As a rule you will not write your essay and then present it. Instead you will produce several drafts that you read through, correct, alter and edit. Personally I go through about ten drafts over the course of several days or even weeks before the final version. This means I will have read the piece ten times at the very least and spotted a lot of flaws and problems along the way.

You will generally spend more time editing your work than you did writing it in the first place. This means that if your early versions are too long or badly written this is not a problem: you will expect as part of the process to spend time editing them thoroughly.

The key is to get your ideas on paper and to start thinking the argument through to the end. You can then sit back, re-read it, and reflect on how you might make the argument clearer and which points need to be stressed and which left out.

Sometimes it helps to discuss it with someone else – you may find that this helps you identify the main ideas as you try to explain it to them. Bear in mind the assumption that the reader of your work is an intelligent person with a good general knowledge but without extensive expert knowledge of your topic.

Editing and proofreading your work

Each edit should test whether each point made is clear and logical especially to a reader and that each points follows from the last.

You must give yourself time to edit your work – to go through it several times – to remove mistakes and improve your writing. Typically the editing can take as long or longer than the initial writing.

Simple strategies can help:

read the work out aloud (this engages a different part of your brain)
leave time after writing so it is fresh when you read it again
try to put yourself in the mind of a reader
get a friend to look through it for mistakes and comments

In particular you need to try to put yourself in the mind of a “reader”. This person is intelligent and broadly educated but without specialist knowledge and the reader expects the piece (and your writing) to be straightforward and clear.

 The re-write technique

If you are not pleased with your writing then try re-writing. Simply copy out a paragraph and put it on a blank page. Then underneath the paragraph, try to write the same points but in different words. Importantly do not edit the original paragraph: keep it there for reference and force yourself to start afresh. You may find that you will make different points or put your points in a different order. Compare the two paragraphs and use the best one. You can also try this technique with sentences.

A variation on this technique is to do a word count on the original paragraph and then try to write the same point underneath in fewer words. Often if you can make the same point in fewer words it will also be better written.