I don’t like writing or pretty much any work I have to do outside of the classroom, so for almost every paper assignment I’ve received in college, I begin it the same day. I’d rather write six or seven pages in one sitting than have to think about when I’d be able to commit the time to it. I don’t think of a paper as being broken up into drafts, I see it as one paper. If I can fill up the required word or page count, even if the ideas of the paper aren’t so good or completely thought out, it gives me a place to go from, making writing the rest of the paper nothing. The hardest part is definitely starting the paper. Getting at least a page or so written makes it seem like you don’t have that much to do when you are thinking about finishing it.
When I write, I never draw a web or make an outline. I’ve never had problems writing for specific prompt or topic, so I loathed all the occasions in elementary and middle school where the teachers forced you to plan your ideas out. My way is looked at as the lazy way but to me it just seems more natural. That is, I skip the introductory paragraph and go right on into the paper typing out whatever I’m thinking about at the moment as if I were talking aloud. No matter how bad, dumb, or off-topic some of the thought trains can be, I’ll stick with them just so I get over the page requirement. I like to throw in stories in my papers because not only do they offer a change of pace from just pure narration, but they can help benefit you on proving your thesis. I’ve never formally had to write CROTS, but from the homework I’ve been working on, it’s pretty much the same thing.
After the page requirement (word count for this home work) is plowed through, I’ll wait until the night before or two the assignment’s due, and re read it. This is almost as good as a friend reviewing it, because by the time I’m finally reading over my work, I have forgotten what I previously wrote letting myself catch mistakes better. Most importantly though, as you’re reading over your work again, you get fresh ideas, ideas that are even better than what you previously wrote and can replace or make your paper better.
I feel the same way with my papers. I will put them off until the last day if I don’t start working on them as soon as I can. Starting the paper is the hardest for me to. Once I get my main thought going it’s so much easier to finish the paper. I do, however, try to plan out my papers before I write them. I may not do it all the time but for larger papers I try to do some kind of an outline. If the way you write your papers works for you then I don’t think it’s lazy at all, it’s just the way you write. I haven’t written a crot before this class either. I did like how you go back and reread your work and make changes. I will totally try to do that with my papers as well.
ReplyDelete"I skip the introductory paragraph and go right on into the paper typing out whatever I’m thinking about at the moment as if I were talking aloud." = free writing, an invention technique. That is, a process to help you discover ideas.
ReplyDelete"as you’re reading over your work again, you get fresh ideas, ideas that are even better than what you previously wrote and can replace or make your paper better" = revising