Essays / About Writing Creative Essays [NEW]

Creative Essays

"The girl slowly walked into the room where she saw her dream date. She smiled and the next moment they were kissing." Creative essays use the imagination to write about a topic. They can be fun as the writer thinks about various topics and uses the imagination. The best advice in writing creative essays is to let your mind do the writing. Think about a topic that would be fun to write and one that others would enjoy reading. What are your hobbies? What are your dreams? What is your favorite show on television? Do you have a dog or a cat? Use any of these or use whatever comes to your mind.

Begin with choosing the subject and brainstorm any ideas about it. Ask yourself questions about the topic. For instance, if you plan to write about a spider what is the spider doing? What does the spider look like? Is it a poisonous spider? Will the spider hurt someone? Why is the spider important? Will someone step on the spider?

Once you choose the subject the next step is writing the thesis statement discussing what the subject will do in the essay. A thesis statement is like a map showing why or what the subject will do. Most creative essays use the five-paragraph essay form. Beginning with a hook or attention grabber that gains the interest of the audience and keeps the audience interested as the thesis statement is made.

The next three paragraphs tell what the subject is doing and more about why the subject is important in the creative essay. For instance, the first paragraph may explain how the spider watched an individual with the desire to bite a person. This paragraphs tells about why the spider is thinking the way it is. The second paragraph goes into further detail about the plans of the spider to bite the person. The third paragraph bites the person and tells about how the spider feels. The conclusion paragraph is a summary of the previous essays and may leave the audience thinking about whom the spider will bite next.

The creative essay can take the audience to anywhere the writer imagines and it allows the person to put his wildest imagination in the essay. Creative essays are similar to the narrative essay in it usually tells a story. It is important to pick the subject and make some decisions about what you will do with the subject. Who will be in the essay? What is the story you want to tell? Will the essay be funny? Will it be serious? The writer decides what will happen in the creative essay.

It is important to connect paragraphs with the use of transitions. Leading the audience from one point to another. The creative essay should use action verbs showing the action in the essay. How can you describe the subject? Think about what the subject is going to do and how the subject is going to do it. The best way to keep thought clear is to use an outline with each paragraph having a main point. Concentrate on the things you are telling and try to show the audience what is happening by using descriptive nouns and active verbs.

Did you learn anything from writing the creative essay? What can the audience take away to think about later? The conclusion is one of the most important paragraphs in an essay. It must leave the audience thinking about what they have read.

Proofread the essay. Check for spelling or grammar mistakes. Have you used effective phrases that show the story? Have you used each paragraph to build up to the conclusion of the story? Are the ideas clear and logical? Will your essay impact the audience? Read the essay out loud listening to mistakes. Rewrite the essay. Ask a friend to read the essay. Encourage him/her to be honest and show you mistakes that need to be corrected. Have you enjoyed writing your creative essay?

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Poetry / Academic Poetry Writing - everybody can write a poem. Or not? [NEW]

Poetry. It's not just for depressed Goth kids anymore.

Actually, it never was. All sorts of people write poetry; they just hide it well. That pinched-looking businesswoman on the subway? She's got a composition book at home just full of verse. Your roommate, the math major? Her collection of original works is under her mattress. Everyone has the potential to be a poet. The ones who actually do it are those who have learned the key rule about poetry: It's all about you.

Poetry suddenly sounding more appealing? Good. The biggest obstacle people have to writing their own poems is the misguided belief that it has to sound or look a certain way. These days most people know that poems don't have to rhyme. But only a few have yet figured out that poetry has to fit a certain set of rules. We have a tendency to read a few poems presented to us by well-meaning teachers, friends or relatives and think, I can't write anything that sounds like that. Well guess what? You don't need to. Poetry, from Shakespeare all the way to Langston Hughes, is about words and feelings. The poet's words. The poet's feelings. You have words and feelings, don't you?

Yes, you do. You have quite a few of them. The next step is getting them onto paper. If you are new to writing poems, then forget that you're trying to write one.

