Those Pesky Word Limits
Do you struggle with word limits? Or with too many ideas in your assignments?
Try this:
When writing, start small and finish at the right length.
(10 words)
Start small and finish at the right length. Explain and justify in one short paragraph only what is essential. That limits your points. Next, rewrite that as two paragraphs, and then as three. At this point, go to your sources and start learning from them. Continue to expand, using good sources, until you reach your word limit. Each rewrite should be clearer and more focused. Expanding towards the word limit focuses your argument and saves you from cutting words and points when you have written too much. Start small and finish at the right length; your paper will be better.
(100 words)
Start small and finish at the right length. Explain and justify only what is essential in one short paragraph. This forces an economy of words and a focus on the important points. Next, rewrite that as two paragraphs, and then as three. Like an expanding balloon, each part can grow as needed.
Write from the beginning, as you develop your argument. You are writing to think, so your early answers are provisional and subject to change and improvement (Martin, 2020, p. 85). You can maintain your train of thought and yet take breaks, move between sections, and do further research, because you are expanding and developing your prior arguments.
With your third version, you have done your work and written in your academic voice—your explanation, your structure, and your words. Now it is time to go to your sources and learn from them, using them to complement and improve your essay (Martin 2020; Cayley 2011), as you expand towards your word limits. This saves you from having to cut words and points from a draft that says too much—a process that usually still ends with an essay that still says too much and is not very clear (Cayley, 2014). Start small and finish at the right length; your paper will be better.
(214 words)
You get the idea. You write in your academic voice, expand, and then go to the scholars as you need. You continue to think and improve your argument with each expansion. You can also take valuable breaks between revisions, letting your mind work away in the background while you do other things. This focuses your research, as you only add what you need for each stage, rather than researching everything before you work out your argument and evidence. And as you expand your text and write to think, you improve your argument and write more clearly.
Different starts for different tasks
The idea is to start small and “inflate your balloon” (write your answer) till it fills the word limit. But you’ll need to approach this differently for different types of tasks:
For an exegetical essay or a sermon, start with your own observations, and study that fish (exegete your text) for as long as you can. Then start your outline with an initial sentence (and perhaps a couple bullet points) for each section. Only after that do you go to the commentators and let them confirm, check, correct, or refine your observations, and show you what you have missed.
For a research essay, Start with any background knowledge you have. If you have primary documents, read and study those next. Develop your thesis (answer in one sentence) and your argument for that thesis. Write your initial one-sentence answers. Then go to your secondary sources to let them expand your thinking and improve your argument.
(Of course, if you have little or no knowledge of the topic, then skim a few basic introductions to the topic from biblical or theological dictionaries or similar reference works. Your research should also start small and grow gently like a balloon.)
For a reflection, start by reflecting on the experience assigned. Ponder. Think. Answer each question or section with a clear sentence. If you are required to reflect using literature, now is the time to read, consider its implications for your reflection, and reflect further in light of that.
For other types of assessments, do as above—start small and expand slowly. Think what you can do on your own first and do that. Aim to develop your own argument, so it is in your academic voice. Then bring in your sources.
For every assignment:
Expand your paragraphs towards your word limits. Add research judiciously, only as you need. Focus on the big and disputed issues. And use scholarship to support, complement, correct, and improve your thinking. If you dismiss a significant opinion, mention why.
Let each draft, and especially your final draft, sit between revisions if you can. Reread and tidy up. Check with Grammarly. Submit.
The benefits of starting small
The benefits of this recursive, expanding writing process include:
You write in your academic voice from the start, because you don’t resort too early to secondary sources. You are training yourself to think.
You interact with scholarship to improve your thinking, not to do your thinking.
You train yourself to distinguish major points from minor points. (Too much detail is death to a good argument or reflection.)
You improve your argument and clarity as you rewrite.
As you revise your position, you can adjust your structure before you invest too many words.
You revise your structure and positions as you develop your argument.
You won’t have to reduce your word count, as you should approach it but not cross it.
Your final essay will be your argument, in your voice, focused on the major issues, and in thoughtful dialogue with the scholars.
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