7 Things That Will Add Dynamics to a Stodgy Academic Essay
Not every essay can be perfect and interesting. The essay writing process can be tiresome as well as proofreading and editing. This common academic assignment becomes even more tedious when you have to write something on a repetitious and dull topic. Nonetheless, there is always a way to make your essay vigorous and compelling, and add dynamic in essay writing. And to do that, you might need to…
1. Try Shortening the Longest Sentences
There is no need to inherit the writing traditions of those who humanity considers the Great Minds. For instance, Leo Tolstoy might objectively be one of the most famous and best ones (even though now it’s controversial). Yet, his style nowadays doesn’t work that well.
Essay writing should be clear, so don’t tire yourself with building multi-stage sentences. Vice versa, make them shorter. In the circumstances of today’s existence, people comprehend short sentences much better. The thing is, our capacity of processing information is far from being immense.
How to make an essay lively? Remember the rule “The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two” by George A. Miller. The rule means that the best number of words is only seven. Sure thing, some sentences in an essay require more words. So, if your idea as a unit of information consists of 10 words, it’s fine. If you have a couple of 12-15-word sentences in an essay, that’s not bad too. But if it’s more than 20 and you can shorten it, then do it.
That doesn’t mean that every word construction in an essay should be only 5 words. 2-word sentences might be even odd. So, don’t overuse this rule but don’t neglect it either.
2. Balance Short and Long Sentences
Alternate those constructions! Again, some essays need vast sentences. But if you surround it with shorter ones, it will have more dynamics. In that case, your reader will have a second of spare time to rest after a big idea.
3. Break Enormous Paragraphs
But first, try reading it. You will notice how you get lost soon. Moreover, some paragraphs contain multiple ideas instead of one. The transition between concepts might be inconspicuous, so the reader will have to go through the paragraph again. Or they will ignore it and proceed, losing a part of your concept.
Three-five sentences per paragraph will suffice for a common essay. Again, plus or minus one isn’t that significant. And again-again, it’s all about balance.
4. If There Is Enumeration, Make It a List
Not every essay needs a scroll, though. So, this method mostly works for research papers and non-personal essays. In any case, lists:
- serve as eye-stoppers thanks to special signs like dots, numbers, and arrows;
- systematize information;
- have condensed information about fundamental conceptual units in your essay;
- separates designations, so they are easier to comprehend;
- allow you to make a gradation from the most common to the least popular phenomenon;
- allow your reader to take a break from an array of solid text;
- demonstrate your understanding of a topic in the process of essay writing;
- helps to break continuous recitation that forms a sentence that is hard to read.
Of course, it’s not obligatory. Solid enumeration works too but only if it’s not three meters long.
5. Make a Special Design for Quotes
Once more, this component isn’t mandatory. Your essay or a research paper might not contain a quote. But if it does, try marking it with a simple design. For instance, you can make it a separate paragraph, make it in italics, and narrow the borders for this text. Even when the quote you need is a 2-sentence idea, you can still do it.
By the way, that will be another demonstration of your commitment to a topic. Your professor will see how you read an actual scientific text to support your original concept.
6. Brighten Your Essay Text Up with Synonyms
You can’t replace stiff terms but you can embellish your writing with offbeat words . The least you can do is choose 2 additional words that can describe something you have to write. Juxtapose those words sometimes, and you will get the effect.
7. Cut Out Repetitive Parts and Save Them for Later
You might think that this essay needs all the eight examples you have come up with. Yet, spamming the same idea with different words isn’t what your professor expects you to do. In essay writing, you have to demonstrate your understanding of a subject. Artificial prolonging is always redundant, so get rid of it in this particular paper.
Still, you don’t have to delete those parts irrevocably! You can paste them into a separate document and store them on your computer. It won’t take a lot of room but you will always have a ready-made “billet” to richen your essay with.
In Conclusion: how to write a dynamic character essay
Your essay might not need all those methods to become more compelling. You can combine a couple of them to get the desired result. Even one can suffice to make a text more vivid. But also, don’t overuse this power! You don’t want to make your essay too dry with lists or too artistic with loads of synonyms.
It’s always about balance. And if you manage to find this equilibrium, your essay will be startling.