This Is The Reason You Will Write Your Essay

Nod your head if this is a familiar situation: you’ve got an essay and you just can’t write it.

It doesn’t matter how many ‘study’ playlists you make or how many times you close Facebook, it’s just not happening. Whether it’s a Word doc that’s sitting feebly blank or a Google drive doc that’s miserably word-free, there appears to be no writing tool in the world that will actually let you get your essay done.

And this is where Exeposé Lifestyle can step in and help out. Somehow, while procrastinating wildly, we managed to stumble across an online tool that not only is going to save our academic lives, but yours too.

Meet www.writeordie.com

Image credit: Dr Wicked

TIP: If the web app isn’t working for you, delete “oldandbusted.” from the URL  in the address bar.

Created by a mysterious ‘Dr. Wicked’ as an ingenious way to force writers to write, it offers various punishments if writers do not achieve certain word counts or even if they stop typing at all.

There are three levels as explained on the website itself:

• Gentle Mode: A certain amount of time after you stop writing, a box will pop up, gently reminding you to continue writing.
• Normal Mode: If you persistently avoid writing, you will be played a most unpleasant sound. The sound will stop if and only if you continue to write.
• Kamikaze Mode: Keep Writing or Your Work Will Unwrite Itself

You set yourself a word goal, a time goal, what the consequences will be and a grace period for when you stop writing.

Once your ‘grace period’ is up, the screen around the text tool slowly turns a deep red that, for whatever psychological reason you can cook up, works as a surprisingly effective warning. If you’re on a stricter mode, awful music will blare which makes you even keener to get back to typing.

Terrifyingly, Write or Die only gives you one chance to ‘pause’. Woe betide the student who gulps down too much Red Bull or really has to get another round of toast from the kitchen – you’re stuck there.

The timer and word count meter at the bottom of the text box are particularly satisfying additions. Instead of constantly having to snatch ever more depressing glances at your watch, you can’t escape seeing how much time you are spending.

Warning: do remember to copy and paste any work you get done into a Word or Google Drive doc as it won’t save it for you!

For those that don’t mind paying for essay productivity, there is a desktop version that offers a wider range of warning options, interfaces and stats. It is also has a great option to ‘battle’ with a friend in a Word War, cutting out the usual obnoxious comparing of word counts and channelling your desire to one-up your friends into speed-writing the best essay ever.

So, go on then – what are you doing still reading this? You’ve got an essay to write!

Olivia Luder, Online Editor

 Are you struggling to write your essay? Did writeordie.com help? Let Exeposé Lifestyle know on Facebook and twitter, or in a comment below.

“Ultimately, with my entire grade resting on so few pieces of work, what am I paying for?”

Emma Holifield, Books Editor suggests that the University should set more frequent, smaller assessments to take the pressure off students than set large essays all for the end of term.

With exam season upon us I have suddenly suffered from the unfortunate revelation that I’ve forgotten how on earth to write an essay. My ability to churn out vaguely interesting thoughts under stressful timed conditions at A Level is a distant memory and the idea of all too soon having to produce coherent critical commentaries and thought-provoking arguments fills me with dread.

“Although I love my English student timetable (or a blank piece of paper), for the cost of my degree I am receiving very little feedback”
Photo credits: Emmafoto

Although no doubt an idea that will be ill-received by many, I am of the opinion that writing more essays would help solve this sudden panic. At A Level, my ability to write under pressure was only kept up through practice. But with such huge gaps between summative assessments, I am increasingly coming to find that each time an assignment is set I almost have to learn how to write again.

Madness, I hear some of you protest, more essays is a ridiculous idea! But in my opinion, being set more frequent, smaller assessments would actually lessen the pressure. By the end of term, when the English department seems to bizarrely think it is a good idea to put ALL their deadlines, I’m often so worn out that I produce work vastly inferior to what I could have written earlier in the term. Additionally, if more frequent work was set, each piece could count for a smaller percentage. This would provide more leeway, meaning one poor essay written during end of term madness wouldn’t bring down an entire module’s mark.

