I finally finished my essay writing, and now am once again free.
Not that it really kept me from doing anything to begin with. I'd get up, do nothing until I felt awake enough, then sit in front of my computer randomly looking at the following: CNN, BBC, porn, JSTOR research archives, porn, Microsoft Word, JSTOR and porn.
The life of a student is so fulfilling.
Every semester I promise myself to get more organized about essay writing. I'm not bad at doing the work at all, but I get very unmotivated when I actually sit down to get busy. When I'm not attempting work, my stomach stays slightly constricted and makes me aware that I have a pressing deadline to meet, and that walking around the house is not helping me research the French resistance during World War II.
So every semester, after I push the pencil as far as possible, I resign myself to the need for change. But change never happens...I think part of the reason that is, simply is because I don't know any other way. We don't get taught how to structure our time, how to research and start writing short bits weeks in advance. Besides, I never like writing the same thing that long, I much prefer to sit down and hammer it out, at least 1200 words a day. I 'spose if I even do an 'essay outline' next time, that'll help me know what the hell I'm doing.
Also, it wasn't very fun to have parents around while you're writing an essay. First time I'd experienced that, and I'm not looking to repeat it. When I'm living at school, nobody asks you several times a day how your essay is progressing...we all just complain about it, nobody needs to ask anybody. Plus I have the freedom to disappear for hours without eating, working madly while I have a creative streak.
Now that it's over, I feel at a loss for activity. Strange as it sounds, I enjoyed mentally exercising myself, and now that it's over my empty days seem even more monotonous. I live in mortal fear that I'm misusing my last month of utter freedom, but when I think, "What else should I be doing?" I draw blanks.
I had to take my paperwork to the post office, because this professor doesn't want emailed assignments...for some reason. So I got to spend $7.84 on priority mail to have it delivered by tomorrow morning. What a waste of money, considering he could get them all in his e-mail for free.
The highlight of the trip to the post office was feasting my eyes on a very cute and suspectly gay guy walking across the road from where I stood. He looked to be mid-20's, average height, light brown hair, wearing jeans (an obvious sign in these parts during summer), and a flattering green shirt that clung close to his body. I stared openly at him for several beats as he and his companion, a blonde girl, walked by. First time I've laid eyes on anyone from around here that set my gaydar flickering.
Oh, and I finished Harry Potter finally, nearly vomiting from the cliched epilogue...but whatever, Rowling is practically God, she can do whatever she wants in this world and nobody's going to complain too hard.
Well, now that that excitement's over...
3 comments:
Once you get organized in your essay writing it gets a lot easier, and your grades skyrocket too. When I started college a few years ago I was a mess when it came to writing. Now that I'm almost done (next week) I am about to impart tips for you, young padewan.
I usually do the sit-down-and-write-it-all-in-one-sitting approach, but you've gotta do an outline of some sort, whether it's scribbled notes or on your computer. I used OneNote to jot down a quick outline, then I went back and skimmed through texts and web sites with information relating to the paper (be sure to jot down where you got it, it makes formatting reference pages so much easier).
Highlight the holy hell out of your textbooks, but use a different color each time. Jot notes on the side.
Re-read the description of your assignment over a few days to get it in your head.
When you sit down and write it, take a few breaks but don't get up or your creative streak may be dead when you get back.
I usually write all of the content, then format another day. It helps make sure that I proofread and re-read the paper while I do it to catch anything I didn't before.
Use technology to help you. There's so many things I wish I had when I first started. If you have a smartphone or PDA you can sync your notes with your computer. Use web-based note taking tools to collaborate with teammates and other students. Use group notes to help succeed as a team.
Okay, so it may seem like a lot of work but it's really not. An outline can take me about five minutes to hammer out before going back and adding notes to it. I find that once a week when I do sit down to write an essay it flows a lot better when I have a sense of direction. Check out these sites too.
KnightCite: Cites your in-paper and separate page refereces http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/index.php
Free Book Notes: Collates free notes on 2500 different books for projects. http://www.freebooknotes.com/
Here's my Scribd page. Ever since I've been following this method I haven't gotten below a 95% on any paper I've turned in.
http://www.scribd.com/people/view/17191
Essay writing is a bitch, but it has to be done. How you go about writing and researching brings me back to those days of torture, JSTOR, distractions and porn.
I work better under pressure but Its not wise to leave everything for the last minute. Try doing bits of researching while you browse the internet at least a month in advance. Little by little you will get it done.
i wish i could write in the organized manner that some writers seem to possess.
i cannot follow an organized outline -- i have tried, but invariably it restricts my creative flow. also, my method is never the same from essay to essay.
my last essay i typed; printed it; noted changes; then retyped the whole damn thing; edited it; turned it in to the professor.
my current essay has been a different experience -- i typed it, could not find my angle, decided to pick a new topic, then suddenly hammered out a whole page of material through handwriting!
i have not handwritten an essay in years -- and yet that is what got me so involved in this assignment. so for the first time since early high school, i hand wrote before typing. weird. i can only imagine how bizarre my style will become in graduate school.
sorry for the long comment! enjoy the calm before the storm -- we all deserve a break sometimes!
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