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Joined: 07 Nov 2008
Status:Burning mid-night oil....daily
Posts: 2396
Schools:Yale SOM 2011 Alum, Kellogg, Booth, Tuck
WE 1: IB - Restructuring & Distressed M&A
Re: Essay Advice for Introductory Paragraphs/Sentences?
[#permalink]
10 Aug 2009, 12:38
Depends on the content of your essay, as well as your writing style.
My advice:
First thing to do is answer the question being asked without worrying about extra details such as fancy/creative introduction. (BTW - Solaris1 writes ridiculously good creative style essays....I've read excerpts from his essays from last year and my god....University of Chicago knows how to educate their undergrads when it comes to writing....)
After you have answered the question being asked, step away from your essay and do something else. This is needed in order to bring a fresh perspective to your own essay. Sometimes writers get into this zone or mindset that when he or she tries to knock out the essay in one try, he or she ends up writing poor or below-average essays than he or she is capable of writing.
When you return to your essay, read it again. At this point, you should be able to revise certain aspect of your essay, whether it's a grammatical error, style, or even creativity.
Next, count the words in the essay and add/trim the number of words where it's appropriate. Many people end up revising his or her essay at this point, either by knocking out the creative introduction in order to reduce the word count or vice versa.
Different people have different ways of writing. If you think you can improve on your own writing style, then go to NYTimes.com or other editorial news websites (especially opinion section.....I prefer NYTimes because readers or reporters who submit his or her own opinions in the editorial or opinion section are well educated, and therefore he or she writes better than a reader of I don't know....NY Post or something). Whether it's an editorial, opinion, or a news article, you will find a specific article that you like in terms of writing style. Then use that article as an example and try to mimic that writing style.