A Convenient Path Through the Writing Process: For Essays/Articles

By: Cleo Cuizon

A critical writing assignment is announced, and you receive a topic to start with. But you’ve been having trouble with where to start, despite the guidance provided by your teacher. You acquire multiple tools and resources to alleviate your tasks, but the unorganized pile of assistance worsens your anxiety. You then sit there, slowly brewing a combination of writer’s block, procrastination, and mental breakdowns, unaware of the time creepingly passing before you. Well, unfortunately, it is a normal process. But solutions are always available, and I created some helpful tips on making your writing process slightly more manageable. And I say “slightly” because I do not want to sugar-coat anything.

I will break it to you right here at this moment: writing is hard. It requires enormous time and effort to produce and assemble new ideas to share, mainly for your brain. But I cannot just leave you there sulking in that harsh reality. So, I’ll do what I can to help.

Why? Simple, because I was once like you.

Important Note: One thing to consider is that this process revolves around the essence of organizing. Many writings tasks, whether in schools or in careers, mandate organized forms within your written assignment. Writing does not center on what kind of details you need for your paper to appear compelling; it is also about how clear and concise you make it.

I. Prewriting/Brainstorm:

When contemplating topics to write, it is hard to consider something that might feel interesting since not many writing tasks destines to meet your preferences. The best method I can advise when standing before a blank page is to write the main topic in big, bold letters anywhere in that space and give yourself at least a minute or two to think of any ideas at the top of your head. Then, set a timer for one minute, and once it starts, list all the ideas you’ve accumulated on the paper. If you can formulate new ideas within that minute, write them immediately. After that timer stops, reflect on all your thoughts, and highlight the words/sentences that you find interesting or relatable.

This is where you conduct the notable strategy called the “process of elimination.” Among the highlighted or marked words you chose, go through each and consider three sub-points that can broaden your topic (Note: This is NOT the subpoints for your paragraph). If you can achieve that without any trouble, you can reduce the number of issues listed until there is one left. Once you settle on a primary topic to write about, choose another one that is likely compelling. This relates to a special case that I will emphasize later.

II. Data Collection

Now comes that part where I consider the ‘messy work.’ After producing a topic, the following critical process is collecting related sources. This phase is also known as researching; you venture through reading materials or other methodologies of data collecting that would help formulate your central thesis. So, at this point, it is essential to consider your main statement. But not entirely.

When you are reading through your sources, you want to keep an open mind on the concept each writer shares. Inducing yourself to finalize a thesis statement hinders your ability to venture into other details you might want to consider, let alone not giving your undivided attention to the ideas in each source. Remember, you’re still within the planning process but right between brainstorming and outlining. This is like the twilight zone of the writing process; allow your mind to absorb some enlightenment.

Another factor to consider is the type of sources you seek. It is with critical consideration to find sources that are not only peer-reviewed but sources that you can cite in complete form. Peer-reviewed materials are highly recommended since these sources endure through a panel of experts or editors before it becomes approved for publishing. They are thoroughly inspected based on accuracy, relevance, and credibility. But this doesn’t conclude you should avoid other types of sources altogether; you may use other sources depending on the study field you pursue, but ensure it offers all information for citation.

In terms of accessing sources, one notable site would be Google Scholars. If you are a student, well, you are in luck because various database portals should be available in the institution you reside. Please see your academic librarian/educator for such sources. As for non-students, there is one source I can give, which is JSTOR.org. They provided various reading materials in any study field, including a premade citation for all styles. (See Resources for links to these resources)

III. Outline

After compiling as many resources as possible to help your paper, it is time to organize all these ideas into an outline. This section, in my opinion, is the backbone of your writing, making it a crucial point of your writing progress. All the plans you prewrote in the initial phases are dissected and arranged in chronological sections, forming a clearer perspective of what you will write and how the flow of information will transpire. Of course, every outline is different, but I can share a template of my own:

The example entails where I placed most of my initial attention. Before utilizing all the resources I researched, it is vital to begin drafting a beginning paragraph that will capture their attention and accurately explain the main idea. In the Introduction section, I only placed the hook and thesis since those are the key factors I need to consider now. Knowing that I need to start thinking of a good attention grabber and main idea, they become the initial concepts to, at least, finalize in this section. Remember, the thesis is your anchor, so formulating a concise statement could help you stay on track.

The following section you need to consider is the body paragraph, in which most of the written labor sets in. You formulate three key points that relate to your thesis, then expand them by adding subsequent information to defend your argument. The picture also states key quotes, which I will pose as optional. However, I still highly recommend adding them if you think of adding quotations to your paper. Then, copy it while it’s there and paste it into your outline instead of going back and forth flipping through the pages of where to find that specific quote. That way, it’s a little easier to deal with citing sources (Don’t forget to in-text cite, so you don’t forget the author and page number).

As for the conclusion, you can see that I did not put much effort into it since I have not fully formulated my paper. Moreover, since I have not started drafting the body paragraphs, I find it hard to conclude my argument since I have not fully expressed its components. Therefore, I placed general reminders of what to consider when drafting my conclusion.