No, really. Forget about trying to make it look like what you think a poem looks like, and just write what you feel. And most importantly, forget about trying to write something "good." Trying to be "good" will ruin any art, written or spoken or sculpted in pudding. Just write. And once you've gotten something down there on the page, read it. You now have the ideas that will generate a poem. The poem's DNA makeup, if you will.

The next step is to get what's there on the page into poem form. If it already is, great. But if you're new to poetry, you probably wrote your thoughts down in prose. Prose is, by the way, anything that's not poetry. Which makes poetry - you guessed it - anything that's not prose.

End of lesson.

Just kidding. Actually, getting your poem into shape will take much longer even than we can discuss here. But the biggest step for most poem virgins will be to get your work looking like a poem. No need for iambic pentameter (you know, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?") but a poem is, by definition, in verse form. Lines instead of paragraphs. And how do you get your work looking like this, if you've never written in this way? Start by giving each idea, or each image, its own line. "I feel depressed when I have to go to school," for example, can be broken into three distinct emotions: being depressed, being obligated, and school. (If you don't think school is an emotion, it's obviously been too long since you had to go.) Translating from prose to poetry, we end up with something like: "Trudging slowly/ Into the school/ My heart is depressed." (Reminder: those slashes mean line breaks.) It's not Shakespeare, but it is poetry. And it has potential.

So, now you have a poem. Congratulations! You're a poet, and now you know it. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) You will probably want to do some editing, because a written work rarely sounds the way you want it to sound on the first try. That, too, is important to remember. To improve your poem is to get it as close as possible to your idea, and to help it communicate that idea as well as possible. One way to get your poem into a shape that will satisfy you: replace some adjectives with some descriptive examples. "My heart is depressed" changes to "my heart sinks like a dog that can't swim." That, by the way, is a simile. You can find definitions and examples of similes, and many more poetic devices, on many helpful Internet sites. (The best are those posted by schools and colleges.)

So now you know you can write a poem. If you wish, you can learn some more techniques - such as use of simile - that will help your work to be more effective. But the most important task has been accomplished. You have put a poem on paper. Kudos!

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Speeches / Speaking in Front of the Class - Advice for Novice Students [NEW]

Someone told me once that more people are afraid of public speaking than are afraid of dying. Makes sense. I mean, if you die, you either go to Heaven, get reincarnated...whatever you believe happens. Doesn't sound so bad. But if someone asks you to speak in front of the class, well, potential arises for public humiliation, incoherent babbling, nausea and terror. Even hellfire and brimstone sound palatable by comparison.

But fear no more. (Well, you can still fear the brimstone, if you want. Who am I to judge?) Public speaking, on the other hand, is manageable. Even speaking in front of your classmates, whom you know and will continue to see for at least the rest of the semester, can be tamed. And I'm not going to tell you to imagine them in their underpants. I think you can get sued for that, anyway. No, there are many more techniques that will give the novice student the confidence to speak in front of the class. Techniques that actually work.

Let's start with the one thing you can do that reduces the scariness of most tasks in life: preparation. Fear of the unknown is one of that emotion's most powerful manifestations. Thankfully, in this situation, we can overcome that particular fear. Write down what you are going to say. Depending on the nature of the assignment, you will use either note cards or an actual paper script. If you are in a public-speaking class and are actually expected to give a speech, then you will most likely be writing this speech word-for-word. Don't be embarrassed. Even world leaders do it. If your speaking in front of the class takes the form of a report on the mating habits of indigenous jungle peoples, then you will most likely have note cards. This being the case, what you want to do is write on the cards the cues you think you will need.

Then - and whatever you do, do not forget this step - practice using them as you speak in front of a small group of friends, roommates or bewildered supermarket shoppers. Wherever your comfort zone is. The purpose of this step is to learn if you've written too much or too little. You have written too much if the audience primarily remembers the uneven part in your hair because you have been reading off your cards without looking at said audience. You have written too little if you are stammering through your speech, wondering if the cue words "time of year" means you are supposed to talk about mating season or the best month for a cannibal feast. Strike a balance between the two. If you know you need more on the cards, fine...but practice enough so that you are not constantly staring at them. Once you know you have all you need to get through the speech without confusion, then you know what will transpire when you are in the hot spot.

