Write a Rough Draft

Following your outline, write draft sections of your academic paper. You don’t need to start at the introduction, but be sure you have a working thesis and outline to guide your thinking and not get off track. Sometimes starting with the section you are most comfortable with or have the most understanding of can help get some momentum to do other parts.

You could also start by crafting a brief introduction that includes your thesis statement and sufficient background information. Include brief paragraphs that address each of your main points. Finish by writing a brief conclusion.

If you have trouble going from an outline to prose (sentences), you could try freewriting, which is a strategy to help overcome writer’s block. The premise is that you time set a time for yourself to write, such as one, 5 or 10 minutes, and you write non stop for that time, not worrying about grammar, spelling, or logic. You just write freely. After the time is up, you look back at the writing to see if there are ideas you can use somewhere in your essay, or at least the beginning of a good idea. If not, at least you’ve warmed up your hand and head. Check out Purdue's Invention Techniques in the key resources section of this page to find this and other strategies for getting started with writing.

If you’ve ever received feedback that your writing is choppy or not well organized, the Connection Words handout can help you find the missing connections between ideas, sentences and paragraphs.

Key Resources
Paraphrasing
Summarizing
Connection Words
Purdue’s Invention Techniques