[Answer Writing for Beginners] How to convert your thoughts into Words

Shad

Hi guys

Didn't write more than 4-5 sentences at one stretch in last 8/9 years.
Quite comfortable in MCQs and finished all static contents.
Although I know the answer, despite not able to scribble more than 50/100 words.

Kindly suggest how to break this 'shackle'?

Thanks

DrKingSchultz

1. Start writing.
2. Write BS answers that may even be totally off-track.
3. Get them reviewed by someone who has scored decently earlier, or write on the portal under Mains Marathon so that they can get reviewed.
4. Improve.
5. Write better answers.
6. Back to 3 and loop.

There are no shortcuts to success.

GentleGiant6

DrKing is absolutely right.My two cents.


Write, make mistakes , understand mistakes , do not fall in the trap of thinking you are good , write again , this time learning from your mistakes.Review again.Now go have a looka at topper answersheets.Look at flow.Look at structure.Write again.Review Ask someone else to check( teacher , friend, successful candidate).Learn from mistakes.Practice again.

Keep dping this till you succeed.
Some tips:


Good writing comes from clear thought.

Clear thought will come from linking and understanding what you read in simple terms.

Good understanding comes from investing time in studying the material again and again.



Best of luck.

Early Moderate

You can start by writing essays. You will have sufficient time to formulate the opinion and your structure and flow will be better. Gradually move on to GS answer writing which is quick and concise.

kaguya

What many fail to understand is that writing answers is not only mechanical excercise. It involves thinking, linking, structuring and then conveying it in precise manner. Though if you ask someone who wrote answers just by giving mocks, he/she will say write as much as you can. Donkeys do that.

First step has to be improving thinking process. So for 1-2 weeks I will advise you to look at the Questions on insights secure and just think what points you will write. Then move on think entire framework of answers. (Which current egs I can quote, REPORTS, recommendations, stats, diagrams, flow charts, maps...). Also while reading anything, identify the section or.topic of syllabus where it fits in.

Then move on to write answers. Starting with an essay a week is good approach as it involves above mentioned things. Only writing answers without doing this will ensure you improve one thing i.e. writing speed and nothing else. And then people will say answer writing is overrated.

kaguya

1. Start writing.
2. Write BS answers that may even be totally off-track.
3. Get them reviewed by someone who has scored decently earlier, or write on the portal under Mains Marathon so that they can get reviewed.
4. Improve.
5. Write better answers.
6. Back to 3 and loop.

There are no shortcuts to success.

Of course there are. Only if one uses brain to figure out how minimize effort and maximize output. The reason why many are able to achieve in 1-2 attempts what other cannot in 5 attempts.
For example. Making notes of laximikant is sheer waste of time and effort. But highlighting key points and recalling them is not.

DrKingSchultz

1. Start writing.
2. Write BS answers that may even be totally off-track.
3. Get them reviewed by someone who has scored decently earlier, or write on the portal under Mains Marathon so that they can get reviewed.
4. Improve.
5. Write better answers.
6. Back to 3 and loop.

There are no shortcuts to success.

Of course there are. Only if one uses brain to figure out how minimize effort and maximize output. The reason why many are able to achieve in 1-2 attempts what other cannot in 5 attempts.
For example. Making notes of laximikant is sheer waste of time and effort. But highlighting key points and recalling them is not.

Your'e equating smart work with shotcuts.
But let's not get into semantics. You eaborated the first step while I elaborated the next.

kaguya

1. Start writing.
2. Write BS answers that may even be totally off-track.
3. Get them reviewed by someone who has scored decently earlier, or write on the portal under Mains Marathon so that they can get reviewed.
4. Improve.
5. Write better answers.
6. Back to 3 and loop.

There are no shortcuts to success.

Of course there are. Only if one uses brain to figure out how minimize effort and maximize output. The reason why many are able to achieve in 1-2 attempts what other cannot in 5 attempts.
For example. Making notes of laximikant is sheer waste of time and effort. But highlighting key points and recalling them is not.

Your'e equating smart work with shotcuts.
But let's not get into semantics. You eaborated the first step while I elaborated the next.

Few weeks before I was comparing apples with oranges according to a mahatma.

seed_15

Hi. I had similar problem. Initially I used to make bullets of ncert and made newspaper notes as a part of writing practice which clearly was not smart work,.
By now you must have written something(50-100 words)..Read your writings after 7-10 days..You yourself can critically evaluate it. Some redundant facts that needs to be discarded..Some points that must be requiring more clarification.. This will help in improving further writings..
writing is an art ..it should aim towards reader.. As a reader, I would prefer a writer who has an authenticated source.. In lead article writers mention their designation.. But we are not professionals, so we need to quote authenticated source to back our information credibility. Eg some official data, phrases, commitee recommendation.. Once this is done, reader will have more interest in reading your answer...
No would appreciate repetitiveness. So its better to integrate related facts in the same paragraph/point.
As a beginner, you can always divide your answer in social-political-economic-cultural aspects..This will help you think systematically..But eventually you will learn, they are not discrete.
If you have 10 days and control on instincts...use Quora.. Articles in newspapers are written by people who have extraordinary information..So writing style may not even be there preference..But we need to learn it as our aim is to sell our argument to examinor..One thing you will surely learn at quora is the art of attractive writing..answers by people having similar information but different style are very different..

Write on random topics to get a flow.. and later on Insight secure is a good platform to compare our answer with others

PS: wrote in an answer format rather than bullet points.

seed_15

What many fail to understand is that writing answers is not only mechanical excercise. It involves thinking, linking, structuring and then conveying it in precise manner. Though if you ask someone who wrote answers just by giving mocks, he/she will say write as much as you can. Donkeys do that.

First step has to be improving thinking process. So for 1-2 weeks I will advise you to look at the Questions on insights secure and just think what points you will write. Then move on think entire framework of answers. (Which current egs I can quote, REPORTS, recommendations, stats, diagrams, flow charts, maps...). Also while reading anything, identify the section or.topic of syllabus where it fits in.

Then move on to write answers. Starting with an essay a week is good approach as it involves above mentioned things. Only writing answers without doing this will ensure you improve one thing i.e. writing speed and nothing else. And then people will say answer writing is overrated.

lol... sahi kaha..

kaguya

What many fail to understand is that writing answers is not only mechanical excercise. It involves thinking, linking, structuring and then conveying it in precise manner. Though if you ask someone who wrote answers just by giving mocks, he/she will say write as much as you can. Donkeys do that.

First step has to be improving thinking process. So for 1-2 weeks I will advise you to look at the Questions on insights secure and just think what points you will write. Then move on think entire framework of answers. (Which current egs I can quote, REPORTS, recommendations, stats, diagrams, flow charts, maps...). Also while reading anything, identify the section or.topic of syllabus where it fits in.

Then move on to write answers. Starting with an essay a week is good approach as it involves above mentioned things. Only writing answers without doing this will ensure you improve one thing i.e. writing speed and nothing else. And then people will say answer writing is overrated.

lol... sahi kaha..