Expressing thoughts through writing?

Question

When I write papers I already know what my opinions and thoughts but I have a hard time expressing them onto paper. Are there any suggestions? I already write a journal. Its academic writing that stumps me.

Answer 1

While doing your academic reading, take notes of things that will be pertinent to your paper. Write down the pages of any quotes you plan to use, too.

I turn corners on pages I'll probably revisit, and I probably write down more page numbers than I need whenever I'm taking notes, just in case I think I'll need to refer to something later. If I have printouts of text, I highlight things I might include.

After you're done with your reading, think about the major concepts of your paper, then prepare an outline. You can change it if you think of something better before you actually commit to writing the paper. The only thing I'm not vague about in an outline is the intro: I put my opening statement there, and I try to make it as interesting as humanly possible. An outline is important because it helps your ideas flow naturally, from one concept to another.

Undertake the task of writing the paper, following your outline.
Don't introduce new ideas in your closing paragraph. Restate your thesis (only reword it), and recap your themes.

After your paper is written, have people read it critically before you turn it in. Ask them to point out errors, if anything sounds confusing, and if your ideas are flowing naturally. Tell them you are open to their suggestions, too (you don't have to take their advice, after all). Then, make your revisions.

For your references page, refer to whatever style your professor recommends (usually, it's AP).

Answer 2

Perhaps you have feelings about your topics that are hard to put into words? One thing I learned doing business writing on the job was to start with your conclusion, then fill in the supporting information or ideas later. If you're like me, this is counter-intuitive. I want to start with the original question, then explain the thought process that led to my conclusion. But that's not how people want to hear what I have to say.

People want to know the most important thing first. This is how newspapers articles are written because the writer never knows how how far into a story a reader will get. Therefore, they use what's known as the pyramid style of writing, with the most direct, most important information first. Then the next most important fact is added, then the next and the next and so on.

That's why headlines are short and to the point. Subheadlines only add a bit more information. The first line of a news story will usually restate the headline with some context to give the reader a sense of where and when the story occurred. The second will add more details and begin to fill in the gaps in information in the story so far. Academic writing is done in much the same way.

If your situation was the topic of a paper, it might go something like this:

Students are receiving lower grades than they were ten years ago because schools no longer emphasize the pyramid style of writing. (that's your conclusion/topic sentence)
For the past decade, composition grades at US high schools have been declining at an alarming rate. (this tells why the information is important)
Several issues have been identified that contribute to the decling grades, but the cause that stands out in most studies is that educators are no longer focused on teaching newspaper or business writing styles. (this begins to fill in some details)

Informative writing has given way to more creative forms of communication. (this is a new topic sentence, one that supports the main topic at the beginning of the paper)
In the past, school boards were focused on making students ready to become business people, so great emphasis was put on...(this supports the secondary topic, and will continue to until this portion of the overall explanation is concluded)

Then it's time to add a new sub-topic that again supports the main theme. You do this until you've given enough supporting points so the reader will have to come to the same conclusion you did in your very first line of the paper.

I hope this hasn't confused you even more. Suffice it to say that you start the paper with a conclusion, then add in the supporting points and the detail that explains each point.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Hello Irene,
Maybe the solution to my problem can be your solution, too.
Whenever I'm writing a piece of prose (like a journal) and I'm
not able to properly express my thoughts, I just lay it aside for
awhile. About an hour later, I sit down and start writing on my
POETRY----that's right, poetry! After one or two stanzas, I'm
a lot more confident that I can express opinions, thoughts, and
emotions. I pick up my prose and write with ease. Try it, Irene, and maybe the magic can happen for you, too.

Answer 4

Make an outline prior to writing then write as if you are speaking to someone.