What Steps Do You Take To Write Your Papers?

[Ventus]

One thing every school-goer does, regardless of what language we may speak, is write and/or type at least one paper. Whether it's that Biology lab report or the Study of European Native Languages, we've written papers in one point of our lives. I myself am in the process of writing a paper, but that's besides the point. What I wanted to know is what steps do you take to write/type your papers? Do you think the steps you take are particularly effective? Do your steps change depending upon the kind of paper being written -- there are various kinds of papers from reports to essays to interviews etc?

I usually take these following steps when writing a paper, in order from first to last.

1) Procrastinate
Yes, this lovable word that all of us are victim to. I procrastinate writing my papers; I find that starting on them as soon as possible does me no good, as I typically end at a dead end. I just wait it out, thinking about the paper for as long as I can until I actually begin the writing process. If I don't procrastinate, I do not write well. This step actually isn't effective, it's probably just something that I personally feel works but in all actuality does nothing. :3

2) Do Pre-WRITING (with pencil)
I tried to discombobulate a fellow student at one point in my life by telling them that pre-writing was absolutely useless. 'Why not get to the actual stuff and just start writing your paper?!' I reasoned. Ironically, I use this technique many times within my writing life; I find if I do not jot down (with pencil) some ideas, I won't be able to properly flesh out my ideas and that results in an unfinished paper. I believe this step is very effective: as I said, the process allows me to flesh out my ideas to a point where things begin to flow decently.

3) Start Writing
I usually take to writing my paper within minutes of prewriting. It's the most effective thing, really.

4) Procrastinate MORE
I typically get to a stopping point by the halfway spot within the paper. I don't konw what it is, I guess I have a shrot attention span and easily get bored! xD

5) Pour all effort in and get it done at the last minute
By "the last minute", I don't mean seconds before the class starts! No, that would be unfitting of me! [noparse][/noparse] What I mean by "last minute" is really the night before the day the paper is due. This probably isn't the most effective thing, but I surmise the tension and motivation to get that great grade allows me to finish my paper in a short burst of time. <3

So, what are your steps?

 

[Cfrock]

I usually just say "I have plenty of time" and then realise an assignment is due the next day. This is followed by panic, self-loathing and a desperate rush to just type up something that can be handed in. After every few paragraphs, I read over it and make some changes if I feel they're needed.

Then I hand them in and get a mark which is quite good considering they are written mostly at 4 in the morning with no preparation. Then I start thinking about how much better my mark would have been if I had prepared and drafted. Then I resolve to do it properly next time. Then I don't.

For 6 years this has been my system and I still get better marks than a lot of my peers. I have come to depend on this system, which is not good really.

 

[A Link In Time]

I rarely plan my writing ahead of time. I stare at a blank document for a minute and subsequently commence working. Writing comes naturally to me and I feel as though I've gained better command of language following completion of the AP English Language and Composition course. I seek to strengthen my diction through more intricate synonyms of common words; on the syntax side sentence variety is key. I try to avoid starting every sentence with my subject, including some staccato sentences and appositives.

Perhaps more important than the writing itself is the editing process. I typically find myself writing school papers late at night which can result in some awkward sounding sentences if I don't take the time to pour through and correct errors. People are often less critical of their own writing than that of others therefore I've been spending more time lurking the writing sections of forums like this one and offering my suggestions to writers. By looking at even the best pieces and observing what they lack in, I hone my own creed.

 

[Aurelia]

Usually when it comes to any writing assignment I just write what's on my mind and once I either have it on paper or typed out I look stay it again and see if it needs improvement or not. But most of the time my writing doesn't.

I dunno. I like writing

 

[GirlWithAFairy]

I do a lot of pre-writing.... I write many many many rough drafts and I check and double check sources and make sure that they are legit(no one likes being caught with a ******** source) and then when I feel my paper is as good as it gets I type it up, check spelling and grammar, cite my sources and then BAM all done. I take at least a week to do research if I have that much time. I like to find lots of sources and find as much information to write on as possible. I often found it hard to squeeze it all into the page limit...

