Morning Hours Seem to the Best Time

¶ … morning hours seem to the best time for me to write. It is quiet in my house, no phones ringing, no one playing music or talking to distract me, so these are my best moments to write. Later in the day I do my editing by adding strength to my transitions, by carefully checking to see if grammar and context are correct and generally by proofreading what I have written.

I occasionally scribble notes on a piece of paper if an idea comes into my head at lunch, or in another class. There is a tendency to forget some of my best ideas for themes and specifics in papers if I don't jot down a note to remind myself. But basically when I start out without notes, I just open up a Microsoft Word document and start writing on my MacBook computer. A teacher in high school used to implore students to just "…get something down on paper, it doesn't have to be polished or correct, it can be stream of consciousness, but get some words down on that blank paper and later go back and make it smooth and informative." There's nothing more useless, she emphasized to our class, than sitting and staring "at a blank piece of paper or a blank document on your computer screen…get off the dime and get started!" she implored.

I double space as though it's the format for my final draft. The margins are 1 inch all the way around (APA format); for my second draft, I use the technologically helpful word processing system and simply re-write, delete, edit or add new copy as I go along. I write pretty quickly, because I always know if there are errors I can go back. But it's important to me to get my best ideas down; sometimes I stop and look up facts and times and places on the Internet, to be certain that what I have written can be verified. Recently I wrote a research paper on the recent Airbus scandal in Canada, and I actually had to print out results of investigations -- to place beside my computer for reference -- to be sure I was quoting authoritative sources.

When I was satisfied that I pretty much had my second draft of the Canadian scandal in good shape, I printed it out and looked carefully at that hard copy. Sometimes I like to let the hard copy sit for a few hours before reviewing it again. I take it outside on a table on the back patio and review it in the sunshine; that's just a writer's routine that works for me.

I like to write and I rarely procrastinate. I don't like to have to write at the last minute so generally I start preparing my topic sentence and my thesis soon after I get the assignment. I like to choose my own topics but I'm just as willing to pursue a topic given me by an instructor -- with specific guidelines -- as long as it is clear what is expected of me.

Have I been praised for my writing? Yes, most of the time I get good grades and positive remarks written on my paper. I believe that I have received positive input because I make sure my papers are very original -- and of course correct as far as grammar, context, punctuation and structure. My goal is always to find an angle or an aspect that is not likely to be used by another student. I pride myself on my ability to make an ordinary assignment interesting and creative. This is not always possible, but when I can, I deliver a unique and creative assignment to the instructor.