Have you ever written an essay in 25 minutes? You have if you have ever sat for the SAT. While the stakes may be higher for a last-minute academic essay, the point is this: do not panic! Instead, read this six-step guide to writing an essay in a day:
1. Understand your goals
Whether you are writing a personal statement for a college or graduate school application, or an essay for a high school or college class, your assignment will have specific goals. Before you begin to write, review these goals. Clearly understanding your objective is essential when working with a shortened timeline.
2. Choose a topic
Under normal circ*mstances, you might devote several days to brainstorming a promising topic, and then you might write a detailed outline before writing and revising your essay over a week or two. When you are on a tight schedule, this is not possible.
So—write down the first three or four ideas that occur to you. If you cannot think of an appropriate topic, ask a parent or a friend to review the assignment with you. Do not spend more than 10 or 15 minutes on this part of your essay, as the execution ultimately matters more than the idea itself.
In addition, do not stress yourself about selecting the “perfect” topic. Without a topic, you will have no essay to turn in, and any essay is better than no essay. (It naturally follows that any topic is also better than no topic at all.)
3. Set deadlines
Establishing deadlines for a one-day essay is key. Budget 5-10 minutes for brainstorming, 15-20 minutes for creating an outline, and several hours for writing. You can also set aside an hour for feedback and review, and another hour for any necessary revisions. You should also allow for an hour-long break to recharge your mind. Finally, plan to submit your essay several hours before the deadline. A schedule with some flexibility will allow you to adapt to any unforeseen complications.
4. Arrange for reviewers in advance
Whenever possible, arrange for reviewers (such as your parents or friends) first thing in the morning, and let them know when they can expect a draft. When your deadline is in several days or weeks, you have the luxury of finding reviewers after you have finished your draft. With a shorter deadline, you will not have this ability. Be clear on the short turnaround time to ensure as smooth a review period as possible.
5. Outline your essay
There are many resources that can advise you on how to write a wonderful essay, but the purpose of this article is to shape that advice to the demands of a very short timeline. This includes resisting the urge to abandon the outline. Having an outline is even more important for a one-day essay than for a week-long project with a similar word count. A strong outline will keep your essay focused and organized from the start—which is critical when time constraints will limit your rewrites.
Your outline should not be detailed, and it should take no more than 15 or 20 minutes to complete. Determine your hook (see below for more information), and then jot down the threads that connect this moment to your central argument or idea.
6. Stay organized
When you are under pressure, your tendency may be to start writing and to see where your essay goes. Try instead to use a brief anecdote or emotional impact statement (i.e. the “hook” in your opening paragraph) to set the stakes for your essay. This is essentially your opportunity to state why your argument or idea is worth your reader’s attention.
Finally, remember that “perfect is the enemy of good.” Manage your expectations. Your goal should be to write a good essay, not a perfect one. If you have a compelling hook and a well-organized flow of ideas, check your writing for errors, and then send it in.
Brian Witte is a professional SAT tutor with Varsity Tutors, a live learning platform that connects students with personalized instruction to accelerate academic achievement. He earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Washington and holds a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University
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Yes. You can accomplish an essay in a day. With focused work, careful planning, in-depth research, proper time management, and zero distractions, you can get the job done within the specified deadline.
Can I write 3,000 words in a day? ›
How long does it take to write 3,000 words? Writing 3,000 words can take anywhere between six and 24 hours.
Can I write a 1500 word essay in a day? ›
Writing 1,500 words will take about 37.5 minutes for the average writer typing on a keyboard and 1.3 hours for handwriting. However, if the content needs to include in-depth research, links, citations, or graphics such as for a blog article or high school essay, the length can grow to 5 hours.
How to write a 1000 word essay in a day? ›
1000-word essays aren't hard. A student can write one in a day. All it takes is a solid topic and some planning. Cook up three sources, organize them in a 5-paragraph format, and you're good to go!
Can I write 4000 words in 6 hours? ›
Writing 4,000 words will take about 1.7 hours for the average writer typing on a keyboard and 3.3 hours for handwriting. However, if the content needs to include in-depth research, links, citations, or graphics such as for a blog article or high school essay, the length can grow to 13.3 hours.
Is 3000 words a lot? ›
Documents that typically contain 3,000 words include college essays, operating manuals, and longer form blog posts. It will take approximately 10 minutes to read 3,000 words. A 3,000 word count will create about 6 pages with single spacing or 12 pages double-spaced when using normal 1-inch margins, 12 pt.
What does 3,000 words look like? ›
Answer: 3000 words is 6 pages single spaced or 12 pages double spaced.
Is 1300 words a lot? ›
Documents that typically contain 1,300 words are high school and college essays, short blog posts, and news articles. It will take approximately 4 minutes to read 1,300 words. A 1,300 word count will create about 2.6 pages with single spacing or 5.2 pages double-spaced when using normal 1-inch margins, 12 pt.
Is 1200 words a lot? ›
What About 1200 Words? Writing 1200 words should take you approximately 3 and a half to 4 and a half hours. This length of an article can include key details, but you won't be able to expand too much unless the subject is straightforward. An essay of this size usually requires a fair amount of research.
Is 6000 words a lot? ›
Typical documents that are 6,000 words include college dissertations, theses, and in-depth blog posts and journal articles. You may write faster or slower than this depending on your average writing speed.
7,000 words is 14 pages single-spaced or 28 pages double-spaced. Typical documents that are 7,000 words include college dissertations, theses, and in-depth blog posts and journal articles.
Who wrote 1,000 words a day? ›
J.G. Ballard: 1,000 Words
James Ballard was an English novelist and short story writer who passed away in 2009. He said, “All through my career I've written 1,000 words a day- even if I've got a hangover. You've got to discipline yourself if you're professional. There's no other way.”
Can you write a 2500 word essay in one day? ›
Absolutely. 2500 words sounds like a lot, doesn't it? Well, it is a lot of words, but writing that much is not as hard as you might think. Give yourself at least an hour of continuous writing and you should be able to get at least 1000+ words down.
How long should it take to write a essay? ›
A 10-page essay or research paper should take between 10 to 12 hours. Slow writers should be able to get it done in 14 hours. A 5-page or 1500-word essay, a common assignment format in academic circles, should take about 6 hours. Slow writers might take about 8 hours.
How many essays can you write in one day? ›
A beginner writer can write 1 or 2 essays in a day while an experienced writer can write 3 to 4 essays per day. Amount of essay mainly depends on the length of the essay and research for every essay. But it is better to write less and write good instead of writing more and writing poor.
Can you write a 10 page essay in one day? ›
Can you write a 10 page paper in one day? Yes, it is possible to craft a 10-page paper in a day. However, you will have to stay 100% focused and dedicated to the project.