Now all you have to worry about is the response of your classmates. ("What do you mean, all I have to worry about?!?!?") No, really, it's not that bad. They want you to do well. And if they don't...well, don't you want to stick it to 'em and give the best speech in your school's history? The best way to manage this worry is to put yourself in their shoes. (Not literally. You can get sued for that, too.) But it's perfectly legal to ask yourself what you would be thinking if you were sitting in the class listening to a speech. Which you probably have been. What do you want from the speaker? To not be bored, first of all. So you want a speaker who is enthusiastic, animated and interested in her subject. Good. Practice that, too. And you want a speaker who looks confident. Watching someone shuffle and bite their nails makes us horribly embarrassed for them. We feel much more at ease when the speaker looks so as well. Excellent. Practice that.

Are we seeing a pattern here? Yes, not getting sued. AND, practice. Practice until you know your material, and until you know you can communicate it confidently and with interest. Your classmates will either be proud of you or green with envy. Win-win situation.

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Essays / The Last Minute: How to Write Good Essays When Time is Short? [NEW]

Almost everyone who has attended high school or university has found themselves staring down a deadline that approached them far more quickly than they had expected. Sitting in front of a blank screen at 6pm the evening before the paper is due is one of the most stressful academic experiences a student can endure, and sometimes the pressure just gets to be too much. Why is it that some students can manage to create a good paper under these conditions, while others simply buckle under the strain? It's because they know some or most of the principles to efficient essay construction.

The first step is to enter the right mental space. At this point, the time for procrastination is over, and you have to resign yourself to spending as long as it takes in front of the computer screen. Lock your door, turn off your phone, log out of messenger, ignore your email, and tell your friends and roommates to leave, or take it upon yourself to find a place away from them. At this point, every moment counts, and distractions will sabotage the best efforts before they even begin.

Next, find the specific instructions of the professor, and look to see what the minimum requirements are: how long does it have to be? How many sources does it require? Can you base it on one book, or must it be two? It is also important to figure out the specific question that is being asked. Often, students will try to reveal all they know about a given topic in the term paper or essay, but this is not necessary: the more focused you make it on answering the specific question, the more efficient your writing will be. Getting this straight in your head before you begin is the first step toward effective prioritization. Ideally, you could merely begin writing, adding sources and details as you went, drafting and re-drafting the paper as you learned more. However, that is no longer possible so close to the deadline. You need to focus on what is necessary, not on what might be nice.

At this point, it is very useful to seek out electronic copies of the texts you want to use. The 20 minutes you spend looking for them will potentially save you hours in the process. Not only does an electronic copy allow you to cut and paste quotes rather than typing them out, but it also permits you to search huge texts for relevant information. Rather than reading an entire sourcebook you have never seen before, you can search for the relevant terms, and then just focus on those sections. Remember, if you cite a secondary source a single time, that counts toward your total number of required sources; at this point, looking for much more than this will be counterproductive.

Choose the sources and extract the relevant quotes before you begin writing the actual paper. Having a list of these quotes will help you order your essay, and makes it easier to think of what you will be writing next in your paper. It is far easier to create a good paragraph based on the explication of a quote than it is to make it up from scratch and then find a quote that fits it. Also, don't be afraid of long quotes; any quote over 40 words must be indented 8 spaces according to MLA formatting, meaning you fill more pages more quickly. Also, a long quote can require two or more paragraphs to explain thoroughly, and this will focus your writing, allowing you to spend more time going in a single direction than constantly shifting from one aspect of your topic to another. Once you have all of this done, the paper will move along far more quickly than you expect, meaning you can avoid that dreaded email, phone call, or meeting with your professor to explain why your paper was late.

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Essays / Essay about Journal Writing [NEW]

How to Write Journals?

