My Writing Process

My writing style varies depending on the task but there are certain things that are always the same. For example I must be in a quiet place without music, tv, or people talking in the room. My desk is usually where I end up writing and I absolutely cannot write if my desk is not completely clean and neat. My roommate always knows when I am about to write a paper because she sees me filing away all my papers and move my books off my desk. I guess you can say I am fairly predicable... Once I establish my environment, I try to focus on the task. I read the prompt over and over, usually two or three times before I begin anything else. I ask myself what the prompt is saying and I begin to think of what direction I want my paper to take. Usually there is one specific thing that pops into my head and I begin to build off of that one idea. More often than not I will end up with other ideas. So I type out my paper in an outline form. This way I can expand on all of my ideas and move things around throughout the paper to make a logical order (the last thing I worry about). I am very careful to keep focused on the assignment I re-read the prompt throughout my writing to make sure that I am not getting off task. I never try to write the whole paper in one sitting. I usually focus on one or two paragraphs at a time, but I usually just go with the flow. Sometimes I have more to say than other times. Once I have written the entire paper, I proof read it and sometimes have someone else look it over. I guess I should check out the undergraduate writing center, I have never used it, which is embarassing but I haven't written too many papers in college so far. I always read my final paper out loud to make sure I have a nice flow and it helps me catch mistakes and akward wording. These techniques have worked well for me for quite a while.