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| Litterio, Antonio. "Power of Words." |
Although I seem to be primarily a "Heavy Reviser," I'd argue that I have a lot of the tendencies that define "Procrastinators" as well. I work well under pressure, and I frequently run out of time to write until close to the last minute. I've never been called a "Heavy Planner," regardless of the activity. Depending on what I'm writing or doing, I plan effectively and efficiently, although not at length.
Even though my writing process seems chaotic and perhaps a bit untraditional, it works well for me. I feel more satisfied after expressing myself through my own ritual; guided planning worksheets never allowed for the independence and freedom that I seek while writing. Although this process makes my writing stronger, it is also much more time consuming than other approaches can be, because I often need to take a break from working and return to my writing with a fresh perspective.
Ultimately, I know what works best for my writing and my ideas. I think it might be smart of me to refrain from procrastinating as much as I do. Otherwise, my procedure allows for liberation from a lot of conventions that have never impacted my writing in a positive way.
Reflection:
After reading Katherine and Rose's thoughts on the writing process, I realized that the "heavy reviser" type of writer is pretty common, especially among college freshmen. The other posts made me feel like I wasn't alone in my procrastinating ways, and that sometimes tackling a piece head-on without a fully developed plan isn't always a nightmare. However, I also realized that I do have some of the "planner" tendencies in me, because I always create a loose outline before approaching a piece.
I can definitely relate to not being able to think of anything to write, and your style once you start definitely has its merits. Mostly, I think that is a great way to generate (and keep) ideas. I tend to sometimes think of something, but finish what I'm in the middle of first, then forget what it was. It looks like what you do is much better.
ReplyDeleteThen you just have to fit the pieces together, which makes a better whole, when there are more pieces to start with. You then also have the advantage of possibly seeing what else you could add, if some ideas don't fit together.
As for procrastinating, that is one of the easier thing to fix, as opposed to actually getting better at coming up with ideas or articulating thoughts. It's just a matter of starting earlier.
Most of all, though, I think whether something works for an individual is the most important thing to consider, so it's good that you have that going for you.
Hey Jessi! After reading through your first post it seems like you had a fixed writing process and that it worked for you. This is great and I wish I had that kind of ability. I have some questions now that it is the end of the year though...
ReplyDelete1. Have you found that you had to change your process to fit in with all of the coursework this class requires?
2. Did you feel like you were forced to change your writing style to fit this course?
3. Did you originally expect this course to mainly just be writing a different papers every other week instead of several big projects that required a lot of coursework?
4. Do you think you will have permanently changed your writing process after this class or will you return to your original writing process, if you fell your writing process has changed?
Hi Elliot! I've found that my writing process doesn't really fit in with the coursework. I've had to make adjustments, but they don't fit organically into my writing process. So yes, I do feel like I was somewhat forced into a new writing style to fit this course. I don't think this will permanently affect my writing process, although I do want to make some changes. Being forced into a new style also forced me to stop procrastinating, which I appreciate.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I did expect this class to be mostly essays. That's all I've ever done in an English course, so this class was eye-opening.