How Many Pages Should You Write?

Teachers often give students essay assignments that include a certain page length requirement. For the most part, they really do this to encourage students to dig deep and cover all angles of a topic. Although they may tell you that they require five pages or so, teachers really tend to prefer quality over quantity.

But just to give you something to shoot for, a typical page that is double-spaced can hold about 300 words in twelve-point font. That means a 1000-word essay should be at least three pages long.

The next time you receive an assignment with a certain page minimum, ask your teacher if you'll lose points for being a page short. This way, you'll be less inclined to water down a good essay or research paper with extra fluff.

But if you plan to go short, you should pack your paper with great quality writing!

But what if you have no idea how long an assignment should be? If you have absolutely no idea how much to write in a certain assignment or about a certain topic, you could follow some very basic guidelines I've provided.

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Write a Letter to the Editor

Are you concerned about global climate change? Excited about the upcoming election? Angry at the paparazzi for stalking your favorite celebrity?

One way to involve yourself in a community of readers is to write a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine. You can voice your opinion and gain great writing experience for college at the same time!

It's easy to get started on your letter. First, find a topic that really matters to you. Then select a newspaper or magazine that addresses your topic. Read the instructions for writing to the editor and then get started on your first draft. Once your first letter is published, you'll be hooked!

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Write a Limerick

You might need to write a limerick for an assignment, or you may want to learn the art just for fun or to impress a friend. Limericks are fun--they usually have a bit of a twist and a perhaps a silly element. And best of all, they can be a great way to express how clever and creative you can be!

A limerick contains five lines. In this mini-poem, the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme, and the third and fourth lines rhyme. Here is an example:

There once was a student named Dwight,
Who slept only three hours a night.
He dozed in the classroom
And snoozed in the bathroom,
So Dwight’s college options are slight.

There is also a certain rhythm to a limerick that makes it unique. The meter, or the number of beats (stressed syllables) per lines, is 3,3,2,2,3. For example, in the second line, the three stressed points are slept, three, and night.

The syllabification is (usually) 8,8,5,5,8, but there is some variation in this. In the limerick above, there are actually 6 syllables in the third and fourth lines.

To write your own limerick, begin with a person and/or a place. Make sure that one or both of them are easy to rhyme. For your first try, start with “there once was” and finish the first line with five more syllables. Example: There once was a boy from Cancun.

Now think of a feature or an event and write a line that ends in a word that rhymes with Cancun, such as: Whose eyes were as round as the moon.

Next, skip to the fifth line, which will be the final line that includes the twist or punch line. What are some of your rhyming word choices? There are many.

• Balloon
• Raccoon
• Spoon
• maroon

Try to think up something funny or clever to say and write a line that will end with one of your rhyming words. (You will find that the two short lines in the middle are easy to come up with. You can work on those last.)

Here is one possible result:

There once was a boy from Cancun,
Whose eyes were as round as the moon.
That wasn’t so bad,
But the nose that he had
Was as long and as flat as a spoon.

Have fun!

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