Challenges of Essay Writing: Explained by an Expert

A lot of students face challenges when writing their essays, and they often have questions, yet no one to get answers from. Those questions can inhibit effectiveness, provoke procrastination, and make you feel like you are not competent enough to do your essay, which is not the case, of course. You just need some help and support during your process of writing to know that you are moving in the right direction.

We have decided to interview an academic writer for her to answer some of the most common questions students ask when writing their papers. Here is Jennifer Lockman, a professional writer who has been writing academic papers for over 8 years, sharing her vast experience in academic writing, procrastination, overthinking, and stress.

Why do students procrastinate and wait until the deadline comes?

"Procrastination is quite common and not just in students. Don't feel guilty about it; just learn how to manage it. Mindfulness helps. Try to find the thing that makes you procrastinate when you know you need to write a paper. Quite often, students procrastinate and wait until the deadline comes because they don't know how to approach the writing process. Think about writing a "plan of action," the steps you need to take when writing your essay. When you have a clear plan created in your head or even better, in writing, procrastination will no longer be an issue. You will know how to move forward and how to make your essay work, which is already half of the way."

How to cope with overthinking and stress before starting an essay?

"First of all, be mindful of the fact that overthinking and stress never help, no matter what you are doing or where you are. Overthinking and stress will kill your time and make you less productive. It is a sure way to waste your precious time if you don't learn how to manage them.

In more practical terms, try to take one thing at a time. When writing an essay, don't expect that you are going to sit and write an essay in two hours. That's not how it works. You need to organize the process step by step. Here are the small steps that will help you write your essay and reduce your stress:

1. Start by analyzing your assignment and making sure everything is clear about the topic.

2. Research relevant sources and synthesize them, locate the most valuable and relevant information in regards to your essay.

3. Make a draft of your paper. Make sure to reference all of your claims.

4. Do the writing.

5. Check your piece, proofread it, make sure it is clear, and the content is relevant.

6. Format the final paper."

How to begin writing an essay?

"If you are facing a challenge when you begin to write an essay, it most probably takes roots in the unclear or weak analysis-not knowing where to start means that you don't really understand the assignment, the topic, or the basics of essay writing.

Take some time to read and analyze your assignment. Make sure you understand what kind of work your professor expects to see and what the purpose of your assignment is. Then you can research the topic, check if you understand all the terms. If needed, go back to your curriculum and see if you missed something there. As soon as you have done all of that, you can start thinking about the position your essay will take on the subject and research relevant sources to back up your claims. Following these steps will make a good start on your essay writing journey and will help you land a good mark for that paper."

Which is the final step in writing an essay?

"There are several final steps. First of all, you need to write a good conclusion, which usually takes around 15% of your total word count, so if your essay is 1500 words - the conclusion will have to take around 150 words. In your conclusion, you need to mention all of the "learnings" that are the arguments you made and proved with the help of sources. Keep in mind that you should never introduce new information in your conclusion, only the things that were already mentioned in the essay. After that, you need to proofread the text to make sure that it is free of grammar mistakes. You should also be quite skeptical about the content. Is all of it relevant? If something is not relevant, it is better to delete it. Finally, check if the structure of your essay is clear, and if your references are properly formatted. Following these simple steps will help you make sure that your essay is as good as it can get and is ready to be submitted."