By Gerrit McDonald/ reporter

If students plan for success, maximize resources and don’t procrastinate, there is no reason not to succeed, said a TR instructional associate.

Amy Perez, a part-time tutor in the TR writing and learning center, presented Five Steps in Writing Better Papers Sept. 9.

“Good writing is clear thinking made visible,” she said. “Our goal here is not only to help you become better writers but better students as well.”

To do that, students need to go through the five steps, Perez said. The first is planning. They should set a time and commit to it, she said. She also advised students to use the instructor, classmates and the campus writing and learning center. Other techniques are brainstorming, concept maps or free-writing, Perez said.

“No one is going to see your first draft,” she said. “Write with the idea that it’s going to be crummy, but that’s OK.”

Perez said the thesis is the GPS for one’s paper, and like a GPS, the thesis keeps a writer on course. Every word, sentence and paragraph must relate to the thesis, she said. In the conclusion, students should restate the thesis, never introduce new material and be sure to give the reader something to take away, she added.

TR student Silvia Fraide said she had trouble composing a thesis and structuring her essays.

After the seminar, Fraide said, “I feel much more confident in my essay construction, and those thesis statements no longer seem as daunting.”

Aydet Mendoza, another TR student, said she went to the seminar for help with her English and history essays.

“At first, essay writing seemed overwhelming, but now I know how much procrastination can affect me,” she said.

Perez advised students to edit.

“If you come away with nothing else today, be sure to start your paper with something and revise, revise, revise,” Perez said.`