I'm sitting down with my computer. I have time and energy right now. I want to write an essay, and I have the topic in mind.
BUT ! I have a hard time getting started.
Since I usually approach my (programming) projects by splitting into smaller tasks and handling the trivial tasks first, I kinda want to try this here as well.
BUT ! how do I split "write an essay on this topic" into smaller tasks, that I can throw myself at?
Or is there another approach that'll let me get started on writing?
@zatnosk you can totally do this for an essay! I like to start with a few iterations on an outline, which usually goes sth like this: figure out thesis, figure out main arguments, figure out sporting points for each argument, revise thesis based on my arguments, reorder arguments based on my thesis. maybe repeat the last 2 a couple times, then actually start writing. when I start writing, I work point by point (which depending on the length is either paragraph by paragraph or section by section), starting with the easiest or most interesting. fix things to transition between points nicely, and write intro/conclusion. then edit a few times! hope that helps!
@linen thanks! It helps a lot. Currently I have a list of points I want to cover. So now I need to turn that into an outline, and find my main arguments.
I'm still not certain I can do that, but I'll only find out by trying.
@zatnosk you can do it! also, the order I do things may not be an order that works best for you - if a different way seems more interesting (like if you'd rather find your arguments before setting out an outline), try that out! people have pretty different writing styles, and it does take just doing lots of writing to figure out your style.
@zatnosk also, a thing I like to remember about structured writing (like essays) is that the structure is there to help you make your point, not to force your writing into a shape. I've had friends try to sick exactly to "proper essay structure" bc they thought that's how essays worked, but the structure is there to help organise and clarify your arguments, and if departing from the structure would help, then do it! (idk how relevant that is to you but yeah)
@linen I'm not even sure what "proper essay structure" is. It's been almost a decade since I had any schooling in writing, and that was only high school level and I avoided essays as much as I could.
To be honest, in this context I'm using essay as a catchall for "I want to tell people about this topic, while arguing for my views on it, like They do on all The Blogs". And that's a pretty vague definition of anything.
@zatnosk oh! fair enough! the "proper essay" structure I'm thinking of is what they teach you in high school (which everyone hates bc it's so restrictive) and goes like this:
- introduction paragraph: "hook" sentence to draw in attention, thesis (the main point you're trying to make), brief summary of the arguments you're going to give
- body paragraphs (3 of them): 1st sentence is the argument, the rest of the paragraph is the supporting points
- conclusion: restate the thesis and a summary of your arguments, something to say "yes my arguments were convincing and I proved my point well"
@zatnosk personally, pretty much all the writing I've done has been academic, but I think the structural stuff helps a lot in less formal contexts too.
@linen Awesome! Thanks for the walkthrough of essay structure. I think it was less strict when I was tought it (in Denmark), but it rings a bell.
In any case it's very helpful and I think I'm able to approach the task! Once again, thank you 😀
@zatnosk that's great! you're welcome 😄 hope writing goes well
@zatnosk and I mean, the point that's trying to make is more like "hey your writing should be organised and structured in a way that makes sense", but bc high school a lot of people take away things like "essays must have 3 body paragraphs."
I see you're a programmer, so an alternate way to think of the structure might be as a (height 3) tree: the root is the thesis, the level 1 child nodes are your arguments, the level 2 child nodes are your supporting points. do a depth first preorder traversal, and stick a summary intro/conclusion on the start/end. bam!