Before you put pen to paper — or fingers to keyboard — you’ll need to organize your thoughts. If you’re writing a paper for school, carefully review the instructions for the assignment. Even if you write an excellent paper, you’re likely to receive a less than ideal grade if you fail to follow the instructions. In other words, if you’re asked to write a paper about your favorite invention, don’t write it about the theory of relativity, because technically that isn’t an invention.
Once you understand the assignment, the next step is to identify your angle. An angle is like your argument. For example, it isn’t sufficient to decide that you’re going to write about axolotls. You need the “why” behind the information.
You can often find your “why” by researching your topic. While you’re researching axolotls, for example, suppose you discover that they are a critically endangered species of salamander. Perhaps your angle will be that axolotls should not be kept as pets, or maybe you decide to advocate in favor of keeping axolotls as pets, but only when these animals can be sourced from ethical breeders who never take the animals out of the wild.
Among all of the ways to become a better writer, one oft-overlooked step is to prepare an outline. An outline will help you become a better writer because you’ll be better able to present your ideas in an organized fashion with a logical flow. For example, if you’re writing about axolotls, you’ll first need an introductory section to provide an overview of these animals, followed by a section that discusses their critically endangered status.
There are many methods for creating an outline, including:
- Bullet point ideas: Jot down ideas or topics that could be a part of your work using a bulleted structure
- Draw a bubble map: Brainstorm related ideas and topics using a bubble map
- Make a flow map: Draw a flow map to visually understand what will be in each section
Even if you have a solid outline, you may find yourself feeling stuck when you begin writing the paper. For many people, the introduction can be the most difficult section to write. If you find yourself stuck, skip the introduction and begin writing the conclusion first.
Why start with the ending? Typically, the ending is where you’ll sum up your argument and try to leave your reader with a strong impression of the writing. If you write the ending first, you may find that you’re more focused when writing the rest of the paper.
After writing the ending, work on the body of the paper. Lastly, write the introduction. Strive for an engaging first sentence that grabs your reader’s attention with an intriguing, little-known fact or statistic — or even a question, if appropriate.
The potential pitfall with writing out of order, however, is that your sections may lack good transitions. Be sure to end and lead each section with a strong transition.
For instance, if you have a section discussing the critically endangered nature of axolotls, you might end that section by asking the question: “Given that axolotls are nearing extinction, is it ethical to keep them as pets?” The next section should then open with a sentence either in favor of or against keeping axolotls as pets.
When learning how to write better, the biggest step you may tend to overlook is editing and proofreading. When editing, look for the “big picture” stuff, such as an organized and coherent flow.
When proofreading, look for common grammatical errors like using "you're" rather than "your." It’s best to set your paper aside for at least a day or two, and then come back and edit and proofread with fresh eyes.
It is always good to get feedback from others and have a new perspective on your paper. If you have classmates, friends or family members who are willing to check your work, ask them for their honest feedback.
There are also various writing programs that can help you such as ThinkingStorm. Students at Grand Canyon University (GCU) get 10 prepaid hours annually to help with tutoring that includes a submission-based writing support option.1 This option can be beneficial for online students who need to work on other projects or have a day job.
