Also, given that writing the paper sounds a little more complicated to be summarised into a single action, that probably indicates that it is actually a project. So the first action you need to take would probably be a "plan out paper" type action. This might generate all sorts of potential actions like:

* Pick a topic from the noticeboard
* Research the topic
* Write an outline
* Find quotes to back up arguments
* Write the conclusion
* Write the introduction

Who knows - I haven't written an essay in a long time. :)

The point is, there is only one physical next action you can actually do there, which is "pick a topic from the noticeboard", and it might need to go into your @college context. When you score that action off, the next action may be so obvious that you can just add it to the appropriate context, or you might have to refer back to the rough plan you wrote out, or you might have to put in a "think about what to do next for the paper" action.

The point is, whether "write paper" is a project on your project lists, or a future calendar entry, or just a simple next action it will always be on your radar at review time.