There are, I think, more “how to write an essay” books out there than there are self-help books. As with anything else, one must sift through the rubble to find what one needs.
The rubble tends to include a lot of introductory books - the equivalent of Essay Writing for The Witless. These are utterly useless if you need to write something with more than 6 body paragraphs.
Essays and Dissertations (from One Step Ahead) is an introductory book, but it covers the things you might need to know if you are taking on A Really Long Essay. The book is short (128 pages), well-spaced, cleanly written and illustrated. It won’t tax the brain too much, but will orient you in the right direction for research and planning.
The Table of Contents looks something like this:
1) Looking at questions
2) Research
3) Structuring the essay
4) Getting the words in the right order
5) Presentation
6) Managing your time
7) More about research
8)More about writing
10) Dissertations and long essays
11) Exams
Not sure it’s worth purchasing new, particularly if you haven’t had a good look at it first, but it’s most certainly worth a trip to the library.
Even if you aren’t in a position where killer essays are coming up soon, you might want to have a look at this book. Let the marinate in your brain until the moment it’s needed.
Tags: Chris Mounsey, Essays and Dissertations, long essays, One Step Ahead