High School Writing

When it comes to writing assignments in high school, the hardest part for me is getting started. In order for me to be successful, I typically try to start working in a comfortable quiet room. I have a very difficult time writing endlessly. It is easiest when I know I have to write a 5- paragraph essay or something along those lines so then that way I can designate a subject to each paragraph. I tend to keep things very short and sweet so writing a paper on only one topic is very hard for me to begin.

When I started high school essays, I tended to do a very scrappy rough draft two days before and then alter it the night of. This wasn’t the best process for me but I have a lot of confidence in my writing ability. When I would complete papers the night before they were due it was usually my first draft and I consistently received B’s or A’s on each one. This process, I know now, will not work in college because most of our high school essays were only two pages long. Starting early on college assignments will definitely benefit me this year.

After deciding on the sequence of my paper and what I would be talking about, if I started early enough I would create an outline with very basic notes about each subject in my paper. I would also listen to music that’s slow and relaxing because it would keep my mind from wandering. The only people who proofread my papers were my parents and sometimes the classmates I sat next to. I tended to have a lot more punctuation errors rather than grammar so I believe my writing off the top of my head is pretty decent for first draft material.

Organization is definitely not my forte. I will write one massive paragraph and then find spots where it seems appropriate to separate.  I do not going through as many drafts as I should; I will maximum have 3 drafts before I turn in my papers.