How to Make Your Essay Longer and Better: 10 Life Hacks
There are times when you are already out of ideas, but, at the same time, you still, need to make sure your essay is longer or at least looks longer. However… wait. Does it even have any sense? Your professor doesn’t check the length of your paper, they check the number of words. One page of academic writing is considered to be from 275 to 325 words — it depends on regulations in your college or university. No matter how big the font you choose, the number of words won’t change. That is why just ignore those tips about margins, making commas look bigger (WHAT?!), etc. Here, we offer you real proven ways to make your essay actually longer and better — because additional material should come with extra quality, not with extra water in your writing.
Making Your Paper Longer With Five Legit Tricks
#1. Minimize Abbreviations
There are rules on how some terms and organizations should be spelled, but it is ok in academic writing to bend these rules and write full names at least several times through papers. It can win you up to 60 words depending on how long your paper is. When speaking about the research paper you can win more than 100 words just by writing fully the names of organizations, awards, etc. Don’t overdo it because it looks suspicious and professors have seen these tricks before.
#2. Write Full Names Instead of Pronouns
It may seem a little like an exaggeration but it also can add some extra words to your paper. For example, keep writing Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, not “they,” but again, don’t overdo it. It is very difficult to determine the exact ratio of such add-ons, and we, unfortunately, cannot define it. We cannot say “exchange 35% of pronouns with personal names where possible” — only you can decide on it.
#3. Give Wider, More Extended Definitions
Definitions are used not only in definition essays but in most academic papers. You can choose a brief one, or you can write an extended one. You can give a definition of only one key concept or you can give at least brief definitions to many concepts and terms in your paper. Again, of course, you should not add a definition or explanation for any term, but if you define the most valuable ones, no professor will call you off on this trick.
#4. Add More Citations
Cite, cite, cite. Yes, it takes time, but it also adds up to 50 words or more to your paper. Also, consider this trick — if you stumble upon two studies, and one of them is written by one author and another has 5 authors or more — choose the latter.
#5. Look for Assistance
There is a chance that you just cannot write this essay on time at the needed level of quality. You cannot. You don’t have enough spare time, you are not in the mood, you don’t know this topic well enough and all the studies you find look not very convincing. Often, the best decision is just to delegate this assignment and focus on another one. Do you need expert help writing a paper now? Paying someone to write your essay is a wise choice when you need a Plan B — the deadline is close, and your paper is not close enough to be finished anywhere soon. Remember, that most academic writing services similar to WriteMyPaperHub allow ordering just a part of the paper. This way you can save both time and money if you have trouble with a particular section.
Making Your Essay Better in Five Simple Steps
#1. Cut on Passive Voice
There were times when the passive voice was a symbol of academic writing in general. It sounded pretty heavy, but those were the rules. Till now, in most dissertations, you can find long heavy sentences full of passive voice and complex constructs. Now, it is better to avoid such instruments, especially when working with simpler papers, like essays.
#2. Interview Yourself
When you are too tired of writing, just start speaking. These processes are very different for our brain, and you will be surprised how creative you can get when you think that someone interviews you on the subject. Turn on the voice recorder and talk in a relaxed way about the subject you have to unveil in your essay. Later, transcribe this “interview,” edit, and use it for your paper.
#3. Don’t Forget About Proofreading
Don’t forget about proofreading, and leave some determined amount of time for it — proofreading is not an optional process. More often than it should be well-thought-out papers receive bad grades because students didn’t spare enough time for proofreading. If you care not only about quantity but also about quality, — avoid this trap.
#4. Keep Your Head in the Game
If you are tired, you cannot write a quality essay. There are many myths about people who write their thesis in three days and it happens to be very good. But those are just myths. To produce quality content, you need to rest, have fresh air, enough sleep, and healthy nutrition. Even if you manage to deal just with this one point, you will be a much better writer and most probably won’t need any other tips.
#5. Focus on Substance
Yes, 90% of this article is about the form, not substance. However, the most important thing is to choose topics that are the most interesting for you and find something engaging in given essay topics. When you focus on substance, you stop counting words and time — you just solve the problem and do it creatively.
With all these tips you can add up to several pages to your paper — and it is huge! Sometimes those pages can save the whole assignment. It is definitely not a surprise for you that ideas sometimes finish fast, the relevant studies are scarce and all you are left to do is to improvise. This article was written particularly for that situation. Of course, you cannot just write all the paper this way – you need to add much more substance, and these tips are mostly about the form (though not all of them). However, by using it wisely you can get needed results.