 

[windwaker101]

I usually just say "I have plenty of time" and then realise an assignment is due the next day. This is followed by panic, self-loathing and a desperate rush to just type up something that can be handed in. After every few paragraphs, I read over it and make some changes if I feel they're needed.

Then I hand them in and get a mark which is quite good considering they are written mostly at 4 in the morning with no preparation. Then I start thinking about how much better my mark would have been if I had prepared and drafted. Then I resolve to do it properly next time. Then I don't.

For 6 years this has been my system and I still get better marks than a lot of my peers. I have come to depend on this system, which is not good really.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[Mudora]

Alright, here's how it usually goes:
1. I lie to myself- "Oh yea, I'm not going to procrastinate this time. I'll get my assignment done early, that way I won't have to worry about it." *yawn :tired:
2. Procrastinate-At this point, I have about 2 days left on an assignment that was given around 1 week-2 weeks ago. I don't procrastinate on my writing much after this point as by now, many assignments from other subjects are also piled on my "things to do" list. It's those little assignments I end up doing last minute.
3. Brainstorm/Outline-Time to get those creative juices flowing.
4. Intense Writer's Block-Them creative juices ain't flowing. I actually don't get writer's block that often, but it's coming up with that first sentence or idea that can sometimes be tricky. If I get writer's block, it happens right around this point, or even before the brainstorm/outline.
5. Rough Draft-Once I get going, I try not to stop mid-way through or else I lose any good ideas I may have had. Depending on the assignment, my rough drafts are usually long, and always messy with random arrows and things crossed out.
6. Type the Rough Draft/Edit-Editting takes me the longest out of all the writing process. There's always different words I could use, or different ways to make a sentence flow smoother.

That's about it. You'd think I'd learn a little something called time-management... I guess not.

 

[Joy]

When I do it, I do it last minute in the class before. And the best bit is, I still get good grades.

 

[Claire]

I'm taking a class on composition this semester and the way I write a paper has changed completely to sort of adapt to college. Depending on the length of my paper I will lay out the main points I'd like to make (my argument) and have a list of sources I plan to cite. From the list of sources, I find quotes best suited for the topic and arrange them based on which best support my argument. I do this all in a notebook and once I have my general outline I will make my final draft and check over for any grammatical or spelling errors and if the argument is clear and concise.

 

[PhantomTriforce]

1) Write points for the general ideas I want to cover in the paper
2) Organize the points into the paragraphs I want to put them in
3) Write the first draft
4) Give to parents to check
5) Write final draft.

 

[Seth]

Well I am done with school, but back when I did go...

I would wake up the morning it's due, quickly go to Wikipedia, check out the major points of the topic at hand, put them on the paper and BS as much as I could to fill space. The system works, but only if you train yourself.

 

[Violet Link]

1. Do a mind map about the subject.
2. List anything that's relavant to it.
3. IF you got anything already, start writing.
4. Done.

I think that's pretty much my steps~ ^^

 

[HyruleHistory10]

I usually just say "I have plenty of time" and then realise an assignment is due the next day. This is followed by panic, self-loathing and a desperate rush to just type up something that can be handed in. After every few paragraphs, I read over it and make some changes if I feel they're needed.

Then I hand them in and get a mark which is quite good considering they are written mostly at 4 in the morning with no preparation. Then I start thinking about how much better my mark would have been if I had prepared and drafted. Then I resolve to do it properly next time. Then I don't.

For 6 years this has been my system and I still get better marks than a lot of my peers. I have come to depend on this system, which is not good really.

This sounds just like me through all my years of college and i still got deans list 3 times lol

 

[Maikeru]

In High School, this was my system.

1. Procrastinate.
2. Decide not to do the paper at sometime.
3. Have an A on my Report Card.


Since I started college, I've actually gone more like this:

1. Procrastinate.
2. Find random sources.
3. Glance over sources while writing.
4. Check for typos.
5. Receive an A on the paper.

 

[alexanderraimo]

I put it off until last minute then just start writing. No brainstorming, no rough and final drafts, I just go with it and read each paragraph to make sure it makes sense after I finish it.