TUTOR IN A BOOK by Alexandra Mayzler

Author:Alexandra Mayzler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: epub, ebook
Publisher: Adams Media, Inc.
Published: 2010-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

I Have the Essay Question/Topic … Now What?

Step 1 — Brainstorming. The one thing that will get you into trouble the fastest is diving headfirst into writing your essay. Essays are structured and follow a logical thought process, so just scribbling down whatever sentences first pop into your head is likely not the most reasonable way to start this type of assignment. Instead, you'll want to jot down the initial ideas you come up with in a more manageable fashion — translation: Brainstorm your ideas before attempting to write. Often, the hardest part of writing an essay is thinking of what to write. A Brainstorm is a good way to jumpstart your brain to analyze the given topic of discussion.

The easiest way to start a flow of ideas that will gradually transform into a decipherable and logical piece is to begin with a Brainstorm. Your Brainstorm should not be screened, Edited or filtered — really, this is the place you should write down any and everything that comes to mind. There are no right or wrong answers here, so worry about clarifying and honing your ideas later. Provided that you're given an essay prompt, some additional questions to guide you in tapping into your brain are: “What is the essay question really asking?”, “What do you think of when you see this _________________________ (word/theme/concept/ idea)?”, and “What material or evidence do I have that might relate to this idea?”

The way you choose to Brainstorm depends entirely on your personal preference or method of thinking (see Chapter 2). You may be a list person, whose Brainstorm may consist of a series of bullet-pointed ideas, or if you're a divergent thinker, you may choose to “web” out your ideas. This is often referred to as free association. If you tend to process things best in a visual format, it can be helpful to find symbols or pictures that show the concepts you plan to address throughout your essay. These can easily be manipulated in the Organization step to come.

Here's an example of how to approach the essay question “Discuss the changes in the relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.”

Let's take a look at an example of a Web Map of Ideas:

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