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It’s no mystery that most people wish they could write every essay and any other text with no mistakes on the first try. Imagine how much time it would save if students didn’t have to go through outlining or editing and just had perfect papers at once! Unfortunately, that’s not how reality works, so what can you do instead?
One of the best ways to streamline your writing process is to use the writing strategies that make your ideas even more interesting. Read on to find out how to use some of the most popular of these techniques!
Starting out: How to create a compelling introduction
It’s no secret that any good piece of writing starts with an introduction that attracts readers’ attention and helps them understand what they’re about to read. For example, scholarship essay writers know that they need a clear and understandable introduction for the important paper not to turn into an informal story. So, how do you keep your first sentences interesting and academic at the same time?
First of all, use attention-grabbers if your instructions allow it. An essay is always more interesting to read when it starts with an eccentric sentence like, “When I was a small child, my dream was to be able to turn into different animals, and now I want to cure their illnesses.” Keep in mind that your attention-grabbers need to correspond to your topic and lead up to more formal stuff.
Secondly, state the main points of your essay in your introduction. The need to summarize the paper in the first paragraph is often the reason why many experienced students choose to write their introduction only when they;ve finished the rest of the paper.
Last but not least, remember that your thesis statement should reflect the main idea of your entire paper. As a student, one of the best ways to create a compelling and relevant introduction is to write it after you’ve finished your paper or edit its first draft after you’re done.
Keeping your readers interested without sounding like AI
One of the greatest concerns of most students in 2024 is the possibility of getting a false positive from the AI detection software. So, how is it possible to sound more human in formal writing? Here are a few tips:
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- Avoid stating generic truths and focus on what your research found. Phrases like “famous artists often have quirky habits” can sound like digitally generated filler, so it’s a good idea to avoid them. Instead, you can write, “Vincent Van Gogh is famous as both a good artist and an eccentric person since there were statements that he cut off his own ear.” The second option is far more specific and instantly gives the reader an understanding of what your paper will explore.
- Make your text flow better by using adverbs and sentences of different lengths. In other words, avoid sounding monotonous, with almost the same number of words in every sentence. It’s really important to strike a balance between formality and readability. For instance, you can occasionally use the transition words like “however” and “nevertheless” to show the direction of your thoughts.
- Rely on up-to-date information that AI simply wouldn’t “know.” Text generators don’t have access to current information, so try to use the most recent sources you can find. This way, you’ll rely on the most relevant information and ensure that your paper won’t get a false positive when going through the AI check.
Finishing up: Leaving your readers with new thoughts
The conclusion isn’t just a sum-up of your paper, even though that’s one of its roles. Like the introduction, the final part of your paper consists of 3 key parts, and each one of them aims to update the information from the start of your work.
The first sentence is thesis restatement, which is basically the version of your thesis that considers all the facts and findings from the paper’s main body. Avoid simply rephrasing the final sentence of your introduction; instead, think of the new and updated elements you can include in it.
In the subsequent sentences, you’ll need to give a brief recap of the key points you’ve been making throughout your paper. Aim for the information you want your readers to remember most. You can imagine someone who has no time to read the paper, so they skip to the conclusion; write it with such a person in mind. You can make the final sentence as thought-provoking as you see fit.
It always takes time to perfect your writing skills
It’s important to remember that you need to take your time when learning any writing techniques. After all, it’s nearly impossible to create or improve several new skills simultaneously. Such an approach can put a lot of pressure on any learner.
A more energy-saving way of incorporating these strategies into your writing is about choosing the ones you’d like to adopt and training to use each one of them. If the strategies you’ve chosen Are for parts of your essay, you can learn them one by one. You can incorporate techniques that involve better text flow when you edit your work.