Writing an essay is a difficult process for most people. However, the process can be made easier if you learn to practice three simple techniques.

  36   When you are first trying to think of ideas for an essay, put your pen to your paper and write nonstop for ten or fifteen minutes without letting your pen leave the paper. Stay loose and free.  37  Don’t worry about grammar or spelling. Even though this technique won’t work for everyone, it helps many people get a good store of ideas to draw on.

The next technique is to write your draft rapidly without worrying about being perfect.  38   Yet, by learning to live with imperfection, you will save yourself headaches and a wastepaper basket full of crumpled （弄皱） paper.

Think of your first draft as a path cut out of the jungle—as part of an exploration, not as a complete highway.

The third technique is to try printing out a triple-spaced（三倍行距） copy to allow space for revision.  39   As a result, these writers never get in the habit of crossing out chunks （大块） of their draft and writing revisions in the blank space. After you have revised your draft until it is too messy to work from anymore, you can enter your changes into your word processor.  40   The resulting blank space invites you to revise.