Equally, although formative essays are supposedly there as an indicator, I know I’m not alone in finding the grade I get for these is often wildly different to my summative assignments; in one module my grade differed by 22 marks! The feedback received for this formative work is also often of little use, with attempts to provide ‘fun’ preliminary assignments meaning the rubric often bears no resemblance to summative requirements.

Additionally, although the jump from school to university is huge, in first year the only writing guidance we seemed to receive was focused on the dire topic of referencing skills. Although we’re not here to be spoon-fed, having some extra guidance would be incredibly useful.

And ultimately, with my entire grade resting on so few pieces of work, what am I paying for? Although I love my English student timetable (or blank piece of paper as my housemate often calls it), for the cost of my degree I am receiving very little feedback.

I am in no way a workaholic asking to write more massive essays. Equally I understand this isn’t primary school, at university we’re not going to be given a gold star saying ‘keep up the good work.’ But for me, being wildly out of practice and having received little feedback, having a few bits of prior work to fall back on would relieve the pressure of exams no end, something I’m sure many would currently appreciate.

Emma Holifield, Books Editor

Would you rather smaller and more frequent assessments throughout the year or is a frantic exam season a price worth paying for a quiet term? Leave a comment below or write to the Comment team at the Exeposé Comment Facebook Group or on Twitter @CommentExepose.

Website of the week- It's okay to be smart

Photo credits to henryâ€

How often have you found yourself saying that you’ve done absolutely no work over the holidays, that you have three essays that were due last week- but it’s fine because you’re so chilled out about it? How many times have you heard others boasting about how few lectures they’ve attended, or that they’re not actually sure which degree they’re signed up to?

That may sound a little exaggerated, but it’s not unusual to hear such bold statements wafting around The Forum. I myself am guilty of playing down my keenness on my homework- why would I admit that I actually really enjoyed that last translation we did?

In any case, it’s reassuring to hear your classmate saying that they haven’t revised, when you haven’t either. It’s nice to know that you won’t be alone in that resit!

Having said that, I do think it’s refreshing to hear someone saying something positive about their work. Whether that’s expressing a little interest in their subject to a friend instead of playing it cool, or reading a quirky science blog…for fun! And that’s exactly what I’ve been inspired to do this week. Watching David Attenborough’s Africa on the BBC, I suddenly found myself in raptures about nature and couldn’t tear myself away from my books.

While it doesn’t necessarily keep me focussed on my completely unscientific language degree, I found a blog that keeps me interested in the world around me. It’s Okay to be Smart is a scientific but creative blog that can get you lost in wonder or keep your brain ticking over when that essay just doesn’t.

The website, set up by Joe Hanson (a PhD student in the States), will give you food for thought on a vast range of topics. He will leave you thinking about how dance and science can possibly be related, what Mt. Vesuvius looks like from space, and what a map of America would look like if there was a dot on it for every single person living there.

What did you think of the website? Leave a comment below!

Kate Townend

It's just little things (that make you happy)

Photo credits to Mike McCracken

It’s the beginning of December, it’s icy outside and the majority of people are snowed under with essays. As much as you may snigger at the expression, SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a big problem at this time of year. Looking at websites discussing the condition, symptoms are listed as lack of energy, irritability and overeating.

A recent article in some major publications, such as The Week, have covered Hiroshima University’s study that looking at so-called cute photos of fluffy bunnies, frolicking puppies and chubby babies increases productivity and counteracts the ‘Monday malaise.’

I’m personally not entirely convinced that puppies, bunnies and babies will get me through the next few weeks. Mulled wine on the other hand…

In an attempt to counteract students’ essay avoidance, grumpy behaviour and jaffa-cake consumption, we would like to share a blog:

‘Just little things’

If you are a fierce defender of the concept that little tools like this help with SAD, please post other blog ideas.

Natasha Baker