Reblog For A Perfect Second Semester

Klaus :: Pitchbook illustrations by Marcin Jakubowski

tomorrow is december, which means i’ve succesfully wasted almost an entire year again

Shadow Work Info 🧿🌀🥀

[via @risingwoman on Insta]

how to write that 17-page essay that’s high-key giving you anxiety

so it’s 4am and you’ve had three cups of coffee but you’ve only written two sentences. you look at the prompt and find it has ceased to make sense. “how the fuck am i gonna turn this into a 17-page paper” you ask. 

never fear! your friendly neighborhood college fuckup is here with an answer. buckle down and get another cup of coffee; you’re in this for the long haul. (literally. this post got long because i’m apparently incapable of writing short posts, but i also pulled a 3.9 cGPA using this method so i’d say it’s worth the read.)

first, a cheat: email your professor and ask if you can use subheaders. subheaders eliminate the need for smooth transitions between portions of your argument and also create a ton of white space, which can help you reach page count. 

second, a tip: don’t be afraid to meet with your prof. this essay probably isn’t a take-home exam; it’s likely that your prof set this paper to give you a chance to learn and write about something you enjoy. shoot your prof an email saying “hey, this is what i’m thinking, this is what i’m struggling with, can i meet with you to talk it out?” 9 times out of 10, your prof will say yes. if they say no, talk to another prof in the same discipline. otherwise talk to your uni writing center or a friend of yours. worse come to worst, shoot me a message.

what you’re gonna do now is outline the fuck out of your paper to procrastinate actually writing it. 

step 1: take apart the prompt. it’ll be asking for a few different things; mark these things with different cues: brackets, underlining, different colored pens, whatever. this structures your response.

if you don’t know your thesis yet, that’s fine! let it develop naturally as you conduct your research and plan your argument. you can change it as you go - that’s the point of researching the topic. no one will know what your first draft thesis was.

step 2: look at the dismembered prompt. write bullets with brief explanations for how you’ll attack each part of the prompt. these can be detailed or as vague as “look up that one reading and use it as a counter argument.” then figure out the best way to organize the bullets. if nothing makes sense, that’s fine too. you can write each chunk of your argument and structure it later.

these bullets make good subheaders. js.

step 3: under each bullet from step 2, list out what info and evidence you need for that aspect of your argument. don’t worry about details yet; focus on structure. write these bullets as though you’re talking to a friend about what your argument is and why is works. let it be stupid. let it be simple. say shit like “freud was a bitch and i can prove it.” 

step 4: now that you have a rough draft of your outline, go back and fill in the details. remember, you’re still outlining! you’re basically redoing step 3 with the bullets you made in step 3. this is the part where i take the most time and put in the most effort.

i tend to reach page/word count easily if my outline is half the length the paper needs to be, so i keep outlining until i reach that point. this ratio might be different for you. if you can figure out your ratio, it can tell you if you need to look for more info or if you’re good to go.

make a note of what you’re citing but don’t worry about actual citations. i like using gdocs because you can easily paste a link to your source in a comment. this way, the sources don’t clutter up your doc or artificially inflate your page or word count.

be silly! be stupid! use swear words and memes and internet lingo. you’re just outlining right now; you don’t need to sound smart and professional. you should be focusing on what you want to say, not how to say it.

by the end of this process, my outline is basically my paper in bulletpoint format, without any fancy jargon or quotes or cited evidence, and usually not in complete sentences. i’ve essentially tricked myself into writing my paper by saying “i’m just outlining, it doesn’t really matter.” it’s also less daunting to write the rest of the paper when you know you already have 9 pages done instead of 0.

step 5: write the damn thing! open a fresh doc for your paper and view it side-by-side with your outline. now you get to make your bullets sound pretentious and academic. insert quotes and other evidence. turn “freud was a bitch” into “freud knowingly perpetuated several falsehoods for the sake of his personal gain, thereby undoing decades of progress in the field of psychology.” 

don’t worry about citations right now, though! do what you did in your outline and insert the citations as comments at the points where they need to be. creating citations will interrupt your flow.

step 6: once your paper is done, go back and add citations! this can take up to an hour depending on how many sources you have, so budget your time appropriately. 

holy shit! you just wrote a whole damn paper! i’m proud of you, buddy. go buy yourself a milkshake and take a nap. 

𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓬𝓱𝔂 𝓪𝓬𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓶𝓲𝓪

Burning candles while you study. 

Watching storms. 

Wearing velvet. 

Singing poems to yourself. 

Writing calligraphy. 

Wandering the graveyard. 

Hidden coffee shops. 

Misty afternoons. 

Listening to the same songs on repeat. 

Herbal tea. 

Late night stargazing. 

Cloak like jackets. 

Feeling the presence of life in old buildings. 

Being quietly strong. 

To Witches Who Are Going Back to School

For those in the broom closet, or for those who are open, for baby witches and for the experienced, here are some back to school witch tips to help your school year be magical and spectacular <3

Draw sigils on assignments for good grades/to have your teacher appreciate your work, scratch them out really hard/fast or erase them to charge.

Charm your lip balm to be persuasive, or to be heard!

Draw a tarot card in the morning to see what you should be aware of for the day, or what you need to work on for the day.

Stir your morning tea or coffee counter-clockwise to rid bad energy, and stir clockwise to bring in good energy, luck, and any other sort of positive intention.

If you have a binder that acts as a book of shadows, place sigils on them to keep wandering eyes away.

Glamours, glamOURS, GLAMOURS!!!!! They work so well if you’re running late. I like to mumble them to myself and mediate on Rose Quartz when I’m in a rush.

Eat small snacks to keep yourself grounded, and don’t forget to breathe after each class. Trust me, I know it can get frustrating with obnoxious people.

Charm talismans/amulets/bracelets to help you be on time/remember your homework.

Put satchets in your lockers/decorate your locker to make it a little safe space or school-friendly altar.

Keep the list going! I started school Monday and I’m eager to see what else witches can do for school!

So, I was looking through some pictures of George Harrison when suddenly this one came out

I was thinking "hm, where have I seen that before?"

And then I remembered...

THIS IS TOO MUCH AHHH

To all content creators out there, how do you overcome the feeling that what you are creating is Cringy??

you know what? go to your local library.

nobody cares if you just want to read Twitter with the free wifi. in fact we’re ecstatic you’re there.

don’t be afraid to touch the books. hell, taking them off the shelf and leaving them on shelving carts is one of the main ways the library counts usage and foot traffic, so don’t reshelve them yourself and don’t be afraid of looking at them!

most libraries now allow covered drinks, and many have special areas where you’re allowed to bring something to eat. have your lunch there, it’s quiet!

lovely large tables for crafts or art? they have you covered!

magazines and periodicals so you can read the newest events or pick up a new recipe? check!

you can even just watch a DVD if you have the appropriate portable screen and courtesy headphones.

GO to the library. LOVE the library. USE the library. you already paid for it!!