My Writing Process

In analyzing what type of writer I am, I've found what really allows my writing its full potential is discussing with another about my ideas, my argument, and the actual writing itself.  The process of drafting I don't find too difficult.  Although I don't need to talk with someone over everything I write, having spoken with peer editors before has made me a stronger writer, which in turn improves all the writing I attempt.

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1) I am a sequential writer.  Half of my difficulties with writing stem from simply motivating myself to begin drafting the work.  For me, spending too much time planning becomes a way of procrastination. I become no longer productive in forming my ideas.

However, I need a bit of planning, because I cannot just jump into the writing itself.  For smaller pieces of work, this planning period can only take a few moments to gather my thoughts, without needing to write any plans down.  For larger works, I need to write down my ideas or talk them out with someone else to get organized and orientated.

Revising is extremely crucial.  I am rarely satisfied with my first drafts.  At most I will use a few sentences or a paragraph from the original rough draft for the final product.  Peer editing helps me first on big ideas, and then with cleaning up syntax.

2) Generally I begin forming ideas loosely, by a list or a chart.  I want an idea of what my argument and structure of the text will be.  From there, starting sentences automatically begin forming in my mind.  

Next I work on drafting.  Sometimes I draft a paragraph, but then need to go back to planning before I can draft another. 

Once a draft is complete, I seek outside advice and opinions.  I start with improving the logic of my argument, the depth of my analysis, and organization.  Once I am satisfied with the overall content, I move onto clarifying phrasing, varying my sentence structure, and cutting excess language.

3) I’m proud to say my writing process has definitely improved over the last couple years.  I have become more efficient at completing writing projects, while also producing higher quality work.  If I have enough initial ideas in the planning phase, momentum builds, and I can complete a draft in one sitting.  After that, it helps me take a break and work on revising the next day.

However, I don’t always keep myself on track.  My process is certainly not fail proof, and unfortunately subjugated to procrastination.  While I am highly uncomfortable allowing time for only one draft, I still don’t work as efficiently as I could.  Starting the writing process early to prevent feeling rushed sometimes makes moderate procrastination along the way tempting.

4) I enjoy the process I have now.  Relying on others for peer editing advice can be discouraging, because I can feel I’m not totally in control of my schedule or writing process.  But I’ve found discussing different viewpoints improve my writing drastically.  Peer editing is very useful because while the work is still my own and my ideas, talking to someone else expands my thoughts and challenges my arguments.

I aim to mainly focus on starting my work early to have plenty of time to complete my process in small chunks instead of being forced to do everything at once.  This means staying focused and dedicated, even with the false allure of procrastinating when a deadline is several long days away.


The two posts I read both described heavier planners than me.  Honestly, I was surprised that Hunter and Olivia both seemed to think their planning part was more important than revising.  That implies a large amount of confidence in their ability to draft well off their plans.  I lack that kind of confidence and drafting skill, and in turning in a paper without much revising, would feel like I wasn't truly putting in my best effort.  However, both of them feel their process works well, demonstrating the writing diversity in our class alone.  Without revising, there is too much pressure on the planning part.  For me, revising more feels safer.