Will reading fiction books make me better at writing essays?

Why not read essays if you're trying to write essays?

writing fiction will definitely help with essays, from personal experience. it's a lot easier to get into the flow of your current thought.

reading alone, I dunno. probably a little

>>8780884
Something a lot of undergrads forget to do is not only to include texts and arguments that support your thesis, but also to bring in an article that refutes your thesis, and respond to that. That will not only help you make page count, but also will make for a stronger essay. Also, don't quote defensively, bring in a quote and then expand on that.
Being a little short shouldn't be a huge issue in college, as long as it's clear the essay is focused and doesn't miss any obvious points of discussion/make a weak argument.

>>8781028
>Also, don't quote defensively

Can you elaborate on this?

>>8781034
Typical undergrad mistake I've seen is doing quoting defensively, as in:
"Diogenes was one cool motherfucker, as shown by this (insert quotes)
Instead, bring in a quote with substance, and discuss the content and how it relates to the thesis, etc.

>>8781225

Ah, I see. Thank you for the clarity.

File: 605ef9872b3ba813d615717556b58f17.jpg (98KB, 374x446px) Image search: [Google]

98KB, 374x446px

>>8780884

>>8780895
Came to say this. Essays are some of the most fun reading. Sometimes I prefer reading these to philosophy or fiction.

Montaigne, Schopenhauer, Emerson...good times lie ahead anon. Pick a topic you love and think the shit out of that stuff. Make someone else love it as much as you do. You might find nothing more enjoyable as an art form. Even if you suck at it you'll have fun, and if your passion is real you'll communicate that and that's okay too.

>tfw far too cheerful for /lit/, what the fuck is happening to me

>>8780884
I'd have that look too if I wouldn't get to fuck that bunny.

>>8780884
Probably not. I think if you want to increase your word count you have to plan it out. I.e. finding the question and what contrasting theorists/facts you would like to use. In the intro give a brief introduction on your thesis (this is a premise which you will attempt to prove within your essay). Also think of the body of the essay as a long form argument IE premise > supporting reasoning > conclusion. In addition DO NOT LEAVE OUT ANY REASONING, NO MATTER HOW OBVIOUS, treat the marker as if they are stupid. This also bulks up the word count aswell. Finally perhaps you should compare and contrast facts/theorists and ideas and your analysis extrapolated from this.