1

In short:

1. You either don't know the answer you want to create to the prompt, and, therefore, you just don't know how to put together the things you have gathered.
2. You're lying to yourself, and you haven't actually done the reading necessary to start it! This happens to all of us, but if we don't spend the time to digest the content, all essays are hard to start.
3. You just are not motivated at the moment, and you will procrastinate until the second before it is due!
4. You don't feel comfortable writing a paper, you haven't thought much about your paper, and, so, it feels difficult to begin most papers.

An understanding of the components of a solid intro can usually help resolve many of these issues. For example, do you know what the five parts of a successful introduction are? Do you know how to format a body paragraph so that you are not just rambling but analyzing the evidence and tying it powerfully back to your thesis? These things can be very helpful in writing a paper not only quickly but well.

Answer 2

The trick here is in 2 parts:

1. Skip the introduction!
2. Write your thesis but skip the rest. A thesis is the GPS of essay writing - without it your paper will lack direction and organization. The rest of your introduction can be added once we write the meat of the paper.
3. Write an outline
4. Even if it is incredibly simple, having a rough plan and direction will help! However, preparation is 80% of your essay. Plan your evidence, plan your explanations, plan your thesis and your draft is mostly filler and transition words, grammar, and stylistic choices.

If you'd like more targeted support on your essay, please send me a message!

-Ms. Williamson