Recent content by GeorgeM

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    I've rewritten my introduction 12 times and I still hate it 😰

    Nick, you can't introduce something that doesn't exist yet. You're trying to build a doorway before the house is built. Write the body. Write the conclusion. Then look at what you've written and ask: "What does the reader need to know before reading this?" That's your intro. Write that. It will...
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    Can I use personal stories in academic essays, or is that too informal?

    I used a personal story about my immigrant grandmother in a paper about assimilation. I was terrified. My professor said it was the most compelling part of the paper. The key: frame it. I wrote "My grandmother's experience illustrates a pattern documented by Portes & Rumbaut (2001):..." The...
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    Why I stopped using big words and started getting better grades

    The best piece of writing advice I ever got was from my first editor: "Write like you're explaining it to a smart friend over coffee." You wouldn't say "utilize" to a friend. You'd say "use." You wouldn't say "facilitate" to a friend. You'd say "help." So why write it? The goal is...
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    How do you guys make your arguments sound so smooth without sounding like a robot? 🦾

    The "beep-boop" phase is real. Here's the fix: vary your sentence openings. If every sentence starts with "The," "This," or "It," you sound like a robot. Start with a dependent clause. "Although green spaces reduce heat, they require maintenance." Start with a question. "What about the cost?"...
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    My honest reflection on why "structured starting" beats motivation

    For years, I waited for "motivation" to write my essays. I'd sit there, waiting for the perfect mood, the perfect time, the perfect amount of coffee. And I'd waste hours. After reading the LSE LIFE blog, I realized I had it completely backwards . Writing isn't a magical act that requires...
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    Why is "talking it out" the secret weapon for writer's block?

    Okay, this tip from the LSE blog sounds weird, but hear me out: "Try talking: Sometimes, the easiest way to write is to talk aloud and record yourself. Listen to your recording, and voila! You might uncover a unique approach" . I tried this yesterday for my philosophy essay. I just paced around...
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    What is the "evidence mapping" trick for building arguments?

    I found another gem from that LSE blog: after you have your questions, you need to "look for evidence/case/example" . This means actively searching your resources for proof that helps you answer your own questions. They mention that evidence can be an example, a case analysis, or even a...
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    How do I actually start writing when my brain is stuck? 🤔

    I've been staring at a blank screen for an hour. My coffee is cold, my cursor is blinking, and I have nothing. A blog from LSE suggests trying the "three core questions" method: write down three keywords from your readings, turn each into a question starting with 'what', 'why', or 'which', and...
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