Thread: Essay Tips
View Single Post
  #29  
Old Thursday, September 20, 2012
Ahmed Faisal's Avatar
Ahmed Faisal Ahmed Faisal is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Quetta
Posts: 470
Thanks: 271
Thanked 413 Times in 269 Posts
Ahmed Faisal has a spectacular aura aboutAhmed Faisal has a spectacular aura about
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hailian8949 View Post
AOA Seniors
I have been facing following difficulties in Essay writing.
1 what is included in introduction?
After going through various posts on this forum I came to know that Conclusion is the summary of the whole essay that we are going to write. Am I true?
For example I am writing an essay on Corruption in Pakistan, then I must discuss definition of corruption , present situation In Pakistan , its causes and effects in Pakistan ?
2 how many paragraphs introduction should consist?
20 Tips For Winning Writing

Tip 1. Always adhere to traditional standards of correctness (see above). A contest is not the time to throw the rule book away. This applies most strongly in writing contests which are run by universities or colleges.

Tip 2. If it says Literature contest, that’s what it means. They are looking for subtlety, depth, a subtext, creativity, and clever (even poetic) use of language; an emphasis on interesting often dark characters, and setting rather than plot.

Tip 3. If it says Writing competition, well written popular fiction is what will win. Now your emphasis must be on plot. You need a great opening line and an absorbing plot. Plot follows your main character’s conflict. Give this person an interesting difficult tussle of some kind. Your story ends when your character has resolved the conflict against all odds.

Tip 4. If it states a particular theme in the rules, then that theme must be intrinsic to your story.

Tip 5. Whatever kind of work you are writing, title is everything. The title is the judge’s first impression of your work. Spend time thinking of something relevant to the story that is eye catching and appealing.

Tip 6. Use your delete key. Read and reread your work. That paragraph you really like that you spent hours over. Does it advance your story? No? Then delete it. Does your story only get going on the second page? Delete page one.

Tip 7. Short stories work best from a single point of view. Don’t confuse the judge.

Tip 8. Does your entry use the right tense? Present tense may be fashionable but it doesn’t work for every story. If your story is immediate and all is happening now, use present tense. If it spans a time period coming up to the present use past tense.

Tip 9. Strive for active rather than passive voice.

Tip 10. Do not use real people for your characters. Real people in fiction are boring. Your main character should be larger than life yet still believable.

Tip 11. Do not use exclamation marks except possibly for a single word exclamation such as “Ouch!”

Tip 12. Beware of clichés. It is easy to use one without noticing.

Tip 13 Use strong verbs rather than adverbs. Likewise avoid strings of adjectives and NEVER write “suddenly.”

Tip 14 . Try to write something DIFFERENT. Think of the poor judge reading hundreds of stories set in her home country; then she gets to a well written entry set in Antarctica.

Tip 15. If you know who the judge will be, read his work; try to read the entries of previous winners. Do everything you can to fit your entry to the contest.

Tip 16. Use the entry form for all your details. NEVER put your name on the manuscript.

Tip 17. Font: Use 12 point Times New Roman or Arial unless the rules ask for something else.

Tip 18. Some contests give you a choice between paper or online entry. Choose paper whenever you can and pay the postage. Emailing submissions (unless as a Word attachment) can play havoc with your careful formatting.

Tip 19. Please do not decorate your manuscript or add that nice picture of your pet dog or the photo of yourself. All that work to end up shredded. Don’t add a cute little note for the judge (Yes some people do).

Tip 20. Proofread, proofread and do it again. If entering online print out to check your work. Read it out loud to yourself. If judges can’t decide between two entries and one is missing a comma or has a word spelled incorrectly and the other has been submitted perfectly set-out without typos; guess which one will win?

Furthermore, Introduction usually consist of two things ( Motivator+ thesis Statement), but the method to grab the attention of the reader and your stance i.e Thesis Statement vary writer to writer. you may start your intro with the quotation , a anecdote, dialogue, opposite opinion etc but keep one thing in your mind that whatever you write should be relevant and the purpose of all these method is one that is to catch the attention of your reader followed by Thesis statement.
In addition, Intro may also be the precis/summary of your complete essay.
Good luck!
__________________
"Our Lord, give us the good in this world and the good in the hereafter." (Al-Qur'an, 2:201).
Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Ahmed Faisal For This Useful Post:
azhera (Saturday, November 16, 2013), Erum Qureshi (Saturday, September 29, 2012), seher bano (Friday, September 21, 2012)