Take a moment and think back to the last time you had to write a paper. Shouldn't be too hard, considering you just turned one in last Thursday. Now think about the process of writing that paper. What is your paper-writing style? For your response, I want you to detail how you go about writing a paper. (Do you finish a draft in one sitting? When you get stuck, what do you do to get moving agian? How do you get started?) Then tell me the strengths and weaknesses of this approach.
Example: When I write a research paper, I've obviously had to read a lot of books and articles. When reading them, I underline things and make comments in the margin; so when I get ready to start writing my paper, I go back through all the books that I've written and type up all the things I've underlined. Then I re-organize all of those quotes by placing them into subjects and headings. Afterwards, I create an outline that helps me figure out where I want to put all of those quotes in my paper. Then I typically stay up all night and write my paper in one long session, usually the night before it's due. (As a writing teacher, I should not be admitting to this, and I certainly don't condone it.)
Strengths to this approach: Typing up all the quotes might take a lot of time (honestly, I do it while I watch tv), but it helps refresh my memory and allows common threads to appear. This helps me come up with some new ideas for my paper and helps me to see the bigger picture.
Weaknesses: Obviously I don't give myself any time to look over my draft again. This is a huge flaw in my writing process that I am trying to overcome. I understand the importance of revision, but I have a hard time practicing it.
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I found writing this paper to be mostly easy. It was a very broad topic which provided me with an easy way to write fast. When I write a paper, I try to do it in one sitting, generally without drafting first. This benefits my paper by keeping my idea continuous throughout the paper. The disadvantage is that I may have problems with the order of some ideas on the first go through, but I generally sort those out by the time I finish it. If I hit writers block, I get on the internet and check mail, maybe play a video game or watch tv. As long as I get my mind off the paper it will allow me to get through the block the next time I sit down.
The only problem I had writing my last essay was the word count, I went over it by a considerable margin on the first shot and I had to condense it by almost a hundred words to make it fit.
When I am writing a paper (of any kind), I first list my main points of that paper, because those become the main paragraphs of my paper. Then I write my paper out completely in a notebook. (I hate writing new papers immeadiately on the computer.) After thats done, I go to the computer to type it. This lets me see if I have any awkward sentences by reading it over again and then typing it out. It also allows me to change any words or phrases if I have used them repeatedly in the paper.
Strength- Typing it again on the computer lets me re-read my work and do any necessary editing.
Weakness- Because I edit it on the computer, I have trouble going through later on and revising it again. Once it is done, I like to leave it in the past and move on to the next assignment.
When I go about writing a paper I usually start out by sitting down and just rack my brain or as some would call it brainstorm about my topic. I just kind of sit there and let my lind run wild for a little bit. I then proceed to pick the idea I like the best and focus all of my thoughts on it. Then I proceed to start writing my paper. I first start with the body of my paper because for me it seems easier to write the intro and conclusions when you already have you ideas and a good chunk of you paper done already. I am also the type of person that likes to do all the writting in one setting. The reason for this is that writing papers is not one of the things I extremely enjoy in life.
I feel that my strenght is that once I get going on it it seems to just flow so for me when I sit down and do it all at once it seems that I have accomplished something and no longer have to worry about it.
The weakness is that by doing it all at once I find myself that later on in the week I think of good ideas to put in my writing but don't always get around to putting them in or they don't fit well in my paper.
To be honest, I am not sure what my writing style is. I first think about the topic, whatever it may be. Then I think about personal experiences that may be related to the topic. I ask people who are close to me to help me out sometimes.
After gathering up all my ideas I will write them down on a piece of paper. I guess you could say it is an outline, but to me it is just ideas randomly put down on a piece of paper.
Normally, I will sit down at my desk and write the entire paper in one day. I hate starting something and not finishing it. Once I have finished the paper I will take it to a friend of mine who is an english teacher and allow him to revise the copy I have written.
When doing my I believe essay, I felt that I should write out what I felt first initially, then scale it back to the 500 word limit...big problem. Alot of what I had to cut out reflected in how hallow. Usually for me, I found this to work well except for this time. In AP Biology in high school, my teacher wanted concise but information filled essays. For that I wrote an essay first, read it over, cut out/added what sounded like pointless junk or re-added it in a way it flowed with another topic, then saw how long it now was. At times when I would get stuck, I would ask one of my friends if they knew anyhting about it, if not, google or use wikipedia; if it was just wording issues, I would just step away from it for a little then come back, and if that didn't work, just continue on and get back to it. I think that writing the paper first will show what I know about the topic completely, then when I look over it I could see what is needed and what isn't. The disadvantages to this I'd say are that it sometime isn't well structured at times, and it makes it possible for me to get stuck often. I think it is a good strategy if the person knows what they are writing about, if not, some more planning might be more useful.
