What are the Best Tips for Writing a Last-Minute Essay? Writing a last-minute essay can feel overwhelming and stressful. Often, students will be given only a short time to write their essays before they are due. The most important thing is to avoid rushing and start writing early in the process. Writing tips for last-minute writing: First, make sure you understand what you need to write about, and then start drafting your thoughts. If you are feeling stuck, take some time away from your work to let things simmer. Second, decide which parts of your paper will make the biggest contribution to your argument or thesis statement - those pieces should be at the beginning of your text. Finally, don't give up! It can always be better to continue working on the paper than not have written anything at all!