you’re in a car with a beautiful boy

Don’t tell people your plans,

06 - 09 -2020 – Finally back at school… sort of   😅 

I was talking to my friend about my essay planning process and surprised them with my method - I thought this was the most common way to plan essays and it’s something I find really useful so I decided to share it in case it’s helpful, even though it’s probably not new knowledge! 

What kind of essays can I use this for? 

I use this for all my essays, though they tend to range from 1000-3000 words

I have yet to use it for a dissertation length essay but I’ll probably use the same structure, just much more detailed 

This method is one that really helps me for essays I’m dreading writing or don’t know where to begin, because it breaks it down and makes it more manageable 

May be different for different subjects - I use this predominantly for philosophy essays, which it works really well for

Where to start? (At the beginning and the end!) 

Start with your word count. For example, let’s say your word count was 2000 words

Your introduction and conclusion should be no more than 10% of your essay 

In our example, 10% of 2000 is 200 words, so:  100 words introduction 100 words conclusion

Onto the main body!

We’ve started to break it down! Subtract that from your desired word count and that’s your writing room for the main points of your essay

In our example that leaves you with 1800 words 

Now you need to work out roughly how many words you make a point in - which really isn’t an exact science

For me I make a point in about 150-350 words, it really depends on how much detail you have to include 

If you’re unsure write a rough draft of a point or analyse some of your previous essays - this word count usually includes referencing and quotations

For the sake of our example let’s say each point is about 250 words

250 goes into 1800 7 times, with 50 words for some leeway. 

That means roughly you will need 7 points to make up your essay. 

You can play around with what works for you - if 7 is too many, or perhaps you want an even number of points you can tailor it for that particular essay

Maybe one point will be 500 words instead because you have the most to say about them - whatever works for you is fine.

The emphasis here is on approximation, don’t get too hung up on meeting exact word counts, write what you have first and if you need more, find some detail to add to your points

Here’s the part about this way of planning essays that soothes me - looking at a blank pages and knowing you have to write 2000 words is very daunting. Instead, once I’ve broken it down like this I know I’ll need 5-7 points on a subject I’ve been studying, which is something I know I’m capable of - 

“But Ceri?” I hear you ask. “What if I can’t think of enough points?” 

This is part two of my essay plan - done with the statistics, you need the content

Analyse your question or title, this is the most important bit. 

What is the question asking of you? Does it want an argument? An explanation? What things do you need to include? 

Once you have a clear idea of what they want, whether you have an idea or not of what to write, look over your notes

Every essay needs evidence, something to support what you’re saying, be it data or critics or theorists - my advice is to find the evidence that is there and build your points around it 

When you need to argue to your conclusion look for evidence that opposes each other, and that’s two points already done

Start by writing your essay in bullet points, then in longer sentences while you shift things around and then finally go full essay format

As you write other points or things to include might come to you - be sure you make a note of them! 

One final tip - reference as you go along. It’s such a pain but getting to the end of an essay is a marathon, and then having to go through and sort out your referencing is like a sprint for the end 

Anyway that’s most of my help for now! You might read this and think that none of it will work for you, and that’s fine too, there isn’t one set way to write an essay and this is by no means the best way - just my way. 

A few tips from a broke neuro-divergent academic

Try and wake up early, and go to bed early too. I’m not saying get up at 5 (unless that’s you’re thing) but sleeping into noon is a productivity blackhole. I go for 8 or 8:30, generally, but that’s just what works for me.

Get dressed for the day. I’m not talking like, jeans and a business casual outfit, but a clean pair of sweatpants, fresh underwear, and a new shirt can really put you in the mood for a new morning.

Have a workspace. Whether it be the kitchen table, a desk, a spot on the floor with a lap desk, have a place that’s dedicated to your work. Have items that signify that workspace too, like your book, planner, laptop, lamp, whatever. It can help you get into the zone, being in that space.

Have a morning drink. I choose earl grey tea with honey and cream, but black coffee, herbal tea, lemon water, whatever works for you is awesome, as long as itll wake you up and start your day.

To do lists. To do lists and to do lists and more to do lists. I have three. One is a post it weekly planner deal (3.99 at a local grocery store). it’s a weekly spread already set up, and if you’re anything like me, its really hard to set up a weekly spread. Then I have an app called Ike. I have a daily to do list I write on that app, and then I have four more to-do lists of what I have to for each specific class.

Spread out your assignments. Don’t overwhelm yourself. If you’re professors are like mine, and have the due date for each module as Sunday at midnight. What I do is spread out all my assignments from Monday to Saturday, and I leave Sunday blank, so anything I didn’t do that week, I finish on Sunday. It works for me, it might work for you.

Have a folder for each class, and a notebook for each class. I hate spending money, I’m broke as hell, sono al verde as the Italians say, but a 0.99 cent folder and a 0.25 cent notebook can do wonders for motivating one to fill them up.

Study with a drink. Tea, water, coffee, whatever, but my go to is generally a warm drink. I cannot study if I’m cold, I get tired and groggy, so warm socks, a robe, and a hot drink really keep me going.

Take breaks. Make time for your hobbies, for something fun. Working without stopping absolutely destroys my motivation, and let me tell you, when I feel like that, an episode of Avatar and a snack gets me right back on the wagon.

Do self check ins. Does your back hurt? Are you sad? Stressed? Do you have to pee? Are you hungry? Never put your homework over your health. You won’t be able to get anything done well anyway if you’ve got those blocks.