Once you’re in the right frame of mind, it’s time… not to write, but to carefully lay the groundwork. Otherwise, you risk going in the wrong direction and spending what you shouldn’t be spending right now: your time.
✏ Don’t try to fool your teacher and try to make your essay longer than it really is. There are several ways to do this: using slightly wider margins or a larger font, for example. Don’t be tempted to do this: any English teacher has seen it many times and will immediately recognize such tricks. All you notice is that a look of deep annoyance has crossed their faces. You certainly don’t want that to appear on your note. Correct?
Set aside a whole week to write
Now writing an article in a week is a big problem. You can’t do that unless you just focus on writing and create a good writing environment. Therefore, I recommend the following options:
- Find a place where you can write without distraction. I wrote my first article during the Easter holidays when no one was in the office. You can choose to write at home or in a library. Even if possible, it’s best to go back – withdrawing from your daily choices really helps to focus on writing.
- Cancel (all) the social obligations of the week. While it’s important to rest at night, you should avoid the distractions of social events. Anything that takes your thoughts away from your work because it requires planning, exchanging messages with others, or simply because it’s too interesting is best left for another week. On the other hand, a quiet meeting with a good friend over a glass of wine or beer can be the perfect way to wind down after a productive but exhausting day of writing.
- Get support from your partner, family or friends, if possible. It’s best when you don’t have to shop, cook, and clean for that week. If you live alone, you can probably easily adjust to a job without worries.
If you live with other people, ask for their consideration and support.
Pre-writing: takes approximately 8 hours
This includes brainstorming, interpretation and analysis. The time to mark each specific activity is:
- Brainstorming – 2 hours
- Explanation – 1 hour
- Research – 5 hours.
Days 1-4
At this point, you want to focus on ideas. You are free to spend a few days figuring out the direction your essay will take, so take some time to think about what you want to convey in your essay. Find four or five topics to start with: You can ask your parents, friends, and teachers what they find interesting about you to speed up this process. Try to choose anecdotes from your life that you have learned, in retrospect, and these stories will shed light on your subject. Even the briefest, most important moment can be a great try if it shaped you in some way. If you are writing a “why this school” essay, please include your reasons for applying. Do proper research to find compelling reasons that demonstrate your genuine interest in the school.
Now that you have several possible topics, think about how each one will respond to the answer. Spend 15 minutes explaining each one, using your motivation to guide the image. In essays that ask you to tell a story, a good topic should write itself, and it is always more productive to have a solid idea for the essay than to get a story that matches the answer. For “why this school” essays, focus on the structure and connection between your reasons. If this step takes the necessary hours now, it will pay off later. Narrow your list of potential topics down to your first one or three choices.
How long does it take to write a 500 word article?
Does your school require you to write essays? 500 words is relatively short. If it takes 3-4 hours to write 1000 words, it shouldn’t take more than 1-2 hours to write 500 words.
Many times a 500 word essay will be more complicated than you thought. Teachers assign topics that require critical thinking, reason, and order.