By now, school has begun in most places and a semester full of education, experience, and once-in-a-lifetime social events awaits students everywhere—also, research papers, grueling tests, and a lot of procrastination. The fun stuff. As a former English major, I've written a few research papers in my time and procrastinated nearly all of them. I know what you're going through. And, before I forget all of the best tips and tricks I gleaned from my time as an undergrad, I thought it would be a good idea to write them down for anyone who may need them, and not only write them down, but use analogies from the classic Pokémon games I used to play in order to do so. What follows will be practical advice for both succeeding in the game, and in writing a solid research paper—things I would assume are equally important to everyone (one rung up from mastering synchronized swimming and one down from your family on the Ladder of Priorities).
1. First, give yourself a name in the top left hand corner of the page. As Professor Oaks would say, are you a boy or a girl? Being accurate here really counts, so make sure it's a good name that isn't gender neutral. Like Camryn, for instance. That is the one I most frequently use.
2. One of the hardest things about writing a research paper is finding the perfect topic, or thesis. Professors encourage you to write about something no one else has written before, or view existing scholarship from a new angle that has not previously been discussed. I have found this to be excellent advice, and I also believe that you should find a topic or point of view to write from that interests you, personally. As in Pokémon, don't just add a Pidgey to your team because it seems like the reasonable thing to do, or because everyone else does. Pick the Pokémon you want to battle with. Like paper topics, there are so many Pokémon to choose from—don't limit yourself. So what if no one else likes Jigglypuff? Follow your heart, and the passion you put into raising that jiggling puff—or into that obscure paper topic—will be evident to everyone.
3. In order to succeed in the game of Pokémon, to be the very best, like no one ever was, you must level up your Pokémon and help them gain experience through many battles and hours of play. Similarly, you can't expect to write a strong, well-organized paper if you don't put in the hours. You can't procrastinate and expect to turn in a top notch paper, just like you can't avoid all of the trainers who want to battle you and then expect to defeat Misty's level 21 Starmie with a piddly, level 5 Geodude. It just isn't going to happen.
4. Stack your argument with strong, credible quotes and scholarship from the best scholars, just as you would stack your team of Pokemon with the best Pokemon you can find to beat any gym leader or trainer, no matter what type they have. That means you need the equivalent of a Blastoise, Pikachu, and Charizard, Pidgeot, Venasaur, and Mewtwo in your paper. You need to be able to counter all types of Pokemon or counter arguments you may confront in your argument, and have enough to avoid dying in battle or seeming not credible as a scholar. That means 6 in Pokemon, and at least 6 in your paper. Math.
5. Remember to mention the critical conversation surrounding your topic. Sometimes when Pokemon get hit by certain moves, like Double Edge or Slash, it says it was a "critical hit." This is why you need to mention the critical conversation. It'll severely damage whoever is reading your paper—your professor—and by severely damage I mean severely (and positively) influence the grade your professor gives you. (Yes, this is a stretch, but I went there. So deal with it.)
6. Often, your Pokémon journey is referred to as an adventure. Treat your paper writing process the same way, viewing it as an exciting adventure instead of the slow-moving, soul crushing activity it may often seem to be. Enjoy each part of the process, from the early beginnings of finding your thesis and reading the scholarship of others to the long nights spent searching for quotes in novels and documents and using them to form a well-built, cohesive argument. Like wandering through the grass of the Viridian Forest for hours, looking for that darned Pikachu, the effort you put into finding the tiniest things and the smallest of quotes will pay off, so enjoy it.
7. Save often so you can go back to where you were in case you lose in a battle, or your outdated computer randomly shuts down for no reason. Though I have never personally experienced the agony that follows the shutting down of a computer in the midst of writing page 9 of a 10 page paper, I have heard horror stories from friends and trust me, there is nothing quite as painful. Perhaps besides beating the entire Elite Four after a marathon session of gameplay and having your batteries suddenly die in the celebratory aftermath and realizing you never saved. The whole time.
8. And finally, in both cases, put all of your focus into what you're doing, limiting distractions that could deter your progress. That means not playing Pokémon while writing a paper, no matter how much reading this makes you want to.
But I can play it, because I'm not in school.
*downloads emulator on phone*
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