The Writing Process

As I sit down to write this very post, I know that the questions below will shape the way I write even now, a habit that I can no longer break. While it's not yet the last minute, I'm sure that time will come in the near future. For now, let's find out how my mind works to put words on a page.

Q) What type of writer do you consider yourself to be?
A) I would consider myself to have a mixture of the Procrastinator and Heavy Reviser styles of writing. When asked to write a paper or work on a long project, I tend to put it off until a time close to the due date, even though I often know that it is going to require a lot of work to complete. During this limited amount of time, I tend to revise the drafts that I make several times and often rewrite entire paragraphs to make the writing closer to how I want it to feel.

Q) Does your writing process include several of the above approaches? If so, which ones?
A) Yes, the writing process that I employ does include multiple approaches as besides being a procrastinator, I do still like to be able to revise my paper before I have to hand it in. Though these techniques don't always mesh well together, I find that merging the two helps me achieve the results that I desire.

Q) Does your writing process seem to be successful? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your approach?
A) While my writing process has been fairly successful thus far, I know that its main weakness is the lack of time I give myself to prepare for writing, instead hoping that I'll be able to sit down and get it done just in the nick of time before it's due. However, with the limited amount of time I have during the week, I find that being a procrastinator sort of helps as I force myself to write in a shorter time than I would have otherwise. While this doesn't always work, the classes I've taken previously have not stopped me from using this technique which will likely change this year.

Q) Do you think it might be beneficial for you to try a different approach? Why or why not?
A) I think it would be largely beneficial to my writing process if I was able to stop having procrastination be part of the way that I write. With more time available, I would be able to drastically increase the number of revisions that I could make to the piece I'm writing, allowing it to become a more refined piece of work. However, I know this will take some work and I'm hoping I can make that improvement this semester.

Q) If you could sum up your feelings about your writing process in one image, what would it be?
A) My writing process is certainly a difficult one, and I find myself often checking the time to make sure I'm making enough progress to make the deadline. This is why I chose a picture of someone checking their watch, the same action I very often find myself taking while writing.

Vasek, Jan "What time is it?" 2014 via jeshoots. Attribution- Public Domain Dedication License