CHECKLIST

• Set up a computer folder or file for your essay. Give the file a clear and relevant name, and save to it often. Number your drafts. If you decide to try a new direction, save the file as a new draft—you can always pick up with a previous one if the new version doesn’t work out.
• Have all your information close at hand and arranged according to your organizational plan. Stopping to search for a piece of information can break your concentration or distract you.
• Try to write in stretches of at least thirty minutes. Writing can provide momentum, and once you get going, the task becomes easier.
• Don’t let small questions bog you down. Just make a note of them in brackets—or in all caps—or make a tentative decision and move on.
• Remember that first drafts aren’t perfect. Concentrate on getting all your ideas down, and don’t worry about anything else.
• Stop writing at a place where you know exactly what will come next. Doing so will help you start easily when you return to the draft.