The trick to writing an essay in which you only have one point to make is to write the same thing multiple times, creating the illusion of content while saying nothing at all. To do this, all you need to do is take the content that you wrote earlier in the essay, re-word it, and then just type it in. This convinces the reader that they are taking in much more information than they actually are. Sometimes I take a couple of lines to translate the same idea, even though I have nothing to add. After that, all it takes is some clever rephrasing in words or style- you can even include a change in style of punctuation. Changing the tone of voice can also work!
What this does is it makes the reader feel like you've really covered your point, like you really know what you're talking about. They've just read your point so many times-each time from a different angle- that it seems like everything you are saying is leading somewhere. However, this is misdirection; what's really happening is usually only seen by the writer, who knows that while it may seem like they have a lot to say, it could really just be boiled down into a few sentences. But each point seems unique because of the new, fresh syntax of each sentence, so the reader just goes along with it.
Doing this really fills out your paper. You've only spent just a couple of minutes rehashing an idea, and suddenly you've got half a page! Okay, maybe it is just filler, but you must ask yourself: Is there anything more I can say? The answer is usually "no," so you continue on, hoping that your readers don't notice. You try everything: changing syntax, studiously delving into your thesaurus in anticipation of commencing an inquisition of a myriad of dissimilar synonyms, and changing your tone of voice. Maybe you can try a narrative section. You still write down your point over and over, but this time you use your voice to change the reader's perspective. You think, you write, you communicate, but you're giving a different point of view now, giving the false sense of new points to the reader.
The passive voice can be used to make it sound like you are saying something new. The reader is tricked by many things, including how actively or passively the paper was written. Ideas are presented, but it is not realized that they have been used before. Suddenly, the essay is perceived as having many points, rather than one. Quotes by other people are often used to fortify your point. "The illusion of content" is created, even if none has been added.
It's all about pacing. Sometimes you just need to start small. Don't reveal what you're about to say right away. Make the reader wait. Spend some time building up to your point. Pretend that the presentation of your idea affects its reception. Let the reader feel some kind of payoff. This is where it becomes a game. A string of short sentences works pretty well, but eventually you will need to combine two separate (but similar!) thoughts. As you get closer to the reveal, your sentences get longer- more "ideas" get strung together. The reader feels a sense of building energy as clauses are added and more words appear throughout the sentence. Throw in more adjectives, add in more flowery verbs, or make a convincing list
that seems to flow with your writing; it makes it seem more dramatic. As the drama and energy build, the reader can feel the growing sense of urgency. It is less about the content and more about the payoff now. They feel the strong desire for resolution, and it moves them to keep reading; there is kinetic energy in the static writing.
And then you present the point again.
It seems different, but it is just separate from the buildup, making it stand out. It's not always about making it stand out, though. Sometimes, if you throw enough words at a reader to dull their awareness to the fact that they are just reading a ton of words and useless verbiage that don't really mean much other than the fact that they are just taking up space in a paper in which you don't have enough to say convincingly, it becomes possible to in some way to casually slip the same thing by them because their eyes are just tired of the seemingly endless wash of words and are just looking for an end to the sentence- hoping for a break, losing track of where they are in the sentence, wondering if they should go back and try to read it again because there's this vague feeling that something important was said somewhere along the way.
The easiest place to say the same thing again is in the conclusion paragraph, because it is basically a summary of the paper. Here, you can just fill up space by paraphrasing what you've been saying the entire time. Usually, you start small by just stating your idea. Then, you make the same point, but in more general terms. Finally, after stumbling through an entire essay with endless rephrasing, repetition, and stalling, you can state your conclusion in its broadest terms: that you've been saying the same thing for 897 words now, just in many different ways.
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