The way i go about writing a paper depends a lot on what kindof a paper it is i'm writing. If it's a research paper, i read the book and put stars on the pages i think are important as well as underline sentances i'd like to work into my report. Then i usually sit around for a few hours thinking about how i want the paper to go before i actually start writing it. More often than not, this takes place the evening before its due. Once i've got a rough outline in my head, i type it out and then tweak things here and there as i reread it. If it's not being written the day before it's due i'll come back to it the next and read it once to see if it sounds good.
If i'm writing something just for fun, or it's a creative writing assignment, i just go nuts. I don't plan anything out. I don't make any outlines. I just write things as they pop up into my head. Soemtimes i'll have to stop and rewrite something so that it fits in with the latest ideas i've come up with, but for the most part i let my imagination go wild.
Strength - The sitting around planning my paper tends to give it a nicer flow than just writing dissjointedly. I have a plan of what my paper's going to say before i start writing it.
Weakness - I usually wait until the last moment to write something. I'm a procrastinator~ And actually writing down my outline would be better than just having it in my mind.
Usually, to get started, i just start writing beginning with the introduction. As i'm writing the introduction i think about what will be in my paper up until the conclusion. I think about what i want to say and keep that in mind throughout. If i get stuck i just take a second to sit back and think about what i have said and what i still need to say in order to get my message out there. As i write i usually take a short break and read what i've written and correct it. When i finally get it finished i go back and read the whole think checking for clarity, flow, and grammar.
Normally, to be honest, i work on my paper before the due date but i usually don't get that much done until the night before and i end up staying up really really late.
I think that my writing style is effective enough for me, but i do wish that i didn't wait so long because i always think that i could have done much better had i not waited so long. Waiting like that gives you very little time to revise.
When i write a personal paper, i start off my thinking for a few minutes with only a pen adn a piece of paper in front of me, and when i start to think of things that could be used in writing the paper, i just start writing them down. Sometimes I get about two or three lines and sometimes I get almost two sides of a piece of paper completely filled up. I usually do this maybe a day or so before I actually sit down to write the paper, so if there are any lingering ideas, I can get those out of my head before its to late to use them. Then just liek most people I wait to the last night before its due, to start adn I sit down late at night and write the paperusing the ideas that I have writen down on that piece of paper.
STRENGTHS
The things that are good is that coming up with all those ideas , keeps the juices flowing and it usually helps with having a good idea for the assignment.
WEAKNESS
Even though i know that is bad I dont thingk that ill ever change from waiting to the last minute to write a paper due.
I know that I probably don't use the best writing and pre-writing skills. I admit I usually wait until the last minute, or the day before it's due, to really start working on a paper. I tend to procrastinate...a lot. Once I do begin writing a paper, my style changes based on what kind I am writing. If it's a research paper, then clearly I need resources. So I find a couple of internet sites to gather information on what I'm writing about. It's definitely the fastest and easiest way for me, but the information isn't always reliable. Otherwise, I will go to the library and look into some books or magazines. I try to organize and categorize the information I find on a loose sheet of paper. Then I usually go into writing it on the computer as I go along. I have a general idea of where I want to take my paper, then write it "on the go" so to speak. I will look over it once to make sure it looks okay, then I turn it it. For non-research papers, I skip the first research step, and just type up my paper as I think of things. Again, I will look over the paper once, and be done with it. I figure it's not good to do it this way, but it's the way I usually do it anyway.
When I write a research paper, depending on size, I normally do like to get it done in one sitting. Usually I start by gathering sources, but I also am thinking about the length of the paper as I choose my main points. After I have chosen them, I come up with a thesis. I then start writing. All of the information that I write the first time through is the "non-parenthetical notation" information. I usually then go back through and find where I can incorporate certain quotes or pieces of information and build them in. That is, of course, only if I didnt plan on building the whole title around a quote or piece of information. In that case, it goes in the first time through and I try to build on that as much as possible. I tend to do all of this without really creating much of an official outline or anymore than scribbles of semi-organized points on a piece of paper. I also write better at night for some odd reason and usually just take that approach.
Strenghts:
I usually can write a little better if it sounds good to me rather than just trying to fit points in that make it feel long-winded or drawn out.
Weaknesses:
I really should use an outline so that I make sure not to miss any points. Sometimes this can make a paper feel a little lopsided as far as points for certain arguements when compared to others.
When I first start writing a paper I first put down some ideas that I would like to write about. I then look at all my ideas and figure out which one would be the easiest and less time comsuming to write about because I don't want to spend a long time on it. Once I've found my topic, I start writing what comes to my mind. When I get stuck and don't know what to write next, I usually go online and surf the net, check out facebook, or talk on AIM. Occassionally I'll even listen to music. Once I've had time to rest my mind, I will try to start writing again. After I finish my paper I usually save and print it. I don't take the time to reread it or edit it. I do this because I just want to be done with it and waste no more time on it. Also, I always start my papers at the last minute so there really isn't any time left to edit it if I wanted to.
