First, start with a topic and start babbling. Just keep saying things and things. Halfway through the first paragraph of an introduction, you'll realized that you have just written something that might need backing up, such as the origins of the thing which you are babbling about. Or you realize that you know nothing about it and perhaps including more would be a great idea. A few days later, you'll be done with a draft. And my God, every first draft for every paper you write is the next worst thing you've ever written in your life. So then you'll print it out, after marathon testing, and whip out a pen and start dissecting it, scrutinizing every word, and realizing that you suck at tense consistency. And next thing you know, the entire paper is covered in your chicken-scratch handwriting and things are crossed-out, blackened-out, and there are capital letter screaming improvements at you everywhere. Oh, and, of course, make sure you're doing this while doing something else. Like working on math problems or watching a show. Or while contemplating how to make the coming weekend the best weekend ever. Or how you're going to do ten points better on your differential equations test even if it's the last thing you do on this good earth. And make sure that the essay is due a week or so from when this is all happening. You're guaranteed to get distracted. And, as if distraction cannot be enough, even consider writing a blog entry about your writing style. But that improves your writing, so that's okay.
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