The joys of a last-minute essay

by Josh Mohland

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In high school I was assigned a number of essays to write. With each essay came a lengthy period of time when I was to brainstorm, develop a thesis, piece together an introduction, craft supporting arguments, and deliver an exemplary conclusion. After several attempts at stretching out this process over the allotted time, I discovered that it was to my advantage if I saved the entire project until the last day or two and raced myself against the deadline clock. What resulted in almost all my efforts were pieces of writing that used my creative talent and focused my incessant desire to write into a clear essay. Now that I am taking a college composition course, I feel that the skill of writing a quality last-minute essay under pressure should be shared with my companions in the world of college writing.

To successfully piece together a last-minute essay, a topic must be selected and agreed upon before sitting down to write. This ensures that the writer can stay mentally focused and be able to concentrate solely on writing the essay. Once the topic has been selected, the last minute writing process can begin. However, it is not recommended that one simply brushes off the entire project until hours before the deadline, expecting to generate a topic, thesis, and well-written essay all in a short amount of time.

The writer should spend a few minutes (no more than fifteen) brainstorming a thesis for the topic and formulating ideas to support the thesis. The writer has a great advantage at this point - the added inspiration of pressure. When under pressure, there are no other options; the essay must be finished within the allotted time.

When the writer has a good set of arguments and examples, the actual process of writing can begin. The best way to begin is to write an introductory paragraph that both entices the reader to continue and provides a solid foundation to introduce the arguments for the thesis. A healthy introduction should entice the reader to continue. When the introduction is complete, a series of body paragraphs focusing around the main arguments should be written. The order in which these are arranged is not important at the moment. The focus right now should be on writing, not the order. Remember, the deadline is approaching, so thoughts must simply be transmitted to paper as quickly as possible. Revision and editing can come later.

Once the backup paragraphs have been created, logical ordering is the next step. The important aspect of ordering is not necessarily the order of the paragraphs but how they flow together. Many times the order may not be chronological, so any sequence will work. However, the key to this step is to ensure that the current paragraphs work together as a whole, flowing seamlessly into one another and strengthening the essay as a single unit.

When the essay has been arranged in the desired order, the writer may pause for a breath of air or refreshing drink. Together, the two may be found too time consuming, and when working under pressure, it is usually best to choose the more enjoyable activity and return to the writing process, Taking a detached pose, the writer should assume the role of an editor and read the paper aloud, checking for overused words or awkward phrases. Changes should be made as needed.

After the completion of the editorial work, there should only be one loose end left to tie. A healthy conclusion should leave the reader with a memorable thought or a strong point that can be taken from the paper. Most importantly, the conclusion should have a definite sense of finality. The reader should not be expecting any more; if the essay were a speech, the conclusion would be the cue to applaud.

The joy of writing an essay in a hurried atmosphere results in a realistic environment for those entering the field of journalism, as well as quality work for those prepared to do so. The pointers I have shared in writing an essay under the pressure of a clock I hope to be of value when any deadline approaches. The method I share is tested and true. It not only has helped me in the past, it helped me pass.