Strenghts: There is time for my brain to stop thinking about one topic for long periods of time with the breaks I take when I get stuck.
Weaknesses: Usuaully there are some errors in grammar and sentence structure as well as parts that don't make sense. So when I turn it it, I get points taken off for that.
This paper was pretty difficult for me. It took me a while to find a believe that was strong enough to write a whole paper about. so I sat down for a couple of hours and just wrote the paper in one sitting.
Strengths- not to many strengths with this process except that i got it over with
weakness- wasnt clear thoughts. it was stressful, and hard to concentrate. it felt like i was trying to force the paper instead of having it just come to mind
Usually when I start to write a paper, I would like to think about and confirm my thesis but that doesn't always happen. So, i start out by jotting down random ideas that pop up in my mind (that relate to the topic). I then try to connect them all and add to them and before i realize it i usually have a pretty good idea of a good thesis in mind. From then on I proceed with my paper, introduction, body, then conclusion. The strength to this is the ability to input random thought continually throughout the writing process and the weakness to this is the amount of time it takes for me to think of a thesis.
Writing has always been a painful process for me. This pain is largely in part to my paper writing style which, historically has utilized the old plug-and-chug method.
I sit down, surround myself with everything that I might possibly need and force myself to write.
I write papers in no particular order, typing out comments and phrases and editing them together in the end.
When stuck, I usually make a pot of coffee and talk things over with my wife. Usually just discussing things out loud helps me to reorganize my thoughts and get back to the task at hand.
When I begin a paper I try to get it all done within a certain timeframe. I then do my research or write down a few small sentences or ideas to help me when I stuck. While typing, I will usually not stop within a paragraph and feel obligated to finish it before I do anything else. Once I get past certain points on my paper, I will take rest stops.
Strenghts- With a timeframe over my head it keeps me focused on the paper and motivated to finish.
Weaknesses- When I take a break from my paper I get distracted on something else, and it will take me longer to finish then what I had planned.
I tend to start off by writing exactly what I think at the time, however everything is out of order. I do this in multiple settings considering my attention span is very short. I then go back and revise it in one long setting trying to organize the words and sentences in a more reader-friendly manner.
I found that writing the past 'This I Believe' essay was simple. So simple it made it more complicating. Since I had already had my belief stored away that part didn't take too long. It was when it came down to organizing the paper is where complications began. I knew what I wanted to talk about but since this was more of an open paper I did'nt know how to put it together. I, first, started by writing the rough draft and trying to organize my thoughts as I went along, but that was very bad. So, I decided to sit at the computer and just type what I felt. And in the end, my paper was finished.
Strengeths to this was it let me express myself as what I was feeling at the moment.
Weaknesses were that I probably did'nt get everything I wanted in the essay.
When I write a paper, I usually start by drafting, and brainstorming ideas just randomly on paper. Sometimes if I get a really good idea going, I might make an outline, just to generalize how it might look as an actual written paper. I guess it just depends, for me at least, on how much information I can supply. Usually I will finish my first draft in one sitting, but it is relatively short and lacking in extensive vocabulary. The next few days then I will proceed to go back over my work, and revise or add things wherever needed.
The strengths of this approach is number one, getting the rough rough draft completed fairly quickly. Then it is much easier to go back and add or revise my work. Also, the outline is a great help, because I can visualize how my paper will go, and exactly what I want to include.
Some weaknesses of this approach is that I don't always spend enough time writing my draft. And I even get lazy and don't always like to rework things.
When I write a paper, I usually start by drafting, and brainstorming ideas just randomly on paper. Sometimes if I get a really good idea going, I might make an outline, just to generalize how it might look as an actual written paper. I guess it just depends, for me at least, on how much information I can supply. Usually I will finish my first draft in one sitting, but it is relatively short and lacking in extensive vocabulary. The next few days then I will proceed to go back over my work, and revise or add things wherever needed.
The strengths of this approach is number one, getting the rough rough draft completed fairly quickly. Then it is much easier to go back and add or revise my work. Also, the outline is a great help, because I can visualize how my paper will go, and exactly what I want to include.
Some weaknesses of this approach is that I don't always spend enough time writing my draft. And I even get lazy and don't always like to rework things.
This is actually Jon's response:
When I am assigned to write a paper, I typically like to get started on it at least a week ahead of time. Most of this time is used trying to come up with idea, because I never end up liking what I have come up with. When I eventually decide to stick with an idea, I write down the main points I want to talk about, and develop each one as I get to it. I try to get at least a start on every idea, even if it is not a complete thought, and then I will take a break (go eat lunch, exercise, socialize, ect.) before coming back to complete the first draft. My first draft is frequently pathetic and requires major revisions. I try to have a friend revise it as well.
Strengths: It is good to get started early, and have some well needed time to revise.
Weaknesses: I waste a lot of time thinking about ideas that I never use.
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