My Writing Porcess

Willis Jones

Professor McGrade

ENG1250

October 7, 2006 (revised November 10, 2006)

My Strengths and Weaknesses

Everyone has strengths and everyone has weaknesses. It may be assumed that adolescents and teenagers are less aware of these phenomena. This is even true in writing. Honestly, I believe everyone has trouble looking at themselves and deciding what's right and wrong with their writing. This was the case with me, I had to literally brainstorm, the old grade-school way. However, as I began to re-read my papers, the comments left by my professor, and to think critically on why I made the mistakes I made, I came up with a few weaknesses and a few strengths.

My biggest and probably most costly weakness is my writing process. Well, truthfully I don't have one. Usually, not always, but usually, I wait until the night before the paper is due and then begin to brainstorm and write out my thoughts. This is very ironic to me, because for every other class I have a scheduled study time and follow that very closely. Maybe because I dislike writing so much I don't plan on doing it. Be that as it may, it is costing me on my papers. My first paper (Nature vs. Nurture) for instance, I would have gotten a D had I not been able to revise it. The second was even worse and all of this probably could have been avoided had I spent a little more time thinking about my papers. I actually started this paper on October 7, 2006, so I have a pretty good head start on my usually late-night run. My problem didn't start here; my writing has always been done this way. Up until now I was able to get away with it. I often wondered when of even if it was going to catch up with me. Certainly, I don't have to wonder anymore. But there is a solution to this dilemma.

There are two ways I have found that will aid in creating an effective writing process. Making time in my busy schedule for brainstorming and critical thinking is the first step to my writing process. Taking time to just sit and think has made writing a little easier for this paper, and not just this one, probably others in the future. Thinking about the questions assigned to an essay helps in the development of the paper. These things may seem to be common sense and they are, but I never had to do them. I didn't have to do them, because I passed my standardized exams on reading and language arts with flying colors. These tests didn't allot very much time for thinking. I also did well in my English courses. I was in honors English for my entire high school career. But now here in college I have been challenged to use the very thoughts I thought I didn't need. This irony has stunned me. Now I realize that brainstorming and critical thinking is as important as my next step toward improving my writing.

My next step can be found at the top of my first draft of this paper. And it was written in big pink letters "EDIT". I don't edit very much, if at all. Most of time when I finish my papers, it's very late. So for me to even think about editing deserves a "Laugh Out Loud (LOL)". But this four letter word seems to be as offensive as the more famous four lettered words, when it comes to me. I feel like if my errors aren't caught by the pc they aren't that big. Then when I get the paper back I am astonished at the great stupidity shown by me. This has led me to believe I am not allotting enough time to the editing portion of my papers. My issue isn't so much knowing, but acting on what I know. I know I must edit and have time to do so, but yet I continue to rush through. This is very apparent in my writing scores. I have redirected my writing process to allow time for editing and correction. Hopefully, this paper will demonstrate that.

Now