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I have trouble making myself write papers, and I always wind up writing a not-so-great paper at the last minute. Help!

The key to solving this problem is to recognize that writing a paper is not one single task, but a series of 10-100 tasks (depending on you, your topic, your writing process, the time of year, etc.)

The Appalachian Libraries has developed an Assignment Calculator website, a great way to identify the steps you need to take in order to write a research paper. http://www.library.appstate.edu/reference/ac/ Give it a try!

You may also want to consider this sample To Do List for writing a paper (not a research paper):

1. Analyze the assignment. Finish any reading related to this assignment, if needed.
2. Brainstorm or list ideas related to the assignment.
3. Narrow your topic from the list.
4. Freewrite a draft of your thoughts on the topic. If you had a book that you must refer to in your paper, go through it again and pick out examples that relate to your ideas so far or that might prove your point.
5. Identify your main point and main arguments from your notes so far.
6. Create a thesis statement (see this link for more discussion of this step).
7. Create an outline of the order of arguments you will cover in your paper, including notes on examples from the book or statements of logic or analysis that would support your arguments.
8. Write a draft of your paper based on the outline.
9. Get feedback on your draft (I recommend making an appointment with the Writing Center).
10. Touch base with your professor to make sure you have understood the assignment correctly and your paper sounds as if it is on track.
11. Revise your paper based on the feedback you received.
12. Take a day or two off from your paper.
13. Come back fresh and reread the paper, possibly reading the paper out loud. What could be improved?
14. Scan your paper closely for any spelling or grammatical errors. Word processing programs help, but they won't recognize it if you have put in the wrong word. Ask a friend to check for spelling and grammar errors, too.
15. Create a final perfect copy of your paper, including your name.
16. If there are any formatting requirements (page numbering, title page), be sure to follow the instructions carefully. If you quoted the book or another resource, make sure you cite the quotes and paraphrases correctly (see this link for some general information on that topic).
17. Pat yourself on the back. You should be at this point at least two days before the deadline. Aim to finish your paper two days before it's due, because that way, you have room for error, in case your printer self-destructs, the cat eats your diskette, etc., you'll have one more day to get caught up.
18. When you receive your paper back, study any comments you receive and make sure you understand why you got the grade you did. If you got a lower grade than expected, make an appointment with the professor to discuss it--NOT TO ARGUE WITH THEM, but to learn from your mistakes so you will do better in the future.

Okay, so I came up with 18 steps, but some of them were multi-steps, too. This is when a time management tool called Reverse Planning comes in handy. As soon as you know you have a paper due, pull out your calendar (yes, you need to own a calendar that you carry with you everywhere... I recommend Time:Master). Take all of these tasks and figure out when you will do them. Aim to do one-three steps per day.

I think you may find that trying to Write a paper in one sitting is daunting--everyone is likely to procrastinate that step. But these mini-steps are very doable, and sometimes quite painless. And as you make progress, you gain momentum. And, I hope, you start turning out great papers a day or two ahead of the due date.

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