400 Word Assignment... Pure hell.

[ShaiGar]

This is pure hell. I have to write an essay on "The Future of Energy" for my Tertiary Entrance Program at CDU. Sounds great, I love theories of energy, and I've been told I am allowed to do my work on Telsas work...

Only one problem, I have to keep the word limit down to 400 words.

I've gotten the parts down to this:

Introduction
Definition of Tesla Effect
Theories and Demonstrations of Use of Effect
How it can be put to use
Disadvantages
Conclusion.arrgh. so i get about 65 words each section... probably more in some less in others... but f**kdamnit. it's just not enough

[ginandsour]

Some things that may help:

1. No words that end in -ly.

2. Economy is important, so consider something like:

"The birds flew away" versus, "the birds scattered".

I love assignments like this--think of it as flexing a different muscle.

[HackerX]

Ouch, that's a shitty limit :|

Rather than being general, perhaps pick a more narrow topic and just concentrate on that. Obviously, you're always inclined to try and expand and explain it all, but if you can keep the topic narrow, you can go into more satisfactory detail.

Something topical, e.g. "The current problems and limitations facing future energy production", always appeals.

[ShaiGar]

Thanks HackerX, I might just do that.





ShaiGar added to this post, 273 minutes and 20 seconds later...

Changed the Topic from "Theories of Atmospheric Energy"
to
"The Influence of Tesla's Theory of Wireless Energy on The Future of Energy"

[cda]

Get used to it. Liberal arts professors are definitely more accepting of padding. In the sciences however the only thing they want to see is a constant stream of information going straight to the point. I had one professor, and what he'd do, is instead of having 1 assignment of 1000 words. He'd have 5 assignments of 250 words. Trust me on this, these assignments will pay off in the end. Soon you'll be able to speak like these assignments (explaining the meaning of life in 3 sentences) and people will be like 'WTF are you rainman?!?!??'

[mind_wander]

Just playing the devil's advocate with this and pretending to be a fake P. You can go both ways on this, by thinking the big picture, then going into specific details which makes a big difference on why Tesla Effect is so important? Maybe this helps your thinking pattern, so you still be the P you are, later on hitting all the main points of it. Yes, by then there should be 400 words. Ex: Big Picture + Spontanous Key Main Points = 400 words. Plus, the ENTP you are loved to think about the specifics anyways. I hope this helps :)

[INTJoe]

400 words? WTF? You can't tell a limerick in 400 words.

I forget who it was who said that it would take him weeks to prepare a 3 minute speech, but he could give a 2 hour lecture with a day's notice. lol.

Getting succinct in 400 words is pretty tough.

[Firelie]

Geeze, I need your teachers! Mine give me shit for being succinct.

[ShaiGar]

In order to minimise what i'd be writing further, i specified the topic again.
"The influence of Nikola Tesla's Theory of Wireless Energy Transfer on The Future of Energy, in regards to Space Based Solar Farms"


from that I managed to get an 800 word plan for my essay

[INTJoe]

In order to minimise what i'd be writing further, i specified the topic again.
"The influence of Nikola Tesla's Theory of Wireless Energy Transfer on The Future of Energy, in regards to Space Based Solar Farms"


from that I managed to get an 800 word plan for my essay

Hey...just make the title 400 words, and the body the other 400. Loopholes ftw!

[Theodoric]

This is pure hell. I have to write an essay on "The Future of Energy" for my Tertiary Entrance Program at CDU. Sounds great, I love theories of energy, and I've been told I am allowed to do my work on Telsas work...

Only one problem, I have to keep the word limit down to 400 words.

I've gotten the parts down to this:

Introduction
Definition of Tesla Effect
Theories and Demonstrations of Use of Effect
How it can be put to use
Disadvantages
Conclusion.arrgh. so i get about 65 words each section... probably more in some less in others... but f**kdamnit. it's just not enough

Since when did higher education start becoming mindless tasks in drudgery and bean counting rather than inspective research and analysis? And they wonder why industries are failing and there's no innovation :rolleyes:

I really feel your pain here. I doubt I'd be able to write a forum post or blog detailing this that was under 400 words let alone a research paper or essay. Good luck to you on this one. I'm sure you can pull it off.

[ginandsour]

Ideas are worthless if they can't be conveyed, hence the desire for concise, elegant writing regardless of field.

[gogurtdynasty]

that would kill me... i'm definitely not concise

[eternaltriangle]

Can you use appendices?

I am always over the limit myself, so I feel your pain.

[Katie]

It's the type of editing I've always done - doing with words what I do with processes. Find the most efficient way to say it. So, instead of long sections on standard and on green, jump in with a conclusive statement that you back up with just enough detail ... presume your reader is on the same wavelength. Once that's done, you'll probably have to add just enough more detail to bring a reader to the same wavelength.

[colmdubh]

Try focusing on a very specific idea..but I understand even specific ideas people write books about...perhaps use letters as symbols to create a 'handwritten' abstract drawing of energy and then write a 10 page essay describing it...or write the paper and include an appendix

[Nausved]

I would cut the introduction and conclusion, or at least make them as minimal as possible. They're often treated as "overviews" and "summaries", and that's redundant. The text should speak for itself.

Treat it as if you're writing an abstract for a research paper. You can't include everything; you have to pare it down to the take-home message.

[raconteur213]

Think of it as Haiku on steroids

[Thistle]

Ouch - nasty limit.
That said, the inclusion of bullet points (therefore no need for links) and annotated diagrams (if possible) could help?!

[ShaiGar]

bullet points are not allowed.

[Thistle]

a mindmap then?

[ShaiGar]

eeee, it due in 6 hours...
i is doing notes for it now.





ShaiGar added to this post, 291 minutes and 38 seconds later...

I got loaded up on narcotics and just wrote the thing from bullshit.

You can read it here: To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

[Over]

Only one problem, I have to keep the word limit down to 400 words.

What the hell, are you in 4th grade?

[ShaiGar]

Lecturer wanted to know that we are able to string words together.

[Antares]

400 words only? I hate word limits. My 101 word short story would have been much better if I were allowed more words, and my 100'ish word vignette became 450 words.