Preparation for writing Lynne Kerfoot Centre for Student Skills and Access

Overview Break down essay writing into manageable parts Time planning Essay titles (what do they mean?) Splatter notes (brainstorming) Research

Pre-writing: break it down 1.Time planning 2.Review the question/title 3.Brainstorm ideas 4.Research

Time planning Get a wall planner, calendar or diary. Mark down all your commitments. How much free time do you have?

Time planning Make a note of the submission date Plan backwards from the deadline Allocate time for the tasks involved (research, drafting, proofreading, printing etc)

Essay titles Take your time, read through it several times Speak it out Look for key words. Make sure you understand what they mean Pay special attention to instruction words

Instruction words Often have specific meanings in academic assignments E.g. ‘Discuss’ “Write about the most important aspects of something (probably including criticism) give arguments for and against; consider the implications of.” (Cottrell 2003)

Instruction words If you’re not absolutely sure about the meaning of the instruction word – check! E.g. study skills books

Assess the view that developments in technology over the last hundred years have made life too easy. (Reproduced from Jeanne Holloway’s The Learning Kit)

I need to…explain the word technology. I need to…decide what the phrase too easy means here. I need to…identify a number of key developments in technology over the past hundred years and explain how they have affected our lives.

I need to…work out the arguments for and against the view I’ve been asked to assess. I need to…reach a decision on the comparative merits of these arguments.

Your turn Now do the same thing with your own essay

Tips to get started Turn it into something that’s yours...re-phrase it Make it less intimidating. Put it on a big piece of paper – stick it on the wall. Change the texture, the colour, the feel of it.

Splatter notes Record what you know about the topic Write as many ideas as you can Quantity of thoughts, not quality ‘Splatter’ all ideas on paper Identify what you know – and what you don’t Organise and sort these ideas

Splatter notes activity

Research Define the search (What are you looking for?) Identify key words/synonyms Read and evaluate material Record useful information Reference the source

Review Essays can be broken down into a series of manageable tasks Plan your time Analyse your essay title Make splatter notes Start your research

Further reading COTTRELL, S. The study skills handbook. Second edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan; 2003.