Any tips on how to write a long essay?

[beamthegreat]

First off, let me tell you that am not a good writer and I can never write essays that are longer than a page or 2... However a lot of threads here have comments that are extremely long and exciting to read. Are there any tips or techniques on how to write something like this?? I would surely get an A if I am able to write like a lot of people do here. Thanks!

 

[matthewh133]

Use a thesaurus on every word you write to see if there's a larger and smarter word that means the same thing.

 

[logwed]

Quote:

Use a thesaurus on every word you write to see if there's a larger and smarter word that means the same thing.

Lol, don't do this
 
Two words: Block quotes. Other than that, just make sure that you always explain statistics and quotes well, that adds length and you need the explanation for clarity.

 

[nick_charles]

Quote:

First off, let me tell you that am not a good writer and I can never write essays that are longer than a page or 2... However a lot of threads here have comments that are extremely long and exciting to read. Are there any tips or techniques on how to write something like this?? I would surely get an A if I am able to write like a lot of people do here. Thanks!

If you can adequately and comprehensively answer a question in one or two pages you have done a good job, length <> quality. If you are forced to wrrite to a minimum word count then as mentioned by logwed explain in detail use examples and quotations where appropriate, remembering to cite things properly so that your Professors know which are your thoughts and which belong to someone else, also some Professors do not include verbatim quotations in an essay word count so make sure that a quotation is counted.
 
I used to hate writing to a minimum word count/page length as I tend to brevity, believe it or not

 
 

 

[SiriuslyCold]

"Any tips on how to write a long essay?"
 
Use a lot of words!!  

 
Seriously speaking, though,

1. plan it out with points
2. rearrange points in good order 
3. flesh out the points in short individual or more paragraphs if necessary

 
I cannot stress the importance of paragraphs enough - it automatically tells people you have packaged your ideas in bite-sized, easy to digest pieces, even if your verbiage initially obfuscates.
 
Some rules to live by, here
And where to get to know more words, here and here
 
The Thesaurus is useful but use it sparingly. If you send people to a dictionary every few minutes, you lose their readership. (40 Rules, #2)
 
Use sunscreen. oh, wait...
 
One hopes this short overview will be of assistance. Hope this helps
 
 

 

[deadhead12]

Honestly, anyone can learn to be a decent writer with a little bit of practice.  Right now, my advice would be to take some time out of your day, sit down with a pen and pad of paper (handwriting is better than typing for this excercise) and just start writing down anything that comes to mind.  It doesn't matter at this point what you thoughts are, it just matters that you are putting your thoughts on paper.  You could talk about the weather, how much school sucks or how dumb you think this exercise is, but as long as you are putting pen to paper you are building confidence in your writing ability.  Trust me, you can learn to become a good writer but not without actually writing something.  
 
Once you get writing, inevitably your mind will wander toward the topic of your essay.  This is a good thing.  Keep writing until you have nothing to left to say.  Don't worry about structure, grammar, sources or any of that kind of thing yet.  Don't worry about being redundant either, just make sure you are expressing your thoughts and explaining your position as clearly as possible.  
 
After you finish, type up what you have written down, but only those things that are relevant to your paper.  I think you'll be surprised at how much you actually had to say. Now your are ready to actually begin editing, sourcing and structuring your paper, but you've put the "OMG I have to write how many pages!?!" anxiety behind you.  
 
 

 

[Equus]

I always suggest having something of an outline, since some points segue well into each other.  The other thing I would suggest is to not over-think while you're writing your first draft.  Try to just put your ideas down, even if the wording isn't the best.  I've sometimes even left an underlined blank space if for some reason I couldn't recall what word I wanted to put down.  Then actually read the first draft front to back.  You can then begin polishing the grammar, editing, and making sure the sentences make sense can be done in second and later drafts.
 
That's for essays.  Long posts are usually pretty stream of consciousness.