Simplify, Sharpen and Strengthen Any Article, Essay or Paper

Over the summer of 2007, I spent my time at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. There, I attended several classes for Undergraduate credit, including a Journalism course. I had a fantastic professor, J. Scott, who taught me things about writing that I deem worthy to pass on to everyone reading this article.

If you read this article, every essay, paper, and journalistic piece you write from then on will be stronger, more captivating, and over all, better.

Without further ado, here are 10 tips to help you improve the quality of your writing (from least to most important):

10. Avoid the use of I and You

While the use of the words I and you can make the reader feel he/she is on a more personal level with the writer, it is generally a good idea to avoid such terms. instead of you, use he/she or one. Only use I if it is a speech you are giving about yourself or something related to you, or if it is an article encompassing your opinion.

9. The paper should flow

Question: What is a paper when paragraphs are unorganized, scattered across the page, and the whole thing is in genuine disarray?
Answer: Chaos
If a paper doesn't flow from one topic of discussion to another, it is merely a bunch of random facts or opinions you're throwing at a reader. Make sure the work flows by writing an outline of the paper before you begin typing it, which gives the article a much tighter focus (which is important).

8. Concision and word buffs

What's the difference between a 600 word to - the - point paper and an 800 word not so concise paper? Well , quite frankly it's the 200 words of bull**** you used to make it seem longer. Teachers and professors are much more enthused about your papers if they are short and sweet rather than long simply for the sake of being long. Keep to the point.

i.e. instead of saying:
"World famous, highly admired author and poet William Shakespeare.."
just say:
Writer and poet William Shakespeare.."

7. Cite your sources

One large pet peeve of many professors and teachers is making claims without giving sources to back up those claims. If an idea is yours, find information from a reliable source (preferably not Wikipedia as many professors believe the site lacks credibility) and use it to strengthen your argument. If an idea isn't yours, then not citing it would be plagiarism. People, we shall have none of that.

6. Avoid clichés

Phrases such has: "hit the nail on the head" and "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" will make your English professor grit his or her teeth. It's a common misconception that the use of such phrases may be thought of as clever, but unless "apples improving health" is the focus of your essay, I wouldn't bother.

5. Keep paragraph length under 200 words (maximum)

If you've ever picked up a book, newspaper, or anything in your life, you'll know that the easiest kind of paragraph to read is a short one. Long paragraphs cause readers to either lose interest in what is being discussed, or to have more difficulty with the comprehension of said paragraphs. To make it easy on everyone else, keep the paragraphs short, and to the point. Using this technique will also help keep the focus of your story or essay tighter, as opposed to grossly long paragraphs which give room for tangents and a stray of thought.

4. Be SPECIFIC

Specificity will delight any English teacher you may run into in your high school/college career. Be specific when analyzing a poem, or when writing an analysis on a short story. There are connections in books and poems that the professor want you to see, and discuss. If this means looking up who Alfred the Great was, or reading the biblical tale "The Journey of the Magi," by all means do it. My old high school AP English teacher said it best: "It takes so little to make me happy." So, don't skim over something that could connect to something else (even something in a separate work), important in some way, you know.. relevant.

3. Interviews

While this may not be relevant to English assignments, in the field of Journalism interviews are not only important but are a must have for also every article. Save the Sunday funnies, most every article should consist of, at bare minimum, one interview. Without said interview, the reader may only depend on quotations from books, articles, or websites, which may not be directly answering the question you pose in your piece. If you get a hold of someone relevant to the subject of your story and ask him/her questions directly relating to what you play on writing about, you will find the strength of your piece a notch up from where you were before. While books and articles may sometimes be the best sources you can get (and maybe the source you're using does give you what you need), an interview here and there never hurts.

2. Tight focus

If you don't know exactly you're talking about, how will the reader? Well, he or she probably won't. In #4 I touched on this: If there is no connection between two points you are making, it's probably best that you eliminate the lesser of the two. Figure out what you want your article or essay to say before you start writing, not after. If you find yourself halfway through an essay/article, use this subject (which can usually fit into a sentence) to orient yourself and get a grip on what you wish to write. Straying thoughts and opinions definitely don't help strengthen a piece.

1. Have an interesting lede/intro and nutgraph/second paragraph

If a reader doesn't want to read an article after reading the first sentence, they're missing the important things you said later in the piece. Instead, flip this around and write an intro that will have your reader hooked. This particular part of writing is easily the most difficult part, so visit this website to find more on ledes: http://journalism.about.com/od/reportingfundamentals/a/ledes_3.htm>

I know there is a lot to remember when writing a story or essay, but try to break it down piece by piece:

Figure exactly what you want to write about and how you're going to write it.
Ask the right questions to the right people, and obtain a few more sources to further strengthen your paper.
When writing, craft a unique and interesting lede that will captivate the readers.
Avoid clichés, and keep the paragraphs short and light on the eyes.
Use "you" as little as possible, unless it is a help column targeted specifically at one person.
Try to trim your paper of unnecessary words, and cite your sources.

It's quite simple, and very effective; when done right, essays and news articles can be more powerful than one could ever imagine.