How to Write an Essay: Legal Cheats to Make Your Essay Better

You’re sitting in class, packing up your notebooks and pencils as the bell’s about to ring, when the teacher turns the slide one last time. “Homework:” it says. Then the most horrific sentence follows. “Write an essay about…” But who cares what it’s about? How on earth are you supposed to crank out an entire well-done essay in just one weekend? Well, have I got solutions for you! Listed below are a few legal cheats every student should learn to use in every essay they write.

-        Block quotations: This is perhaps the easiest way to take up space in any paper, and teachers love it. If you can find a quote (about two to three sentences) that fits your subject, use it. When using block quotations, you get to indent by an inch on both sides and that takes up space you no longer have to write. You can usually get away with about one block quotation every 1 ½ pages or so.

-        The five-paragraph essay: Every paper ever written, no matter the length, should be thought of as a five-paragraph essay. This means your first paragraph should introduce what you are going to say. The middle paragraphs should say it with as much detail (and block quotations) as possible. Finally, the last paragraph should summarize everything you said. Essays become much more manageable when thought of as merely a few paragraphs than seven pages long.

-        Proofreaders: One of the biggest things I see peers lose points on is grammar, punctuation and spelling. And that’s okay. We aren’t all trained in the finer points of writing. But some of us are. Find the English and communication majors. Ask them to proofread your paper. They literally take classes for this. Use them as a resource… and buy them coffee afterwards as a thank you.

-        The Studio: I don’t know about you, but the most challenging part of everything I write is finding a topic. It needs to be specific but not so specific research becomes impossible. Thankfully, I have a sister who has an abundance of good ideas. However, we can’t all have that resource (sorry, she’s mine.) The Studio provides help with brainstorming, grammar checks and encouragement. It’s a free resource. Take advantage of it.

Lacey Stecker is a Sophomore

Communications Major from

Noblesville, Indiana