Throughout high school, I was taught how to write different types of papers. It was like my speech class: there were informative papers and persuasive papers. They were taught as if there were different types of writing styles, but I found myself using the same format or process every time I wrote a paper.
I would make an outline, the rough draft, get a second opinion, and then type out my final copy on the computer. My writing process is probably like the process used by most people, but the only thing that makes my papers different is that I have different opinions. I prefer to have a topic given to me; that usually saves a lot of thinking time. Earlier in the semester, we were asked us to write about anything we wanted (just to get used to the new computer system), and it took me about 30 minutes to think about something to write. After I have a topic, ideas flow through my head, and I get a general idea about what I want to get through to my reader.
Next, I get out a sheet of paper and make an outline. I separate the outline into three sections: the introduction, the body, and, of course, the conclusion. I almost always write out the whole introduction first because it sets the mood for the rest of the paper and also, when I read a paper, or even a book, I won’t continue if I don’t like the first paragraph. I usually like to begin my paper with a question; that way the reader becomes more interested and relates himself to my paper or experience. When I write the body of the paper, I start off with the beginning sentence and write down two or three-word sentences that I later incorporate in my rough draft.
The rough draft is my next step. This is when I incorporate my introduction with the body. The conclusion is pretty much a summary of the point I was trying to make or of all the information I had given in the body. After I read my rough draft and feel that it is acceptable I usually get a second opinion, usually from my mom or a friend; or in this case, because we used Connect.net, from the class! If all goes well, I type it up and turn it in. In high school, my friends and I would say that we did the same thing every year but with a different novel. Sometimes we would even use the same papers we did the year before; it’s funny how one teacher gives you a 95% and another gives you a 70% on the same paper.
Nevertheless, I have used the same system of writing since it was taught to me. So far, it has worked pretty well. Like my mother always says, “Why change a good thing?” I always take my mothers advice.