Often the purpose of assigning journal writing is to see how the student feels about different topics and to get to know the student better. There are many different styles of journal writing that may be used in classes. Some teachers ask the student to write about any topic or to keep a detailed account of the student's life. Some teachers assign specific topics.

Journal writing allows the teacher to see how a student may feel about a topic or whether the student is paying attention in class. Some instructors assign journal writing and will read it every few weeks or some take up the journal at the end of the semester. The purpose of the journal writing is to let the student express his thoughts.

Journals are great ways to express your feelings. For instance, a psychology instructor may assign the class to write in their journals about different topics such as child abuse, domestic violence, or etc. Some instructors read these journals to see whether the student has expressed what he believes on the topic. It is important to express your feelings about a topic. Do not be afraid the instructor will laugh at what you write. Be honest about your feelings and thoughts.

Many instructors assign a specific topic for the students to write in their journals. The best way to begin a journal entry is to "jump in" and start writing. Let thoughts flow freely without thinking about grammar or spelling errors. Most instructors do not count grammar or spelling errors. They want to know what the student thinks about a topic. Simply start writing and let your thoughts flow.

Some instructors assign the students to write about what was discussed in class. This allows the instructor to see if the student was paying attention or not. While the student can write whatever he/she feels about what happened in class, the writing of the students will show whether the student was listening actively. The best way to write for this instructor is to express your feelings about what happened in class. Were you bored? Did you feel the instructor did not explain something? Did one or two students monopolize the class period?

The best way to write in the journal is to be free in expressing your thoughts. Do not let fear of what the instructor may think stop you from writing freely about different topics. The purpose of journaling is to be able to express what you think about a topic.

Journals allow instructors to see the growth of a student. Many students begin with only writing a line or two at the beginning of the semester, while students write several paragraphs, as the semester gets closer to the end. A lot depends on how often the instructor takes up the journals and whether the instructor is reading and giving feedback about the journal entries. If students do not believe instructors are reading the journals, they usually do not write very much. Surprise your instructor with several lines about the assignment. Let the instructor know that you are capable of expressing your opinions.

While journaling may sound like a waste of time, it is actually a great way to learn. They often reinforce learning about different topics. The main point of journaling is expressing your opinions about something. The instructor wants to see if you feel freedom to express what you are learning in his/her class.

Have a little fun with journaling as you discuss different topics such as childcare. Do you think day cares are safe? What do you think a child should learn in daycare? Do you have a brother or sister in daycare? Think about your paragraphs. Do they make sense? Do you form logical, coherent sentences?

Do you feel journaling is a waste of time? Why? What would you not express your feelings about? Do you think journaling helps a student? Journaling should be fun as you express yourself.

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Essays / Writing Pro-Con Essays about same sex marriages. [NEW]

What cons are there for same-sex marriages? What are the pros for approving same sex marriage? These are the types of issues that pro - con essays answer. Almost any issue about life has both pros and cons. These essays are actually persuasive essays giving both sides of an issue. Why would you support the presidential candidate of John Kerry? Why did President Bush start the Arabic War? Basically, the pro - con essays look at both sides of the issue but it takes one side over the other one.

Begin a pro - con essay with brainstorming all the ideas and facts you know about the issue? What do you think about the issue? What would you like to know about the issue? What is important? Why do you favor one side over the other? The next step is to research the pros and cons of the issue. Write down facts about the issue with citation of these facts. Take a sheet of paper and write down all the pros you found during the research. On the other side of the paper write down all the cons you found. Which side of the issue will you take when writing the essay?

Go over the research material again. Identify the main pros and cons of the issue. Use these to form a thesis statement. Divide these arguments into those that are for your issue and those that are not for your side of the issue. Make an outline using the main pros and cons of the issue.

Use an anecdote, statistic, fact, or quotation to grab your reader as you write the introduction of the topic. Create your thesis statement explaining why you are taking the side of the issue you are choosing. What is your thesis? What will be your supporting arguments? Have you decided which point of view to use? Do you have sources backing both pros and cons of the issue?