IV. Special Cases (Rerouting to Plan B)

This is an optional phase, but it could happen to some writers. There will be moments when you will content yourself with one topic and acquiesce to the amount of research you’ve done. But then, in the middle of writing, you feel like it lacks profundity. Therefore, trust your gut feeling if you have that instinctive notion of looking back at your other topic. Earlier in the brainstorming phase, I briefly stated the essence of considering 2 topics. And that was because one could be your Plan B. You can refer to it when you feel doubtful and consider researching a source or two on its content. If you feel like it’s more compelling, follow through once you form an outline. Then write a brief introduction to determine if you still want to go with it. Remember, the last thing you ever want to feel when writing is a heavy sense of guilt and regret for not writing the topic you are passionate about. A great paper consistently articulates the most profound ideas with immense avidity.

V. Drafting

Just one word you must think about: Write. Write to your heart’s content. Even if you might sound redundant or inane, continue to write whatever it is that your brain can produce regarding the topic. Adhere that thesis statement at the top of your head like a bulletin board and hold it with regard. Try to constantly coincide the three mains with the thesis and move along with what your brain would want to say. Most of the time, writer’s block happens because either the author is too conscious of how they expound their ideas, or they have too many concepts to explain but leave it jumbled up inside. So, the most effective way I think of combatting these habits is to vent as much as you can. Even now, when writing this, I worry less about what I think is acceptable to my audience and more about unleashing as many thoughts as possible before they disappear. Because eventually, I will revise it later.

It’s a common yet often ignored notion to doubt your writing skills in this phase. Why seek perfection in work in progress? You haven’t finalized your paper yet, and still have a long way to go before acquiring the ‘perfect’ form. Continue to release whatever ideas and thoughts relating to your thesis and continue despite its incoherence. You can always revise it after you complete writing. For now, give your brain permission to unleash its creativity.

VI. Revising

Now that we have created as much information as possible, it’s time to clean up. The most traditional way to do it is to either give it to your peers or, if it’s graded, submit it to your teacher. It’s understandable to rely on that since it’s a mandated procedure in many academic or occupational settings. But for those who are more self-conscious or introverted (like me) and would want to double-check before sending it to anyone, one best solution is using online typing assistants.

One notable example is Grammarly. This only editing website offers free editing assistance but is limited to grammatical errors, spelling, and sentence structure. Advance assistance requires being a Premium member with various payment options. I highly recommend updating into premium since it offers more features to help with editing. Grammarly has greatly helped me with written assignments while pursuing my English major. Knowing that writing is the norm in this field, it was reasonable to acquire extra help with Grammarly’s premium membership. And if it weren’t for its service, I could not submit these papers with little more confidence. I recommend using Grammarly, even in free mode, so you can get that external help without feeling self-conscious when another person examines your work (By the way, this is not a sponsored post, this is all based on real accounts.)

VII. Citations

While revising your paper, it is also essential to consider your citations at this moment. In many academic fields, it is with great awareness that citations are crucial to your paper. Not only because it’s part of the requirements, but breaking that mandated procedure in your writing can get you in a plagiarism dilemma. I highly advise you to pay equal attention to this part of your paper. In most cases, plagiarism has led to student expulsion in the worst cases scenarios. Please review your student syllabus on those details. For non-students, it could sometimes get you into legal situations, which is also an unpleasant issue.

One way to avoid these cases is to research your use of citation and its many styles. Teachers often provide these resources to their students since they deal with written work daily. But I could recommend one resource that anyone can use: visiting Purdue Owl. They provide many examples for citing various sources and understanding the different methods for specific citation styles (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.). Please see Resources for the link.

VIII. Final Revisions

After considering all the initial revisions, take your time to make any final revisions. My greatest trick is to take a break before making your last revision. Since you spent much time editing your paper before this, take a long while to refresh your mind before diving into the final phase. Although you may lack a lot of sleep and energy, working tireless hours to get through the semester, at least practice some self-care through this strategy of refreshing your mindset. You can work on other assignments or take a long break from writing if you have enough time. Afterward, you can go back and make any final revisions needed.

IX. Conclusion

There you have it; you finalized your paper. You review its contents countlessly for any last-minute errors you may have missed, but there seem to be none. Your article is now ready to be submitted. And when I say, ‘ready to submit’, I don’t guarantee it will give a perfect score. You send that paper, hoping to alleviate at least the load that will continuously build in this semester/workplace. And that is okay. You genuinely deserve to reward yourself for achieving one part of your many accomplishments. It’s inevitable to feel nervous about your paper since this is s portion that most educators place a significant role in your overall grade. And for non-students, it is most likely a paper you hold with much pride towards your superior, even though you know how difficult it could get to publish your work. But remember that you’ve come this far and did whatever you could to share the creativity and brilliance you found with difficulty to share. I cannot assure you that my tips will give a high score or guarantee instant publication, but I do ascertain that following these steps can help you become more organized and productive in your writing process.

After all, my primary goal is not to help you make a ‘perfect paper’; instead, it’s a convenience and productivity you must use to make your writing adventure less toilsome.

I wish you the best of luck. And take it easy on yourself, you’re doing just fine 😊

Resources:

JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/

Grammarly: https://www.grammarly.com/

PurdueOWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/resources.html