Writing Well

Panic in the Streets

What happens if you have an anxiety attack during a pressure writing situation?

• Stop writing.
• Close your eyes for a moment.
• Take several slow, deep breaths.
• Tell yourself that you're addressing one issue at a time.
• Tell yourself that every part of the question you answer is a point in your pocket.
• Open your eyes and keep writing.
• Take it step by step.

Last Licks

The most successful essays always fulfill their purpose, address their audience, and have a logical organization, whether they're written at your leisure or under the gun. Good writing is complete and logical—even when it's written under pressure.

Create a checklist like this one to use when you have to write under pressure.

Pressure Writing Checklist

Preparation

• Am I well prepared for this test?
• Did I get enough sleep?
• Have I eaten?
• Am I in the right place taking the correct test?

Prewriting

• Have I read the directions? Do I understand the task?
• Did I read the entire test before I started to write?
• Have I analyzed my audience and purpose?
• If I have a choice, have I selected the question I can answer most fully?
• Do I understand the question? Have I found the key words?
• Have I budgeted my time well?
• Did I select a logical and suitable method of organization?
• Have I made a simple outline?

Writing

• As I write, am I pacing myself well?
• Is my answer complete?
• Did I select vivid, specific words?
• Do my paragraphs contain sufficient detail?
• Are my facts correct?
• Have I included some original insight?

Postwriting

• Did I edit and revise my essay?
• Did I proofread carefully to eliminate distracting and careless errors?
• Have I used all my time?
• Have I labeled every part of my response with my name and other necessary information?
• Did I hand in everything required, such as scrap paper and the test booklet as well as the finished essay?

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Well © 2000 by Laurie Rozakis, Ph.D.. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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