Write the main points of the argument in a rough draft of the body of the essay. Consider both the pros and the cons. Consider each of the body paragraphs and ask yourself if you have a main topic statement for each paragraph? Did you use transitions from one paragraph to another? Do your paragraphs presents arguments that oppose your side of the issue? Have you repudiated these? Do your paragraphs state why you have taken one side over the other? Have you used active verbs stating why you have chosen the side of the issue and why it is important to you? Rewrite the body of the essay to make any needed changes.

Now write the conclusion of the essay. Summarize the material giving a precise reason for taking the point of view you chose. Give a take away to the audience that will keep them thinking.

Put your essay away for at least 24 hours. Try not to even think about the essay. It is important to let the "writer" side of the essay go. Now let the "proofreader" look at the essay. Read the essay out loud.

Do your paragraphs present logical arguments that explain why you oppose the topic? Do your paragraphs explain why you are in favor of the topic? Have you clearly stated why you went from opposing or supporting the topic to a specific way of explaining your point of view? Have you provided strong support for your premise? Are your verbs active? Is every sentence a complete sentence or do you have fragments? Have you checked your spelling? Do you have any grammar mistakes? Reread the essay to check for further mistakes.

Ask a friend to read your essay. Have him/her check for any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. Rewrite your essay. Read the essay out loud to check for any errors.

Have you cited every source used in the essay? Have you plagiarized? Check for proper citation of your sources. Reread the essay as you check for any more errors. Now you have a great persuasive or pros - cons essay.

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Book Reports / Hints and Tips for Writing the Literature Review [NEW]

The literature review has become a more and more common task assigned university students over recent years. As such, students are seeking out as much information as possible on the subject. The following contains a variety of hints and tips that will allow students a better understanding of what the literature review is, what it should contain, and how it should benefit their subsequent research.

The Literature Review Defined: What is it and why are students required to do one? The literature is exactly what one would expect from its title - it is a review of a collection of previously published literature on a specific topic or topics. The literature review is often required of students as they undertake research into a particular topic in order to determine whether or not their specific research topic has already been undertaken. Generally speaking, the literature review summarizes and condenses an extensive amount of material. In addition, the review allows the student to organize a vast amount of information into a pattern that is meaningful to his or her research purposes, and will allow the student to draw his or her own conclusions about the nature of that information.

Objectives of the Literature Review: What should students strive for?
When a student is performing his or her literature review, perusing all that information, having a specific objective(s) in mind is very important. Without a specific objective(s) in mind, students can end up spinning their wheels, not accomplishing much. The following are common objectives for a literature review; students should choose the objective(s) that best correspond with their particular research goals.

1.Summarize Information - As stated above, the main objective of the literature review is to summarize previously released research information. While not all the objectives on this list apply to every literature review, this is one objective that every student should strive for when reviewing literature.

2.Compare Findings and Results - The literature review allows students to compare the results from a wide variety of published research. The rates of similarity or discrepancy in research findings can go a long way in helping the student to understand how his or her research may unfold in the future.

3.Compare Research Methods - The literature review also allows students to evaluate the different research methods used among those that have previously studied their topic of interest. Weighing the pros and cons of those research methods enables students to choose the method that best suits them.

4.Identify Untapped Areas of Research - By thoroughly organizing and reviewing an extensive collection of research material, a student performing a literature review will be able to identify areas that have not been addressed, or addressed poorly, by the literature that is currently available. In addition, if a student does happen to discover that his or her research topic has been previously undertaken, this will allow the student to more easily choose a secondary topic.

5.Identify Major Research Studies - Not all research studies are created equal. The literature review allows students to recognize which particular studies have been the most important to the furthering of knowledge in their particular research area.

6.To Better Understand the Relevance of Your Upcoming Research - If the student's upcoming research has proven to be untapped, the literature review will allow the student to better understand where his or her findings will fit into the system of knowledge on that particular subject.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and there are a multitude of other reasons and objectives for completing a literature review. However, these are the most common objectives for university students, and they can provide students with the basis for the effecting of a thorough literature review.

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