Writing Process

When someone asks me what I'd like to be doing, I'll usually choose something like sleeping, talking, hanging out with people, reading something about science, playing my piccolo in the band at hockey or football games, etc.. Notice the task absent from that list: writing. While reading the written word is something I've always been fond of, formal writing of any sort has never been something I've enjoyed. I'm hoping this class will help me break down that mental block!


My writing process in one word: handwriting. Pen on lined notebook paper. Scribbling, writing all over the margins of the paper, circling chunks of text and drawing an arrow to insert that chunk somewhere else, circling an asterisk that links a chunk I wrote in the top white space to go into that spot since there wasn't otherwise room to fit it. All that is the real key to any of my more successful writing endeavors. If I start my work typing on the computer, I'm doomed for failure before I've even started. I also like to write early in the morning post-caffeine or later at night when I tell myself it's now or never. Sometimes I write chunks of my essay that I outlined out of order, especially skipping over the introduction and conclusion. Taking mental breaks is another necessary component of my writing process to avoid exhaustion and self-defeating attitudes about what I'm writing.


For something more interesting, here's a photo of the Michigan Marching Band, the best part of my college experience, doing what we do best!

(photo credit to MMBPhotoVideo.com)