Stop boring your professors with tedious, predictable essays. Get better grades! How do you write a great essay? It’s not about five paragraphs filled with quotations from experts—you need to discover who you are as a writer and what you want to say. In a conversational style, writing instructor Laura Swart uses real student writing to show you what to do (and what not to do). Unlock your creativity and potential as a writer and create essays that stand out from the rest of your class. In this guide, you’ll learn how to: Avoid common student writing errors that keep your essays out of the A zone. Use the CSI (claim, support, investigation) method to write a critical essay. Integrate relevant and meaningful quotations and research to highlight, not overshadow, your ideas. Write natural transitions, structure seamless arguments, and craft compelling introductions and conclusions. Extend the boundaries of your thinking, giving a wide berth to mundane ideas and plodding expression.