How to Organize Your Essay Writing

An Undergraduate Guide. 

Writing is challenging. It does not matter who you are or what you do. Skilled writers can feel overwhelmed! As an undergraduate, you can’t always be perfect, but you can set yourself up for success. Writing can be hard. Frustration can stem from multiple classes, unclear instructions, procrastination, or perfectionism. And that’s okay. Once you receive your syllabus, review it and create a writing schedule alongside your study schedule.

After understanding why writing can be challenging, consider when and how to build a habit. Building this mid- or late-semester may not be realistic. Instead, schedule writing times each week to start early and avoid last-minute panic. Break writing into phases.

1. Pre-writing Phase
   • Do you understand the assignment?
   • Take simple notes
   • Do you have questions to ask or answer
   • Do you have any valuable quotes?
   • Make an outline of what you have and what is missing.
2. Drafting Phase
   • Get something down, a few paragraphs here and there.
   • Embrace the messiness.
   • Use the outline.
   • Writing does not need to be linear. You can start anywhere.
3. Revising Phase
   • Check your assignment/syllabus to ensure you have done what was asked.
   • Look at your structure. Do you have a solid introduction, a body that includes topic sentences, evidence, analysis/explanations, proper transitions, and a conclusion?
     • Do you have a thesis or argument?
     • Does your conclusion restate your thesis and summarize the paper?
4. Polishing Phase
   • Check citations
   • Proofreading

Set aside 15-20 minutes each week for writing. If pressed for time, combine phases, but leave breaks between them to reflect and polish your work.

Once your phases are timed out, consider what tools can help you stay organized. Add each phase to your calendar and, if possible, set aside time to visit the writing center. If you cannot visit, tools like Grammarly can help flag grammatical errors. I personally use Grammarly and Copilot to check for issues such as parallelism. Check the course syllabus or the assignment’s guidelines. If it says not to use AI, do not use these tools. Professors now recognize AI-generated writing. Use AI only as permitted and always with your own judgment. If AI is not permitted, allow yourself time to go to the university’s writing center.

If a paper is due at the semester’s end, create a weekly writing plan with phases. Spread each phase over a couple of weeks in short sessions. Writing is a skill built through habits and routines.